# Guppies shrinking and dying



## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

Help! Some of my guppies have already passed and now I have another one that is doing the same thing.

They start out fine - but their bodies get smaller and smaller, and once they are very small they start sitting at the bottom but still go to the top to eat, etc. Then after a day or two they pass. Any ideas what could be happening and how I can fix it?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Sounds like internal parasites...


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## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

trashion said:


> Sounds like internal parasites...


Best treatment?


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Metronidazole
Most fish stores carry some form of it. Such as "general cure" You'll have to read the ingredients.
Be careful with the type you choose if you have invertebrates...snails, shrimp etc. As some of the premixed has Copper Sulfate. You will need to remove them first.
Remove the carbon from your filter. 
The best way is to get them to eat it, and since they are still eating, chances are greater, Mix it with a little water & soak the food. 
Also, adding Garlic juice (water not oil) to the food, and directly into the water, will stimulate their appetite and also add with digestion and absorption. 
Good luck, & keep us posted.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

RS:

Hopefully Sue's treatment will work but if not and you enjoy guppies, as I do, please do not give up.

It seems like some people can go a PetCo, purchase a 24" high hex tank which has a hood and rudimentary filtration, purchase a few plants and several guppies, throw the guppies and plants into the tank and three months later have guppies swimming around everywhere without having any knowledge of what a WC is.

Whereas Ron could not only not get the very high end show guppies to live but also not PetCo guppies in pristine water conditions.

What has worked for me is purchasing fry, placing them in a 5G hex, doing 90% daily WC's from my tank and raising them prior to putting them in my main tank.

TR


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## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

Treatment isn't working - I have lost two oto cats now and four guppies and I have another one shrinking. I have seen parasite cure tablets, do these work? Could it be anything else? I can't do much for the oto cats with feeding since they typically just eat the algae off the glass


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

The oto cats might not make it regardless, they are touchy. I am not sure if the tablets will work as my personal experience is that I get to them too late and nothing has helped. I have heard good things about the tablets though, so they are certainly worth a try. I have also heard great things about the use of garlic while using medicated foods.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

RSidetrack said:


> Treatment isn't working - I have lost two oto cats now and four guppies and I have another one shrinking. I have seen parasite cure tablets, do these work? Could it be anything else? I can't do much for the oto cats with feeding since they typically just eat the algae off the glass


RS:

I am only saying what I would do (ie. it may not work).

Get some MelaFix and PimaFix, dose at twice the recommended rate for two days and continue dosing at the recommended rate for an additional five days. (The odor which you will detect is normal).

Also add salt at a concentration of 1 Tablespoon / 20 Gallons and increase the water temperature 2F.

As Obs indicated Oto's are very, very sensitive fish and require pristine water. Please purchase sinking spirulina wafers and begin feeding the wafers to the remaining Oto.


RTs: This somehow seems like a filtration and maintenance issue in the long term.

What type of filtration equipment do you have, what are your maintenance procedures, does your tank have a substrate, and, if so, is it planted?

TR


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## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

jones57742 said:


> RS:
> 
> I am only saying what I would do (ie. it may not work).
> 
> ...


I have been dosing with Melafix, I will pick up some primafix. I have been feeding the otos wafers, but the otos seriously look like they are trying to be pulled inside out. The guppies you can tell look like they are starving but I am feeding plenty.

Filtration - I have a Rena Filstar XP1 canister filter as well as a Marineland Penguin 150b power filter. 

Maintenance - I replace the filter media in the Marineland filter whenever it gets clogged and the bio-wheel stops moving (typically 2 weeks). The canister filter gets cleaned out at the same time. I also do a 20% water change once a week.

Substrate - A fine gravel substrate is what I use and there are 7 sword plants. 

Readings - All readings are fine as far as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. (Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20ppm).

And I lost another guppy today :-(

Cory Cats are showing no symptoms whatsoever neither are my zebra danios. Seems only the guppies and the otos.


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## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

Sad news  - Lost all of my guppies and lost all of my otos and all but one Zebra Danio. They all suffered the same fate and I tried everything from internal and external parasites to complete water changes, etc. 

Strange thing is my Cory Cats seem unaffected and somehow they managed to have babies, I have 2 baby Cory Cats - very strange but hey, I will take the babies.

I just wish I knew what was wrong with all of the other fish - my last Zebra Danio seems healthy as can be so maybe I cured the issue but am still unsure.

Just figured I would provide an update, but I am afraid to restock the tank. However I am picking up a 50 gallon today so that should be nice. Thanks everyone who tried to help.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Sorry to hear that you lost so many fish.

Changing the filter cartridge every two weeks is way too often, this could be part of your problem, although it sounds like you have some sort of parasitic infection in the tank. I would suggest addressing that before getting any other fish.


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## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

COM said:


> Sorry to hear that you lost so many fish.
> 
> Changing the filter cartridge every two weeks is way too often, this could be part of your problem, although it sounds like you have some sort of parasitic infection in the tank. I would suggest addressing that before getting any other fish.


I am not sure if I can figure out what is wrong. I am going to let the tank go for four weeks and see if any further fish show signs of illness and then pick up a few guppies and watch how they do. I may have finally killed the parasite or whatever was bothering them but I don't want to lose so many fish again so I will definitely take it slow.

Also - anyone have any other ways to get rid of wild snails other than had-a-snail. I managed to pick up a snail from somewhere and went from 2 snails to 20 snails to 40+ now. Had-a-snail took care of the smaller young ones but the big ones are still thriving and I don't know what to do about them. They actually are starting to exceed my bio-filtration now and raising ammonia levels


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## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

manually remove them. Hammer. End of problem.


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