# Mass guppy deaths



## Ktowncichlids (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey all about 3 weeks ago I set up my 55 gallon with a fluval 205 and ebo jager heater and im running it with a bare bottom and some BIG bush plants. I have about 10-15 adult guppys and 5-8 adult platys. (3 females to each 1 male )


While adding more fish I had issues with with I thought to be bloat and ick, from getting all these guppys in from differenet places, I lost a few along the way and everything seemed fine! 

But just this last week I added 5 BIG females from a local breeder, that traded them into my LFS, they looked really healthy,

now over the last week ive had 1-2 fish die a night slowly and tonight i wake up to 5 dead ones.....

Now here are some things throwing me off. 

-seems to be females dieing more then males
-all the juvenile baby guppys ive bread in breeder nets inside the same tank are not dieing
-1 platy dies to about every 5 guppys death (only 2 platys in total have died)
-My yellow MYSTERY snails arent dieing...


Some things I have noticed on a few females was dull tails that kinga looked chewed and then re grown, (maybe some sort of fin rot????) 

One female turned a bit white on her head 


one female in a breeder box what looked to be like a bomb go off inside one of its eyes and I woke up to it lookin like a PUFFY eye gold fish ...on one eye... (she died this morning)


Ive never had any mass deaths like this and everything im trying hasnt work.


Yesterday I did a big water change added Aquarium salt and a bit of epson salt (incase of bloat) and the heat is at 86' to help with the ick (wich looks to be almost gone)

ive been adding salt and PIMAFLEX to each water change over the last 2 weeks.

ALSO one last thing I have about 50 juveniles swiming around in there i orderedthem as "feeder guppys" and none of them seem to be dieing either.


One last question, Would platys cuase any issues? Would they beat on the guppys? Should I keep just guppys????


(im trying to avoid using medications but I have to I would.....)


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

tank is 3weeks old. i would question if it is cycled. we need to know test results.................


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

I would suspect a combination of two things first, as onefishtwofish said, is your tank fully cycled for the bio load you have in there after 3 weeks and two, what diseases the feeder guppies introducted into your system. They might just be carriers of something that is affecting the rest of your guppies. 

If I'm reading your post correctly, it sounds like its the new fish being affected, if that's the case, then it's more than likely your tank isn't fully cycled. Your existing fish have adjusted to the poor water conditions because it happened over time but the new ones are immediately stressed being added to your polluted tank water


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## Ktowncichlids (Apr 23, 2010)

Tank was 75% filled from the water from my 150gal, And I used some of the media from the 150's FX5 filter and I also squeezed some of the foam filters into the new tank when first set up, Added 25% fresh tap water treated with prime and let run for 1 week and added fish,

IMO I think i was cycled enough,


The feeder fish were added yesterday (fish were dieing befor the feeder guppys were added)


One thing I did notice and forgot to mention, It seems the BIGGEST female guppys died, all the smaller to mid sizes ones havent and still only one male. Nothing since Has died at


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

i have seeded tanks from existing filters and put fish in right away. there was also always substrate from existing tanks put in as well. the tank water its self holds little " good bacteria " 

maybe with it being bare bottom and not feeding the nitrating bacteria with ammonia for a week to keep it going may have starved it.
still no readings.? we can only speculate without them.


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## Ktowncichlids (Apr 23, 2010)

I will have to pick up a new test kit, Mines seems to have run out mid test!!
I put driftwood and plants from the other tank in as well, This is how ive always cycled my tanks and ive never had issues, This is the first time in my fish keeping ive ever had anything like this happen Im going to try and hit the LFS tomorrow for another test kit!

The Fx5 foam filters are pretty large and I squeezed two of them out into the tank...and they were month old filters from a 5 year old tank.


I will get some test results in tomorrow hopefully!!!


Im coming up on day 7 of 86 degree temp. The ick seems to have cleared. Could this be to many days of this temp?


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Guppies get fungus really easy.they also need harder water. The Epsom salt and salt you can leave in there.it will buffer up .it could be disease. I've seen the white on top of them before and usually bad news.
Also..if the guppies were raised in hard water then your hardness and ph is lower they get weak and die after a week or so.
I have a friend who raises beautiful big healthy guppies. His hardness? About 35 drops. Move them to someone's else's tank..they don't survive.

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.275040,-122.835514


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## Ktowncichlids (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey april, Thanks for the advice!!
Our water outa the tap is 7.1 and I add about 1 heeping hand full for my 55 gallon of aquarium salt and a 1/4 handfull of epson salt (usualy just aquarium salt)

I borrowed a test kit late last night and my ph was 7.2 nitrate 0 nitrite 0 amonia 0


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## Ktowncichlids (Apr 23, 2010)

OH and this morning only 2 juvenil feeder guppys deaths all adult fish seem fine Icks gone 

I unplugged one heater, they are now down to 81 degree from 86 for suspected ick. 


Someone also tells me guppys are prone to geting I think she called it "ancor worm" ?



April, I notced a bit of white fungus on the one guppy, Does salts/pimaflex care for that well or wat would you reccomend!


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

I'd try a bit of quick cure.
Hopefully it's slowing down. It always takes a few days after adjusting or treating for them to stabilize.


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## Ktowncichlids (Apr 23, 2010)

OK thanks! will do!


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