In the past week or so, I've had about 7-8 fish die. It first started when one of my fish in one day, her back was slanted/hanging down. Than a day after another one of my fish was bleeding internally, I could see the blood through the skin. Now one by one each fish would be in a corner for a day or so than I find that same fish dead the next day. I really want to fix this problem please and thanks.
2007-10-19 18:29:00 · 6 answers · asked by Huckle 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
The spine was curved down... she was the first fish to actually show any symptoms.
2007-10-21 12:54:03 · update #1
When you say her back was hanging down, did she look like her spine was curved? That could be the result of scoliosis (poor diet), an intestinal worm (Camallanus), Pleistophora (Neon tetra disease, although fish other than neons can get it), or fish tuberculosis.
If you still have any fish, see if you can notice thin red worms hanging out the anus when the fish aren't actively swimming. These look like this: http://www.alaquairum.net/imagenes/Camallanus1.jpg although the ones you see may not stick out that far. That would confirm the Camallanus. This needs a strong antiparasitic medication to treat and the entire tank should be treated. The best medication I've found to use is Levamisole - this is a livestock dewormer that you'll need to get through a vet or at a farm supply store. I'll put an article about using it to treat Camallanus at the end. The only thing I'd suggest doing differently than the article says is to do two treatments about 3-4 days apart to catch any eggs that hatch after the first treatment. http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/CamellanusTreatment.pdf
As far as fish tuberculosis, this isn't the same kind that humans typically get, but it can infect people - it usually causes a skin rash in this case. It's best to use gloves when you work around the tank so you don't get it. and be careful not to splash water on your skin. This can be treated with a few medications, but takes a long while to clear. Here's a link where you can get info on this (called piscine tuberculosis here) as well as the Pleistophora: http://www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm
Any fish that may also have the spinal curvature, if this is common to all the deaths, will still have it after being treated - this is something that won't be "cured".
If you guppy didn't have a curved spine, but was just swimming with the head up and tail down, check yoour water chemistry - there may be too much ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in your water, depending on how long you've had the tank running, how many fish you have (and the size of the tank), and your feeding/waer change habits.
Hardness wouldn't bother your guppies at all - they like their water hard. In fact, they benefit by having some salt added to their water (about a tablespoon per 5 gallons of water).
ADDITION: Also, when you do water changes, do you let the water sit out for a day, or use a water conditioner? You might want to check with your water company to be sure you're treating your water properly before you use it in the tank. Many suppliers are switching from chlorine to chloramine, so letting the water sit doesn't do any good - it will still kill fish. You also need to use a conditioner that REMOVES or NEUTRALIZES chloramine, not one that "breaks the chloramine bond" or is onlt meant for chlorine removal - these will release ammonia into the tank which can also kill your fish! Call your water company to be sure! http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/chlor.htm
2007-10-19 19:53:52 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My guppies are growing thin, & then I usally find a dead one in the tank . The rest of the fish seem ok.
2014-11-11 08:49:42 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could be a few things
but
most likely the water wasn't to their likeings...make sure you check these things, it;s really important to match different fish
get a testting kit and make sure you cahnge 1/3 of the tank water 1ce a week
it could also be the supplier...maybe you shou;d g to a different store. or maybe the fish you choose were already sick. Go for active, alert and fast with distinct colour and no tears or rips on the fins
2007-10-19 19:14:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
did you change the tank water or add something to it? the later ones to start dying may have been infected by the first? I would stop by your local pet store and ask advice on what to do.
2007-10-19 18:37:00 · answer #4 · answered by Jane 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You probably have hard water......Get a better water filter and increase the aeration.....
2007-10-19 18:33:43 · answer #5 · answered by hungrykong 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This happened to me to, I dont know wat is wrong tho.
2007-10-19 19:38:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋