# Please help, guppies are dying left and right!



## Zookeeper (Apr 27, 2011)

The tank is cycled, filter, heater, frequent water changes with prime. Ghost shrimp are doing fine, parameters are 0-0-10, lost one snail last week but it was from petsmart so I expected that honestly. Everything I get from there besides ghost shrimp die in a few weeks :/. 

I started with 3 guppies at the end of December. All were healthly vibrant little guys. Added a fourth, it died 2 days later. I just found it laying on the bottom. Did a 60% WC and added another guppy from petco this time. 2 days later, one of my originals, my favorite actually, was floating vertically at the top, it died. Now, 2 days later, another is doing the same thing. With the first I took it out using a cup, no net, and tried aqaurium salt. It died about 15 minutes later . It was just laying on the edge of a net under the water line. I just couldn't let it die like the other and me just find it . This one I had no choice but to leave it. The tank is in the kids room and they are asleep :/. 2 days ago it was fine though. The one I added from petco looks great and the other looks fine. My cories look good, no problems there, at least I hope not. They are my daughters favorite. They give her "kisses" through the glass every morning. 

I assume it's swim bladder maybe? They are fed tetra plus flake food once a day with one snack of freeze dries blood worms once a week and they nibble on the shrimp pellets I feed the cories. When I added a new plant I acquired white little bugs in all of my tanks. Not sure what they are but they don't seem to be bothering my betta in his 10g at all. 

So what do I do? I can't add salt to the whole tank because of the cories. I'm freaking out. My daughter LOVES her fish. The really odd part is both of the gups I've seen sick have went to the back side of my hanging/ floating plant by the air stone and just layed on a branch :/. I'm at a complete loss . In the morning I'm going to do a huge WC but I don't think the water is really the problem or my shrimp wouldn't be doing so well :/. 

Anything at all that anyone can think of please.


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## Zookeeper (Apr 27, 2011)

Came back to add. No fin rot. Ph around 7.8-8. No deaths in this tank ever until the snail. Never seen any ick.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

If they were by the air stone, I would think maybe they needed oxygen, but that doesn't make sense because you have an air stone and I'm assuming your filter moves the water surface....

Do you have a quarantine tank you can move the guppy to so he doesn't make the cories sick? (I don't have one, so I know that's not always an option).

Is the Tetra Plus a protein based food or veggie based? Guppies need veggie based food - I learned this after feeding mine Tetra Colour Plus - which is a protein based food - and now I have hugely bloated guppies... some have even died. Try a spirulina based flake food. (Make sure you still feed the cories the protein food, because they are omnivores). Guppies are omnivores as well, but they need more veggies than meat. It's ok to give them the protein food once in a while, but be sure to give them the veggie one most of all.

There's no chance your daughter has been 'playing' in the water? Are there any perfumes or air fresheners used near the tank?

This is all I can think of for now. If I come up with anything else, I'll post. Good luck.


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## Zookeeper (Apr 27, 2011)

No she doesn't touch the tank. She's 3 but I tape the lid down and she's never touched any of my 3 tanks. No perfume or air freshener either. My youngest has allergies (she's one and can't get on the dresser to get the tank) so I can't use any of that in the house. 

Yes it is protein based. I've been feeding them this since I got them. I will run out and get peas and a different flake food. I just got the tetra plus a few weeks ago, maybe 3 weeks actually. Could it take that long to show? No protruding scales but my daughter does call them fat regularly :/. Maybe she's better at this than I am . I figured tropical flakes were mostly the same in terms or protein and such :/. Any specific brand that is better? At least the kids will be happy about a trip to the pet store and maybe I can sneak the gup out while they eat and the excitement of a new fish will make them not realize one is missing :/. Hopefully!!! 

My usual quarantine tank has baby ghost shrimp in it right now :/. They aren't schedule to move out for another 3 weeks.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I use: "Tetraveggie - Spirulina Enhanced Flakes."

Some of my guppies took months to get fat, (maybe that's not even what's wrong with them), but since they have no other symptoms of the disease "bloat" the LFS guys keep telling me it must be from too much protein. I haven't really noticed them get any smaller, but they haven't died either. (The first few who got really fat all died. Since feeding 90% of the time this veggie food, the last 2 have stayed alive).

Forgot to mention - the little white bugs should be fine. I've got them too. They are so small I can barely see them, but they don't seem to be hurting anything. (People have actually said it can be a sign of really good water quality. Here's a link that may help you I.D. the bugs you have: Bugs you might encounter in your aquarium

Hope this helps! Keep us updated!


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