# 125gal tank of guppies looking sickly



## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Ok, here's my problem. I have a 125gal tank full of guppies - about 150 give or take. I started with two female and one male last year. I have - over the year - added three more males - to mix up the genetic pool Problem: I put two old "bottom filter" trays on the bottom of the tank about six weeks ago so that the baby guppies could have somewhere to escape to once born. I cleaned these plastic trays well before putting them into my tank but the only thing that happened was A LOT of trash got stored under them. I do use an Eheim filter but the bottom filter trays weren't hooked up to any filter, they were just laying on the floor of the tank. I started noticing some of the fish were zooming around and bouncing off the fake rocks I've had in the tank forever and once some of the YOUNG fish started dying I removed the bottom filter trays (that's when I found all the trash). I did a 2/3 water change, raised the temp of the water, and added the recommended amount of aquarium salt for "sick fish". NOTE: I have a five year old violet goby as well as a large common pleco - Hypostomus punctatus. I'm afraid to add medications to the tank, especially because of the goby. Also, I have noticed long white stringy poop. I think it is coming from the pleco. I know that can mean some kind of "illness" but I don't know what! Any suggestions???? One last thing. Because my female fish are constantly having babies I have a about 2 males per 1 female. Should I get rid of some of my males? With that many fish in one tank does it really matter? Thanks so much.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

Guppies are sensitive to changes in pH down. This may happen when old is dirt in the filter.
A good method to stabilize the ph is a piece of sea chalk or coral.
Guppies are grateful.

Nationalpark Jasmund ? Wikipedia


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Is "living rock" the same as coral? I used to have cichlids and I bought some brown, rough, living rock about a year or two ago. If I clean it really good (hot water) would that be helpful or should I go with the coral?


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

See lime is calcium oxide. It is produced by fossil water animals whose Skellett sedimented. Coral lime is the same.
If pH drops goes a little calcium bicarbonate in solution, it is neutral again. The limestone is slowly decreased.


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Ok, I tested the water and this is what it reads;
Temp.: 80 degrees
PH reads 7.2
Ammonia reads 0
Nitrite reads 0
Nitrate reads between 10 and 20
Though I suctioned the trash off the bottom of the tank yesterday (the small stuff - NOT the stuff under the trays - I did that on Monday), I am still finding white string poop. Is that a problem. Also, ALL of the fish that have died are very young - 1/4 inch long. Could my pleco or Violet Goby be damaging them? They never have before. When I look at them (when I take the dead body out of the tank) I see NO damage at all, no missing tail, fins, etc. No bite marks. Nothing. Between 2-4 baby fish are dying a day! I'm at a loss!!


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

So the conditions are right. White threads from the fish come from some artificial food. I've noticed since I sometimes feed my guppies with spirulina. If, however, again be given to the diverse living CYCLOPS, it goes away again.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

What is your normal maintenance schedule? Do you do regular water changes? Have you tested the kh of the water or have you tested the ph at multiple times through a day to see if it fluctuates?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

White poop could be from what they eat or an internal parasite.
Which parasite is hard to say,but if the fish dying have the white poop then I would think it is an issue?


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

I usually check my PH each week before water change. What is kh? I feed my guppies flakes and sometimes blood worms (mainly because of the Goby). The condition of my tank is getting worse. The fish are dying faster and now I've lost two adults. Could someone tell me if my violet goby is an Labyrinth organ fish? I read that treating these type of fish with some of the treatments for "regular" fish will kill them. I am mostly concerned for my Goby - though I hate the fact that my guppies are dying so fast and nothing I am doing is saving them. I add water weekly - water that has been sitting out for the week in my "special" bucket for my fish water. Usually it is after I have suctioned the junk off the bottom of the tank. I am treating for ick though I don't see any form of ick looking disease on any of the dead fish...they just look so very normal!! The med. is "Jungle" name brand and says it treats secondary problems also. I am going to get some "new" antibiotics for my tank tomorrow (don't remember the name but they said it is for internal parasites). I finally found my bottle of antibiotics but it has expired so... I think the white string poop is coming from the pleco - but it wouldn't do any good to remove him now would it...now that all the fish seem to have it. But the pleco doesn't show ANY sign of illness. He is fat and getting large fast. I think I'll just take out my "specialty" guppies and quarantine them and treat them with everything I can. I'll move my goby to another tank and just watch him - I don't think he has scales and he is over 5 years old. If he dies that will be very hard. Then I'll just treat the rest of them in the large tank and hope for the best. It really seems to have started when I put those bottom filter plates in and all the "junk" got under them. Once I lifted those plates up and suctioned that gunk out things started going down hill. Well, I'll just keep trying to treat them and hope for the best. Thanks everyone for your knowledge and suggestions. Anything else anyone thinks of please feel free to mention it...anything is better than nothing. Do regular veterinarians take care of fish - or do they just give their best guess also? I know it's probably expensive but there are so many fish...it's hard just to just let them die because nothing I'm doing is helping.


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Well, I separated out all of the new fry and put them in their own container. Hopefully I got them before they have become infected with "whatever". I was very surprised to see so very many. Usually they are eaten quickly until there are only about 6 - 8 left. I gathered about 20. I put my 4 specialty males in their own container and my original female in her own container. I put my violet Goby in his own container and the rest are left in the 125 gal. tank. I'll just wait and see if the medicine I put in the large tank does anything at all. My Goby is very still - for him - but at least I know exactly what kind of water he likes, etc. (after 5 years of caring for him), so I guess he has the best chance out of them all. I'll update this post in a few days.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

Since when do you have the 125g container?
Perhaps a general cleaning must sometimes be made.
Win by upper layer 10 buckets of clean Backwater, so you can vaccinate your denitrifiers.
Then they all times properly clean (empty).
Experiments with medicine, I would not do that.


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Update: I guessed whatever was killing my fish was something like "ick" though I could not see anything wrong with them . I treated them with 1/2 the treatment because of the young fish and the pleco and goby. Most of the fry died. The specialty males I separated out are doing fine - beautiful and healthy in a separated 10 gal tank. It seems whatever it was has run its course because no more fish are dying. I did put the remaining guppies (about 50) in a 10 gal tank for now - so I can continue to treat them with the "ick" meds. NOW my question is...is there a "specialty" thread on this site that has someone that specializes in Violet Gobys? I have questions and concerns about mine. Thanks for all the help!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

No real specialty thread here but a couple good ones?
What's up with your goby?
It causes them stress as they grow to be kept in freshwater.They really NEED brackish to be healthy.
Here's an old thread about one;
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f48/i-need-help-healing-poor-little-40680.html?highlight=violet+goby
some good info in here.


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Funny, I just read that post and was going to ask more questions about my Goby. First, when I was changing him into his old tank (because of the guppy quarantine) I held him in my hand to guide him in the direction I wanted him to go - he had other ideas and wanted the floor instead (I won and he is safe in his tank). Anyway, his "skin" is very soft, maybe slimy?? I didn't hold him long and have never held him before - he looks intimidating...lol. Is his "skin" supposed to be so slippery? But, my "real" question is...can a pleco live in brackish water? I have a violet goby and a pleco. I know the Goby needs to live in brackish water. I know some people say plecos can live in brackish water and some people say they can't. I would like to put the pleco in with my Goby so my question is, "can this plecos live in the same level of brackish water as my violet goby"? I know I would have to slowly acclimate him to brackish water before adding him to my Gobys tank - but would it even work?


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

After reading and reading so many posts in different forums, I think I know what caused the "ick" - or whatever it was. I have been having trouble with keeping the temperature constant. I have old tank heaters and now and then they don't do the job. I have two in the 125 gal tank and it is either too hot or too cold. I think the water got too cold and stayed that way for too long...in the yellow on the bottom side. Also, I had at least 150 plus guppies in that tank - over-crowding? Anyway, now I know two more things to watch out for. I think it's time for some new heaters!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

aqueon PRO heaters on kenfish.Best heaters for the $.
It is not a watts per gallon rule ,BUT really how many degrees above room temp you need to get how many gallons.
a 250w should probly work for your 125 it is what I use to raise my 180 8-10 degrees above room temp.
Can't really say if the pleco can handle brackish,but I have repeatedly read the goby really needs it.Maybe they don't end up together?


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## scarediecat (Sep 1, 2011)

Just an update. I have about 20 guppies left now but whatever was killing them has worn itself out - finally. I've not lost one in the past couple of weeks! I have decided not to put them in with the goby...I will just keep them in the 10 gal...but this time I won't rescue the fry (I used to put them in the incubator net as soon as I could after they were born). It may have been overcrowding that caused the problem to begin with. I'll just let nature take its course from now on...like I do with my Koi. I usually end up with about 5-8 new Koi each spring. Even at that rate I'll have to start giving them away soon so my pond doesn't become overcrowded. Thanks for all the help, information and encouragement.


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