Fin Rot... (Poecilia; health, behaviour?)  1/30/09
Hi there,
I'm not sure where to start exactly, so I'll give you the set up and situation, then hopefully my question will be clearer. And please forgive the length of this question. The set up is:
* 10 Fancy Guppies (8 females, 2 males) in a 29 G tank.
* 2 sponge filters stacked and running on and air pump that's circulating 200 GPH
* Water temp is 79.4
* Water chemistry is brackish with SG of 1.003
* Water Parameters are: NH3 = 0, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 20 (!!!This is part of my question)
This is a fish only tank. By that I mean there have never been, nor are there now, live plants in the tank. Before you say anything, yes, I know that live plants keep nitrates down, but I've had trouble getting plants to live in this tank for some reason, so I gave up on it. But, more to the point, is up until about 3 or 4 weeks ago Nitrates were never more than 5.
So part of my question is what may have caused the change? I faithfully test the water in the tank every Thursday. The parameters are always perfect with ammonia and nitrite at 0. I also faithfully gravel vac, and change 10 gallons of water every Friday. That's about a 30% change, which I would think to be sufficient to keep parameters in check. Yes, being guppies I get a litter or two of fry every couple of weeks. The fry are removed from the tank during the Friday water change and (forgive the harsh reality here) fed to my frogs. (Xenopus) So the first part of my question is do you have any guesses as to why Nitrates started rising? Which leads me the second part of my question/situation. Can Nitrates AT or BELOW 20 ppm cause Finrot? Because I can't figure out how this happened. One of the males has a clear case of Finrot. Two red spots on a frayed tail. I've removed him to a 10 gallon Q Tank, and have been treating him with a concurrent course of Maracyn and Maracyn II for the last four days.
I'm not really seeing a lot of progress yet, but I'm hopeful. In the meantime, I've treated the 29 gallon tank with a course of API's Fungal Cure which says it cures tail and fin rot. The problem is I can't quite tell if the other 9 guppies need a more aggressive treatment. Some of the females have started to have a mild fading at the ends of their tails, but not all. No one has any noticeable red streaks/spots, or fraying. In addition, I'm not convinced there's a fungus present. There aren't any white spots or patches or whatever the fungus is supposed to look like.
Obviously I'm trying to avoid having to treat the 29 gallon tank with antibiotics. But I don't have ten 10 -gallon tanks laying around to individually treat all the fish. But I'm also not interested in having my little friends suffer and die. So I'm at something of a loss as to how to proceed with treatment of this problem. Also, guppies are schooling fish, so does the stress of being alone in the Q Tank for 5 plus days sort of cause more problems than it solves for the poor little guy?
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Laura
<Laura, the short answer is than 20 mg/l nitrate shouldn't cause any health problems at all. That's a very safe level of nitrate for a freshwater aquarium. So let's move on from there. Your maintenance regime seems fine.
Finrot is often caused by water quality issues, but not always. The other common reason is physical damage. Now, I mention this because Guppies are not peaceful fish; indeed, the males are apt to be aggressive. They are not schooling fish as such, but rather the females congregate in groups while the males fight over access to the females. A dominant male will try and bully any other males that get close. Because Fancy Guppies have particularly long fins, they're less able to swim away from danger, but their front ends (their teeth and jaws) aren't any different. So it's still possible for them to bite one another, and quite possibly any damage caused will be more severe. In other words, my gut feeling is that this is a social behaviour issue. Livebearers generally do best in groups where the females outnumber the males by three to one, or more! For example, at the moment I'm keeping a single male Limia nigrofasciata in a tank alongside eight mature females and their fry. Although this species isn't especially aggressive, when kept in groups the males certainly do chase one another and try to assert their dominance. Put another way, removing some males and adding more females could fix the problem. In any event, treat Finrot in the main tank. Since it's not a contagious diseases as such (all tanks have the bacteria that cause Finrot present all the time) there's no need to isolate suffering fish, unless of course that fish can't feed or swim normally. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Fin Rot... (Poecilia; health, behaviour?)  1/30/09
Thanks so much Dr. Monks. Once again, you've helped a lot. Just one follow up. When you say, "treat the main tank", do you mean with Maracyn?
And, if so, won't that crash the system?
Laura
<Hello Laura. Yes, treat the main aquarium with Maracyn (or Maracyn 2). No need for a quarantine tank. Maracyn (or Maracyn 2) used correctly should not harm the biological filter, bit do read the instructions CAREFULLY. I
mention both drugs because they each treat one of two different subsets of bacteria, the so-called gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Both can cause Finrot and Finrot-like symptoms. Usually Maracyn works, which is why
it's the drug of choice, but if after the completed course there's no improvement, do a big water change (25-50%) and then start with Maracyn 2.
Cheers, Neale.>

Fin rot? -probably not, Guppy Beh. 01/18/09
Hello again,
I have noticed that one of my other guppies (tequila guppy) has discoloration (if that's the right word) coloring on his tail. Recently his tail has been yellow-orange- then a black color. I look five minutes later and the end is clear again like it always has been. When confronted by other fish he bunches up is tail into a-well straight tail. It seems that soon after he bunches it, the black comes on. No part of the tail is disintegrating. Is this an early stage of fin rot? Or what could it be?
<Fish often change colors in response to stress (ex: being chased). They often either turn a light or darker shade. Yellow/orange to black might be a little more unusual, but probably not out of the realm of possibilities.
I think this is just a stress response, not fin rot. If it were fin rot, you'd likely see the tail starting to shred/disintegrate/etc. Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/guppybehfaqs.htm>
Thanks
<De nada,
Sara M.>

My fancy female guppy... beh./hlth., need for data, reading    12/10/08
My fancy female guppy all of a sudden in the past week has started swimming and staying on her side I just discovered 10 baby fish no clue which guppy they came from but my question is what can cause her to stay like this, she still moves around and tries to eat is it possible that the babies could be stuck inside her?
<Mmm, yes...>
She appeared to be very pregnant when this first started. PLEASE HELP!!!
thank you
dawn
<Dawn... need to know what your system consists of, its maintenance, feeding... water quality, history of the set-up... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppies.htm
and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>

Re: My fancy female guppy  12/11/08
What can I do to help her? Anything at all?
<...? Read please... provide useful data... as per others recorded input.
B>

male guppies urgent  10/17/08
I have two male guppies in my ten gallon tank.
<Too small of Poecilia reticulata: the males are aggressive and the females need space.>
(The female recently died from old age.)
<One male to 2+ females is the recommended way to stock these fish; your female was VERY likely stressed to death.>
The two males have been chasing each other and shoving themselves in each others faces. Are my guppies just playing?
<Fighting.>
Or, are they fighting that could soon lead to death?
<Certainly not how I'd recommend keeping this species, anyway.>
Please help me! Thank you, Brian, a concerned guppy lover
<Do see my thoughts on this species, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/guppies.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Guppies, sys., beh.    3/3/08
Hello,
A few weeks ago we set up a 5 gallon hex tank and bought a pair of guppies.
<Too small...>
We have worked with our water and have finally, after we lost the first two, gotten the tank just right.
<Just right according to whom?>
We bought others, and ended up with 3 males and 2 females. One of the red-tailed males killed a fancy tail male and one of the females.
<No surprise at all.>
We isolated him, then set up a 10 gallon tank with a divider so he would have more room. We then went and bought him 2 female guppies, and within a day he had bitten one and killed her.
<Someone needs to read a book about Guppies. Males are aggressive. Guppies are NOT a good idea in tanks smaller than 20 gallons. This isn't up for discussion. If all you have is a 10 gallon tank, keep something else.>
We removed the other female, leaving him isolated once again.
<How are you isolating him? Not one of those horrible breeding traps? They achieve precisely nothing except removing money from your pocket.>
We called the pet store, and they agreed to exchange him for a different fish. We brought home a new fancy tail male and he seems just as aggressive.
<Male Guppies attempt to dominate the area around them. It just so happens that a 10 gallon tank is so small any one male Guppy will treat this as his private kingdom.>
He is chasing all of the females around the tank constantly, bumping into them.
<Not bumping: either attempting to copulate or else displaying aggression.>
I cannot tell if he is trying to bite them, but that is a concern.
<For the female Guppies especially, I'd imagine!>
We have 2 males ( including him) and four females. All the info I can find talks about increasing the number of females, but I don't know if that will help.
<It will, in a sufficiently large aquarium.>
I do not have the room to set up a separate tank.
<Then Guppies are not for you.>
What do you recommend I do next? Is it common for them to be this aggressive, or are we just unlucky?
<Completely normal. Please read about fish beforehand in books and fishkeeping magazines that have been fact checked. The only livebearer suitable for a tank this small is the Dwarf Mosquitofish (Heterandria formosa). Nothing else commonly available will work out well. Next up, a 10-gallon tank is ridiculously small. Do read here for more:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestk.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Fighting guppies-will they fight to the death?  2/7/07
Hi,
My 7 yr. old son has a 10 gal. tank with 2 male guppies and 3 platys (we've just discovered one is female & pregnant).  The guppies seem to be picking at each other's tails & bodies and chasing each other (with fins up).  We've had a couple of fish losses for unknown reasons which my son has taken very hard.  Will these two guppies fight to the death?
<Mmm... is possible that the antagonism could lead to this, yes... A simple fix is to add a greater number of females here...>
Is there anything we can do to help them get along better?  They were put in the tank at the same time and have been fighting for past couple of months (well before the female platy came).  I'd hate to go through another funeral & burial if there is something we can do to avoid it.
Thanks,
Bridget
<Sex ratios with livebearing and some egg-laying fish species can be this important. Bob Fenner>

Male Guppy chasing Male Platy – 09/08/07
Hi,
I have a 65 litre tank with 4 neons, 1 guppy (two recently died), 5 platies.
My blue spotted platy is constantly being chased by the yellow male guppy.
The guppy never chases any other fish on the tank. It seems to be attracted to the area near the anal fin and seems to reach for that area or just chases it around everywhere.
I have checked other sites which say that the platy could die from stress caused by constant chasing or is ill (but I am pretty sure it is not ill as I can't see any symptoms of illness).
What should I do?
Thanks.
Regards,
Seema
<Hello Seema, There is, unfortunately, nothing you can do about this. Male livebearers are "programmed" to always be trying to make with females and chase away rival males. Evolution has pushed them towards a "live fast, die young" strategy, compared with the females, which are usually bigger, slower growing, and better camouflaged (at least in the case of the wild-type fish). Indeed, with guppies particularly females choose males with the brightest colours, apparently because any male that survives to maturity with a brightly coloured tail that attracts predators must have good genes. To compensate for this, male guppies will try to mate with everything and anything they can, because as far as their genes are concerned, tomorrow they could be eaten! In the wild, guppies prefer guppies, platies prefer platies, and so on -- but in the aquarium, where there are no alternatives, male guppies will attempt to mate with almost any other kind of female livebearer, as well as chase away any other kind of male livebearer they deem a possible rival. In other words, there's nothing you can do about this behaviour other than either [a] remove the male to another tank; [b] add two or more female guppies so he chases them instead; or [c] move them all to a bigger tank with lots of plants so the fishes can separate themselves and hide if they want to. Cheers, Neale>

Guppy help? Beh.   9/3/07
Hello, I have a week old 10 gal tank. I have checked the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate an pH, and all are fine.
<? Values please...>
I have 2 metallic blue male guppies, 2 neon tetras, and 1 balloon belly.
<... these animals all "like" different water quality...>
They are all active and beautiful. I have noticed that my guppies especially are swimming right next to the glass wall from side to side and up and down. The other fish swim around but also do the same with the walls. My guppies are very active they swim around fast and eat like little pigs. They hardly let anyone else get any food! I am just wondering if this swimming with their body next to the wall (sometimes bumping the wall, and sometimes with their mouth on the wall) is anything to worry about?
<Mmm, no... much aquatic life readily imprints on us, the "bringers of food"... Does "hang out" near the front...>
I don't want to find out when its too late. The guppies have a metallic color and their skin does look a little cloudy in certain angles, but I do not think this is any indication (Do you?).
<Of?>
I am grateful for any advise
<advice>
you can offer on this wall attraction. I love your site and am going over it with my 6 & 8 year old daughters. Thanks
so much for your time and consideration. Terri
<Terri, please do take a read on WWM re the Systems of the life you have, intend to acquire before buying... the Balloon... Molly? will not likely "stretch" to living well in the same water as the Neons... Bob Fenner>

Re: guppy help? - 9/3/07
Thanks for the response. I bought all of the fish below at the LFS and the owner told me that they would all do well together. I admit I wish I had done alot
<No such word>
more reading before going into this, but these were purchased to fulfill a promise to my girls for excellent grades.
<Mmm... then you will want to know, do what is necessary to assure their ongoing health>
They had been working toward this for more than a year. I won't rely on the expertise at the LFS as they also told me a Beta fish would do fine in the tank.
<Mmm, my "real" "advice" is to rely on no one but yourself (yes, not even I, us...) to make final important decisions>
When I put the Beta in the tank, it immediately started going after 3 other fish. Scary! I took the Beta out and it is now in a 1.5 gal tank.
<Heated and filtered I hope/trust... see WWM...>
Our larger 10 gal tank is heated at a temp aprox. 77-80 degrees F.
<A bit high for Guppies...>
I have tested the water each day and there are 0 nitrites and ammonia. The nitrates are below 20.
<Ah, good... do use this as a maximum benchmark>
The only reading I see a problem with is that the water is soft. Should I leave that alone and let it work itself out since I have read that there is a possibility that the cycling process will cause fluctuation in all the levels.
<You are wise here! I would wait on any such adjustments>
I will be doing my first water change (15%) tomorrow. You say that none of these fish like the same water quality. What would you do to accommodate the fish I have?
<Read>
Should I put the balloon belly or the neons in a separate tank?
<This would be best, yes>
I do not want any of these darling little creatures to be miserable or sick. Again, thanks for your time. We are grateful! Terri
<A pleasure to assist you in your adventure, fulfillment here. BobF>

Abnormal female guppy behavior   – 06/19/07
Hi!
<Hello there - you've got Jorie this rainy (at least in Chicagoland) afternoon)>
Thanks for providing such a wonderful resource.
<On behalf of Bob, WWM/WWF - you are welcome.>
I have a 5 gallon hex tank with two male guppies and I recently added 3 female guppies along with some frill plants.
<I've got the *exact* same setup - the 5 gal. hex with two male guppies. My two are very active, somewhat aggressive guys, but able to hold their own against one another. I've been unable to sustain more than 2 guppies in this environment, even with perfect water parameters (no ammonia, nitrite, nitrate less than 20 ppm). In reality, I think there just isn't enough space/swimming room for more than 2 fancy guppies. Also, am unsure as to what you mean by "frill plants" - are these live or fake? If live, what sort of lighting, substrate, etc. are you using?>
For about two weeks, everything seemed fine, but about 4 days ago, one of the females became very inactive and started to hide behind the filter intake, or rest on the bottom of the tank. A day or so ago, one of the other females began to exhibit this same behavior. The ammonia and nitrite levels are fine,
<Very subjective - need to be ZERO, as measured by a reliable test kit. Also, check the nitrate levels; these need to be at 20 ppm, preferably less.>
and I checked the pH which is somewhere between 7.2 and 7.5 (do I need to get a test kit that is more specific?).
<What type of test kit are you using? If it's the "dip stick" kind, then I absolutely suggest you ditch it and get a quality liquid test kit, something like the one made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Tetra. Each makes a "master" kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH for around $20 (US). I've personally used both and have found both to be reliable. Although there isn't a drastic difference between 7.2 and 7.5, more precise information is always good. Just remember when dealing with pH (and temperature), stability is most times more important that exact pinpoint precision (within reason, of course)>
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the other guppies. What could be going on?
<Assuming your water parameters are as specified above, these could be weakened stock. Sadly, with so many of the "fancy" fish, they are bred over and over and over again, and during this process, their immune systems become weakened, especially when genes are being "manipulated" for certain aesthetic traits. Fancy guppies and bettas are often times just not from good stock, healthy, so many times, I've found.
Additionally, I do think you've got too many fish in that tank. Again, male guppies can be pretty aggressive, in my experience; have you seen any bullying going on? If the new female additions were "weak stock" to begin with, constant harassment will only render them more susceptible to disease.
Do you have any aquarium salt in this tank? I'd recommend adding that, or alternatively, marine salt (guppies can tolerate brackish conditions, and many times, will even thrive in such waters). The aquarium salt can help promote slime coat growth, which helps keep fish healthy. If you go the aquarium salt route, I'd suggest adding 1 tsp. to your 5 gallon tank; if you go with the marine salt (I've got a huge bucket of Instant Ocean at home for our brackish and saltwater tanks, so this is what I've done), you'll need a device called a hydrometer (a plastic box with a swing arm that measures levels of salinity- readily available at many fish stores for around $6-7 (US)), and I'd suggest raising the salinity to around 1.002 or 1.003. Of course, if we are talking about live plants above, both of these suggestions may well destroy the plants, unfortunately...>
Thanks for your help!
<Hope I have. It sounds to me like you got weak stock, but coupled with the stress of being in too small of a tank, these girls just aren't happy. Do you have a larger tank you can move them to?
Best of luck,
Jorie>

Color change fish, Guppy beh.    5/22/07
I have a guppy that is about four weeks old, the odd thing about him is that he can change from one color to another to another to another almost instantly.
<Sounds very unusual. Never seen this in a guppy.>
is this a problem?
<Probably not. Fish change colour naturally for a variety of reasons. When stressed, they often either go dark or the colours fade. When communicating with others of the species they may adopt specific colour patterns. Cichlids are famous for this. At 4-weeks old your guppy is probably developing its colour pattern and may simply be changing as it grows, in exactly the same way human hair and eye colour changes as we age.>
is this a rare breed?
<Maybe! See what happens.>
is this a completely new breed that no one has ever seen? am i just a hallucinating weirdo?*
<Can't speak for your level of weirdness. Cheers, Neale>

Strange Guppy Behavior   5/5/07
Hi There,
  I have a peaceful 80 gallon community tank with platies, Cory cats, zebras, cardinal tetras, monk tetras and furcata rainbows with my 6 fancy guppies.  I recently treated for ich after bringing home a new marble horned Pleco which was evidently affected with it. (No, I didn't QT the Pleco... big mistake).  The fish store recommended Quick Cure.
<Mmm...>
  The directions on the bottle recommended treating with a half-dose for tetras and scaleless fish, which I did.  After several treatment cycles, about 9 days, the ich was still present so I went to full dose and increased the temp to 85 degrees.
<This last was a good idea>
It took 10 more days to finally (hopefully) eradicate the ich.
<The temp. alone...>
I have done many water changes, about every 3rd day, removed the charcoal as directed, and added aquarium salt to the water, and I hope we are through with ich, but my guppies are now acting strange.  Several of the females seem to have a humped back and are swimming stiffly.
<Poisoned... mostly by the formalin...>
  They also seem to be absorbing their unborn fry.
<Effects/ditto>
They look very uncomfortable and almost lethargic. I have had the guppies for over 6 months and they have been healthy till the ich breakout.
<... not the ich... the treatment>
I lost one of the males today so I know something is really wrong.  The other members of the community seem to be OK.  
  I have tested the water and it seems in good order.  Ammonia 0, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Hardness in the moderate range, PH about 7.6.  Temp is still set at 85 degrees as I read that the ich cannot reproduce at this temp in case there is any still lurking.  Any ideas what may be wrong with the guppies???
<Toxified>
  I really don't want to lose them.  Could it possibly be stress from medicating for so long?
<Mmm, yes>
  Thank you so much...  I have been searching for answers but have been unable to figure out what is wrong.  
  Thank you!!
  Sharon
<See WWM re the product... Malachite and Formalin. BobF>

Guppy behavior  4/26/07
Hello,
<Howdy.>
First let me say your site has been VERY helpful to me when setting up my first fish tank.
<Thanks!>
I have a 35 Gal Hex tank. Its been up and running for 2 months now. It is live planted and I am using an under the gravel filter. I have stocked it with 5 Black Skirted Tetras, 2 Dwarf Sunset Coral Platys, 1 Red Tailed Shark, and 7 Fancy guppies.
<Some nice fish there... but I can tell you that [a] black skirt tetras (if by these you mean Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, what we Brits call "black widows") are *notorious* fin-nippers, so choose any additional fish with care. They will, sooner or later, nip the guppies. Also, [b], red-tail sharks become increasingly aggressive with age, and a 35 gallon "hex" tank is likely too small to satisfy its territorial (or even swimming space) needs. They get to about 12-15 cm long when mature depending on the species.>
I have been doing 10% water changes every week since I started the Tank. I have vacuumed the gravel once in that time. I do weekly water checks before and after my water changes. Water temp is about 75 F.
<Vacuuming the gravel weekly is probably overkill. Every 2-3 weeks give it a gentle stir with the handle of the net you have and then siphon off the "mulm" (detritus) that comes up. However, water changes could be ramped up a bit. 10% per week is not much, and nowadays "the more the better" is generally recommended. I'd certainly suggest 25% a week, and many aquarists change 50% a week or more.>
So here are my main Q's:
1. My PH has been steady between 7.2-7, Ammonia has always been 0 ppm, but lately my nitrites have spiked to 1 ppm and the nitrates is at 5 ppm. To my understanding this is caused by excess food and waste in the tank. The fix is supposed to be 10-20% water changes daily till the levels go down and feed less. I have started doing both of those things in the last week and a half and I haven't seen any change in the levels. Am I wrong? Should I be doing something else? I am using Amquel to treat for ammonia, chloramines and chlorine when I do the water changes. I am also adding API Stress coat during water changes.
<For one thing, stop vacuuming the undergravel filter so much. If you agitate it too much, you will keep removing bacteria from the gravel. What you want to do is remove the mulm, because this clogs the flow of water, while leaving the gravel basically alone. What depth of gravel to you have? The gravel is the filter medium, and for a typical aquarium this needs to be at least 6 cm in depth. Now, a complicating factor here is you have a "hex" tank, which is one of the worst designs on the market, and second only to the goldfish bowl in its shortcomings. Specifically, the problem with a hex tank is that it is tall and narrow. This means that compared with a plain rectangular aquaria, it has a smaller area available at the top to absorb oxygen (and lose CO2) and a smaller area at the bottom to be used as an undergravel filter. It is entirely possibly your aquarium is overstocked, not because of the volume of water you have, but simply because the undergravel filter is working at its limits. Adding an additional filter, ideally one that draws its oxygen from the air not the water, would help remedy this problem. A filter would also agitate the water at the surface and increase the movement of water from the top of the tank to the bottom, improving the availability of oyxgen.>
2. My guppies act strange (or at least I think its strange). Several of them have started diving into plant and springing themselves off them. I had read that this is called "flashing" and can be a sign of Ick or that they may be "itchy". I have been watching them for the last week and there has been no change in condition or appetite. No spots, listlessness, nothing that I can see wrong. Are they just playing or is something wrong? I have only had 1 death recently (1 of the platys) that I put down to shock from being introduced to the tank. I am feeding 2 times a day once with flack and once with dried brine shrimp.
<Treat for whitespot anyway, ideally using a combination whitespot/velvet/Finrot remedy to nip any one of the possible problems here in the bud. Whitespot is invisible at first, and if it attacks the gills (as it usually does) you won't see those parasites anyway. So when fish show persistent "itching", then it is always worth pre-empting the problem. Fish also do this when water quality is poor though, so fixing the nitrite problem may fix the itching. Regardless, I'd treat for whitespot anyway.>
3. I am having problems getting my Tetras to eat flaked food. I was told they would eat when they were hungry but that I could offer them frozen bloodworms if I was concerned. I tried that and they don't seem to be enticed by them. They also don't seem to care about the brine shrimp. Is this ok and I am worrying over nothing? I have had them for 2 weeks with no noticeable problems other then disinterest in food.
<Fish will go off their food if water quality declines. Now, I'll add a few general comments about food. Firstly, flake food goes "off". Would you eat 2-month old cereal? No. But we expect our fish to do so. I find my fish stop being interested in flake food a couple of months after the tub is opened. So instead of letting the flake go stale, keep it in the freezer in an airtight package, and only remove a portion to last a week or two at a time (keep this "on the go" flake in another tub). Secondly, fish don't like to eat the same thing day in, day out. Get 2-3 different brands, and cycle them through the week. Space them out with frozen foods, live foods, and especially kitchen scraps: blanched lettuce, sliced cucumber, cooked peas and spinach, shellfish and white fish, hard boiled egg yolk (in tiny amounts, very messy), and so on. Almost anything without animal fat in it is worth trying: some fish even like boiled rice! If you are up for it, fish love houseflies and mosquitoes, so if you find any in the house, grab 'em and use 'em. In the wild fishes will be eating literally dozens of different things each day. Another thing I've found is not all brands of foods are equally popular. Some brands of frozen bloodworms are greedily accepted, others almost ignored. So try out a few different sorts, and see which they like! Don't be afraid to experiment either. I tried out frozen lobster eggs (used to feed marine filter-feeding animals) and discovered my various fishes adored them!>
Any think you have to say is appreciated.
Sadie
<Happy to help. Neale>

Re: Female Bullies?   4/15/07
I have a 20 gal tank.
in there are a 2 Mickey Mouse Platy (F/M), 1 Loach Clown, 1 Zebra (M), and the 2 Male Guppy I told you about, the other 3 are in the bowl, while I figure things out.
<Mmm, the reasons I asked re other tankmates is your photo shows an apparently large/r fish... perhaps a barb/minnow of some sort in the foreground, in front of the hiding male... and the guppy does appear to be hiding from it>
I have the correct PH levels, and all,
<... can't read your mind/heart... Need to read/see actual test values>
water temp is OK, salinity is OK.
<...>
From your email, I think the females are the ones being the bullies.  The males swim and they charge and bite their tales.
Paul
<BobF>
Re: Female Bullies?
Woops, must've pressed the wrong key, a 10 gal tank.
<Mmm, should be big enough for the species, numbers you list. BobF>

Newby guppy owner: worrying behaviour – 03/17/07
Hi,
<<Greetings, Sharon. Tom with you this morning.>>
I have today acquired two minnows and a guppy and have put them into a 30 litre BiOrb tank, with the provided ceramic media in the bottom of the tank rather than gravel.  I am slightly worried because the guppy has twice dived into the media in the bottom of the tank and got itself stuck: why is it doing this?  Do guppies need to be able to burrow, or was it just looking for a dark place?
<<Likely looking for a place to hide out, Sharon. Provided the tank has “cycled” properly and water conditions aren’t an issue, your Guppy may be looking to steer clear of the Minnows for now or, may just be stressed by the new environment.>>
I am worried that I will come downstairs in the morning, or return from work at the end of the day, to find it dead.  Is there anything I can do to stop this happening?
<<The quick solution would be to provide a more suitable hiding place for it. An inexpensive decoration or even a piece of PVC (plastic) pipe from the hardware store would serve the purpose. The less-handy solution would be to remove the ceramic media and replace it with gravel but this really doesn’t address the root of the issue. Right now, it just wants some place to feel safe and secure.>>
Thanks
Sharon
<<Happy to help, Sharon. Best of luck. Tom>>

Blonde female guppy turning opaque   3/3/07
I've been struggling lately because an explosion of baby guppies suddenly overcrowded my tanks. I have recently relocated them to a larger tank. The problem is, the guppies in my female tank have all been acting very strangely. One started hanging out on her own in the corner and died rather suddenly about a week later. Another one has that 'wasting away' problem, but she's been hanging in for a couple weeks. My last blue girl has recently started hiding out in the corner on her own, but I can't see anything wrong with her. There's one really pretty, really special girl guppy I have left that's not acting funny, and I really don't want anything to happen to her.
All that was to point out that something is really wrong in the tank. The girl I'm writing about is blonde, almost clear. Lately, she's started developing an unsettling opaque/white patch in her tail, and it's grown a bit over the course of the week. When the hood is closed, she also sits in place with her fins clamped and shimmies.
<Very bad signs>
I'm fairly certain it's not a fungus, because it's not fuzzy and it looks for all the world like something internal. I have her isolated right now, in case it is something contagious, but I'm not sure what to do next. There is aquarium salt in the water.
Nitrites=0; ammonia gauge=safe; nitrates=less than 20ppm. Near as I could tell, it's a problem left over from the overcrowding a week ago. Do you have any advice as to how to proceed?
<Yes... please do a search on the Net, WWM with the term/s, "Columnaris", "Chondrococcus columnaris". Bob Fenner>

Hello. Guppy beh., dis.    1/30/07
Hello Mr. Fenner,
<Amanda>
My question isn't very specific... but in my 10 gallon tank I have 2 fancy guppies, 1 male and 1 female... the female had about 30 fry. This event took place about 2 weeks ago. They're coming along quite well. This isn't my problem though. I think it's because of the male but out of all the female guppies I've had (8 in total), the mother of the fry is the only one that has survived. The first 3 that died must have been hiding from the male because I found them in the cave like ornament I have in my tank. The 4th one that died was pregnant and got Finrot or ich which the other 2 females later got. The mother of the fry has it now.. but I think it's because of the male biting her. There's a big white 'blotch?' at the base of her tail fin and her tail, which was once black, is now a horrible white color. Her tail kinda of bends downward from the rest of her body. She kind of resembles a roof?
<Good description>
I think she's going to die like the rest of them. I want to know how to prevent this because she's a really great fish. Unlike most guppies I've seen, she's about 3.5" including her tail.
<Wow!>
I also have 4 happy little Neons and an Otocinclus in this tank. The Otocinclus does absolutely fine and seems content as do the Neons. The guppies (just the adult females) are what I have trouble keeping. I don't want to get more female guppies to reduce the problem, because then my tank will be overcrowded as the fry are growing up. Oh yes, the fry are separated from the rest with a plastic partition. They're all happy and fine. I feed them with flake food and they're doing great. I don't feed them live food. Is that absolutely necessary anyways?
<Is not necessary, no>
For nutritional purposes and enhancing color I believe. I've done a LOT of research but I'm just looking for some advice from an actual person rather than reading stuff.
Anyways.. if you help me with this, I'll really appreciate it. Your website is a great source of info. I've learned a lot from other people's questions alone.  
Thanks again, Amanda.
<I would try separating this rogue male (maybe in a small plastic floating colander in the tank) for a week or so... This often takes the "spit and vinegar" out of a "mean" fish... But do please read on the Net, elsewhere re Columnaris (Chondrococcus) disease... Maybe Google... Images... as I fear this may be at play here as well. Bob Fenner>

Re: hello, guppy beh., hlth.
Hi again,
<Amanda>
Thanks for your help. Unfortunately though, the guppy died. I can't stand losing them. but there's no good pet shops closer than an hour so I don't really have good resources, and we don't travel much. So after I removed her from the tank, I put the fry in with the Neons and the Otocinclus because they're now too big to be eaten by them.
<Good>
They're not big, they're just too big to be eaten. So since the partitioned side was empty and Tiget [male guppy] was chasing the fry around, I put him on that side all by himself.
<Also good>
Putting the fry with the others won't bother the Neons will it?
<Not at all>
They don't seem to be too upset but I just want to make sure so I don't cause unnecessary stress.
Thanks, Amanda
<Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Question, beh., repro.   1/19/07
Hi,
<<Hi, Goldie. Tom here.>>
I don't really have a problem, just more of a question.
<<We do that kind of thing, too. :) >>
I have two guppies, one male and one female. The female is pregnant. I've read a lot about guppies, and I'm confused by the behavior of my fish. The male keeps hiding and swimming away from the female. Also, the female is the one that keeps attacking the male. Everything I've read says the males are the ones that like to nip at other fish. I'm confused. I'm positive about the gender of my fish, so I know I don't have them confused. I haven't seen anyone else write about this, so I was concerned. Is this normal behavior?
<<This can be completely normal, though not typical, as you’ve already determined for yourself. In larger groupings, this behavior might not be quite as apparent but, in a one-on-one situation like you have, it’s pretty sure to get your attention. I would normally suggest a ratio of one male to three-four females to keep a male from stressing a lone female to death…sometimes literally. In your case, you have an ‘alpha’ female in with a fairly timid male. Might actually prove advantageous in your case but it’s not unknown for a dominant female to pull a “reverse” and badger a male to death. Hopefully, she’ll simply keep him “at bay” but keep an eye on them to make sure it doesn’t get more out-of-hand than that.>>
Goldie
<<Tom>>

Missing guppy  12/23/06
Dear wet web media crew,
First off, thank you for your website.  Since I found it a week ago, I have read it every time I have a spare moment.  I have learned so much and I know that my husband is already sick of me saying, "I read on wet web media..."  But now we have a small problem.  I looked for an answer and couldn't find it, and I hope that the answer isn't somewhere that I just didn't find.  We set up a tank a couple of weeks ago, let it cycle, and added a few male guppies.  Then, after almost a week, we added a few female guppies last night.  However, one of the females is now missing.  I couldn't find her this morning.  I mentioned it to my husband when I went home for lunch, and he spent almost an hour searching the tank for her (just by looking in), but she's still missing.  It's only a 10 gallon tank, but there are quite a few fake plants in there as well as a decoration of a ruin of a castle that has quite a few holes and a hollow underneath (though you can see most of the hollow).  Could she have been eaten in the 11 hours during the night?
<Mmm, not likely... You don't have other fish species present? Snails? The great likelihood is this one fish jumped out...>
Could she be hiding to give birth?  Or could she be dead and floating in the hollow under the castle?
<Again... probably not>
If she's hiding in the castle to give birth, would it disturb her too much to lift the castle up to find her?  Thanks for your time, especially so close to Christmas.
Celeste
<I would look about the outside of the tank... perhaps for a smiling cat? Bob Fenner>

Re: Missing guppy - found!  12/23/06
Well, we found her!!  Tonight, we moved the castle ruin, and not finding her, I convinced my husband to look in the filter, even though he assured me a fish could not be sucked up the filter.  He removed the filter pads and we heard something drop down behind the aquarium stand.  Fearing the worst, we quickly grabbed a flashlight and sure enough, there she was, not moving.  It took us a minute to pick her up and get her back in, but she started swimming and hunkered down into a depression left from the castle ruin.  We turned off the lights in the room she is in and watched by the nightlight until she started swimming a few minutes ago.  My husband gave her a little bit of food, which she ate, and she is now hunkered back down.  We were going to do a water change and a vacuum, but I think we're going to wait until tomorrow to not further stress her.
<Good thinking>
  Hopefully, she will fully recover (we pray).  We don't think she was sucked up in the filter, we think she jumped up into the opening where the water pours out.
<Agreed. Common>
We do have a cover, but there's an opening for the filter.  I've included my original e-mail so you know which one you don't need to respond to.  Thanks for your time,
Celeste
<Thank you for this follow-up. Bob Fenner>

Growth of Guppy Fry - 10/18/06
Hi...
<Hello there - Jorie here.>
When do the babies start to get there color, 'cause  I've had my guppies for about a month or so and they don't seem to be growing very fast?
<Livebearer can take 6-8 mos. to fully develop.  Be aware that the fry are more sensitive to poor water quality than their parents are, so for proper growth and development, it is paramount to keep the water clean.  Also, what type of food are you feeding them? I use Hikari's First Bites for my baby mollies...seems to provide them with all the nutrition they need.  Jorie>

Dead Guppy Cannibals 9/18/06
Hi, <Hi> I was wondering if it is possible that a guppy can eat another dead guppy?
<Most fish will pick at dead/dying fish, although they will generally not eat the entire carcass.  Not a good thing though due to disease transfer, water quality etc.>
<Chris>

Bully Guppies?   9/11/06
Hi.
<<Hi, Joanne. Tom>>
I hope you may be able to answer this question for me.
<<I'll give it my best, Joanne.>>
I have a 180 litre tank in which I currently have 11 neons and 18 assorted male guppies. The tank is heated, has an internal filter, airstone and fluorescent lighting. My water quality is good and I have had no problems.
<<11 Neon Tetras and 18 Guppies in the U.S. equivalent of a 48-gallon tank? Joanne, if I weren't happily married, I'd kiss you! We spend so much time telling hobbyists to get larger tanks for their pets that it's a breath of fresh air to have someone write in that has provided room to spare for their "charges". Well done!>>
The fish shoal and seem happy, until now. Last night I realized I was missing one of the fantail guppies. I have 6 of these. The fish in question I had always classed as the alpha male as he had the most beautiful tail!
<<"Alpha-ness" is more behavioral than physical but I understand your thinking...>>
I eventually found him hiding and his tail was virtually gone.
<<Uh oh...>>
What remained was in tatters and he was obviously scared, seemed to be shaking and he died minutes later.
<<Sorry to hear this, Joanne.>>
I haven't been able to find any info that says the other guppies would fight without females present.
<<Not likely that you would, Joanne. In the world of Guppies, the females do the 'selecting'. The "boys" will show off and try to attract the attention of the females but an Alpha female is known to kill a male, or males, that she deems unacceptable for breeding.>>
This only happened after I had added some more guppies 2 days before.
<<It's possible/plausible that the males may have fought over the "right" to breed, whether, or not, females were present. The new additions may have triggered this response but, frankly, this is speculation on my part.>>
Is it possible they did this?  
<<Highly unlikely, though not impossible, that one, or more, of the new Guppies did this. Typically, the "established" fish have, or display, dominance over fish that are subsequently added to the aquarium. (Timing can be very important when adding fish.)>>
If so, do you know why and, can I prevent this from happening again?
<<An educated (and I use the term loosely) guess is that the established Guppies viewed the new fish as potential breeding partners. The "subordinate" males went after the most likely candidate (the He-Bull, in a manner of speaking) in order to increase their standing with the "females". Since the "predominant" male is most likely to be chosen to mate with a female, it makes sense, from the fishes' points of view, to get rid of the biggest competition. Whether, or not, utilizing a tank divider to keep the new fish separated from the older ones is really academic. In a sense, you'd be trying to cheat "Nature". (You might like to see a Great White Shark live harmoniously with a seal but, it isn't going to happen.) Bob would have a more eloquent explanation but the fact is that, in some cases, Nature must run its course.>>
Thank you in advance
Joanne x
<<I hope I've been of some help, Joanne. Tom>>

Mmm, FW guppy damage  9/10/06
Hi.
<<Hi, Joanne. Tom>>
I hope you may be able to answer  this question for me.
<<I'll give it my best, Joanne.>>
I  have a 180 litre tank in which I currently have 11 neons and 18 assorted male  guppies. The tank is heated, has an internal filter, airstone and fluorescent  lighting. My water quality is good and I have had no problems.
<<11  Neon Tetras and 18 Guppies in the U.S. equivalent of a 48-gallon tank?
Joanne,  if I weren't happily married, I'd kiss you! We spend so much time telling  hobbyists to get larger tanks for their pets that it's a breath of fresh
air to  have someone write in that has provided room to spare for their "charges". Well  done!>>
The fish shoal and seem happy, until now. Last night I realized  I was missing one of the fantail guppies. I have 6 of these. The fish in  question I had always classed as the alpha male as he had the most beautiful  tail!
<<"Alpha-ness" is more behavioral than physical but I understand  your thinking...>>
I eventually found him hiding and his tail was  virtually gone.
<<Uh oh...>>
What remained was in tatters and  he was obviously scared, seemed to be shaking and he died minutes later.  
<<Sorry to hear this, Joanne.>>
I haven't been able to find  any info that says the other guppies would fight without females present.  
<<Not likely that you would, Joanne. In the world of Guppies, the  females do the 'selecting'. The "boys" will show off and try to attract the  attention
of the females but an Alpha female is known to kill a male, or males,  that she deems unacceptable for breeding.>>
This only happened after I  had added some more guppies 2 days before.
<<It's possible/plausible  that the males may have fought over the "right" to breed, whether, or not,  females were present. The new additions may have
triggered this response but,  frankly, this is speculation on my part.>>
Is it possible they did  this?  
<<Highly unlikely, though not impossible, that one, or  more, of the new Guppies did this. Typically, the "established" fish have, or  display, dominance
over fish that are subsequently added to the aquarium.  (Timing can be very important when adding fish.)>>
If so, do you know  why and, can I prevent this from happening again?
<<An educated (and I  use the term loosely) guess is that the established Guppies viewed the new fish  as potential breeding partners. The "subordinate"
males went after the most  likely candidate (the He-Bull, in a manner of speaking) in order to increase  their standing with the "females". Since the
"predominant" male is most likely  to be chosen to mate with a female, it makes sense, from the fishes' points of  view, to get rid of the biggest competition.
Whether, or not, utilizing a tank  divider to keep the new fish separated from the older ones is really academic.  In a sense, you'd be trying to cheat
"Nature". (You might like to see a Great  White Shark live harmoniously with a seal but, it isn't going to happen.) Bob  would have a more eloquent explanation but
the fact is that, in some cases,  Nature must run its course.>>
Thank you in advance
Joanne  x

Re: Mmm, FW guppy damage  9/10/06
Hi Tom,
<<Hi, Joanne.>>
Thanks for your reply. It was nice for someone to appreciate that I was trying to keep my fish happy by having a large tank, rather than people telling me I need more fish in there!
<<First, you're most welcome. As for your tank, you have plenty of "fans" here at WWM! If more folks followed your lead our mail would be cut by 30%, at least.>>
I wanted to update you, since the sad demise of my favourite guppy I spent a lot of time sat in front of the tank watching their behaviour, sad I know.
<<Not true! I can't pass either of mine without stopping to check things out.>>
I did notice a newer addition behaving quite aggressively towards some of the other guppies. After half an hour of tail nipping I separated him for 10 minutes and then reintroduced him, mainly as he didn't seem pleased and I felt bad about it!
<<Sure he wasn't pleased. You took away his "chew toys". Interesting that one of the new additions appears to be the culprit. That certainly wasn't my take on the situation, was it? Unusual, but I should be used to fish doing things out of character by now. (I believe they do it to embarrass me.) :)>>
He had calmed down and since then the guppies have resumed their playful existence, much to the delight of my 9 month old daughter!
<<Excellent. Good move, by the way.>>
I must add also that I 'lost' 5 of the newly introduced guppies. I had bought them from a store I had not been to before, nor will be returning to as the assistant who netted the fish did not seem concerned for their welfare and I wish I had walked away as instinct told me to.
<<I think we've all had purchasing experiences like that. I certainly have, regrettably.>>
I have never lost a  fish before as I always take the utmost care of them and found it quite distressing.
My tank readings are optimal so I know it isn't a water quality issue and can only assume that they came from a bad batch or were stressed beyond recovery.
<<Considering what many fish go through before coming into our hands, it seems nothing short of a miracle that more aren't lost.>>
I will wait a few weeks before adding any more and will stick to my regular stockists in future.
<<A wise choice.>>
I also wanted to say that I have found this site invaluable, the best by far on the net!
Thanks again
Joanne
<<Nice chatting again, Joanne, and thank you for your kind words. Keep up the good work! Tom>>

Aggressive Female Guppy   5/27/06
Hi Crew,
<Good morning - Jorie here.>
I was wondering if you could help me.
<Will try!>
I have six Guppies ( four females and two males ) in a 61 litre tank, along with two Weather Loaches and four Chinese Hillstream Loaches. They have all been getting along with each other until recently, when one of my female guppies has started to attack another female, I have had to separate the aggressive guppy from the others as she was beginning to cause damage to the other female. The other fish are all fine with the female who is being picked on and she still seems healthy, the aggressive female leaves the other fish alone. Do you know what causes this behaviour, and is there anything I can do to stop it, short of getting rid of the aggressive female?
<Livebearers can be very territorial with one another - I see this sort of behavior with my mollies all the time.  Making sure there are plenty of hiding spots within the tank (e.g., ornaments, rocks, plants, etc.) can help the problem.  Also, rearranging the tank's current setup can help, as it allows each fish to "stake out" new territory.  Ultimately, however, if all else fails, you will have to separate the two fish, as the one will tear the other apart.>
Many Thanks
<You're welcome.>
Krissi
<Jorie>

Fantail Guppies  03-21-06
Hello
<Tom>
My Fantail guppy has had 2 babies <I might suspect more> and the 3 males keep chasing her around
the tank <Not at all surprised by this> and, she also keeps getting fat then skinny again. Is she going to have
more? <I'd count on it> What do I look for if she is going to have more? <The "gravid spot" at the back of her belly will likely darken as fry mature. She may stop eating, hide away from the males (if possible), may brighten in color. A number of possibilities here. Observe and take note of different behavior/appearance.> Also, when the 3 males are chasing her it seems as though she doesn't like it. Is that a sign that she is ready to mate or that she does not want to be bothered by them? <Your ratio of males-to-females should be reversed. Far too stressful for one female to deal with three males. Could ultimately stress her to death.> Should I take her out of the tank and put her in my 5-gallon? <For her sake, yes. Having already mated, she may very well continue to have fry even without a male present, perhaps for the next few months. Be prepared to separate "mother" and fry.> They are in a 29-gallon right now.
Thanks for your attention on this.
Missy
(You're most welcome. Tom>
Hey again Tom,
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer all my  questions. It was very nice of you. I know ya'll probably get a lot of them.  But anyhow, thanks again..
Missy
<My (our) pleasure to help whenever possible. Tom>

Guppy Coloring  - 1/30/2006
Hi there. I have been trying to research why guppies may not be as bright as they once were. I feed them the same food and all the water levels are where they should be, as well as temp. Could there be a reason why they aren't quite as bright?
Sharon
<Yes... most importantly "water quality"... The breeders I have known are fanatics re doing very regular water changes (to dilute "wastes" as well as other chemicals that have negative feed-back loops on the growth and color of their guppies (and other aquatic life). Do you change water at least once a week? I would be treating, storing and changing a good quarter of the water out as often as you can develop a routine/discipline for. Of course food/nutrition plays a role here... but you state you have not changed this parameter. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Aggression?    1/19/06
We had 2 male guppies in a 1 gallon tank.
<... too small>
Everything seemed ok until I discovered the smaller guppy lying at the bottom of the tank with the top of his tail all torn up. The only explanation I have is that the bigger fish attacked him - I did see the bigger fish nipping at him when he was down. He was hurt enough that I had to put him down.
My question is - should I bother getting another fish, or am I just condemning him to a similar fate?  
<Not another guppy... Please read re what you're up to... FW aquariums, guppies... on WWM. Bob Fenner>
Thanks. Jill

Guppy scared of Corys   1/4/06
Hi Guys
Greetings from Sydney, I hope you had a pleasant holiday season.   I was just wondering if you could give me some advice on guppy
behaviour. I have a 22 litre tank which I got 4-5 weeks ago. I set the tank up and on the advice of the aquarium put 2 male guppies in after a
week. I monitored the pH levels and nitrite levels and after 2 more weeks had passed (and all the levels were fine) put in 2 Corys and 1
Ancistrus Bushynose Plec.  The problem is that for the first 2 weeks both my guppies were happily swimming around, when I did maintenance
on my tank they would happily swim up and interact with me, whenever I came within eyesight of my tank they would come over and "say hi".
Since  I put the 2 Corys in (30/12/05), one of my guppies (the previously "dominant" one) has taken to hiding.  If the Corys come near
he tries to get away , he also appears to "shake" for a while after they've been near him. He won't eat and is now staying on the bottom of
the tank in a corner in amongst some of the (live) plants behind a rock. This morning I noticed a whole heap of the plants had been uprooted,
<Maybe by the Ancistrus... not the Corydoras or Guppies>
while I was replanting them the Corys stayed away from me and only then did Ulysses (as I call him) start acting like his old self,
I even managed to feed him. However, once I finished my maintenance and half an hour had elapsed he went back into his corner and hasn't come
out at all.  I have a funny feeling that he is scared of the Corys (they do seem to be a bit rambunctious) and was wondering if I should
return the Corys back to the aquarium.
<Mmm, I wouldn't... I suspect something else is going on>
I've noticed that the Corys chase my other guppy as well, but I think he is coping just a little bit better as he isn't hiding, but he does seem to be a little bit more
listless then previously and he also tries to stay as far away as possible from them. Is it possible that my Corys are "bullies", or does
my poor little guppy have some strange disease?
Many thanks,
Rachelle
<I think you're experiencing a sort of "new tank syndrome" here. I would add some carbon/charcoal to your filtration/flow path, and let this livestock be for a few weeks more. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Question  - 01/03/2006
*My son has a 10 gallon tank with 2 male fancy guppies and one ghost shrimp.  Recently we've noticed on one of the guppies a long BLACK
string coming out from his belly.  He seems fine otherwise.  It's not clear like I've read on your site (with the pregnant females) and is
just about an inch long.  We've recently moved and completely emptied the tank to clean it. I'm sure this was stressful on them.  I haven't
noticed any changes in the other guppy or the ghost shrimp.  Do you know what this "string" is?  Is it something we need to be concerned with or
do something about? Thank you very much for your time.
< Probably fecal matter reflecting the fiber in its current diet.-Chuck> *

Questions about  Danios, Guppies and Tetras and English 12/22/2005
Hi there.
  I'm new in this fish hobby, n currently am having 4 neon tetras, 2 zebra danios, 3 male guppies n 1 female guppy.
   1) I just read that danios are best kept in a group. However I've not enough space for adding more danios.
<How large is this system?>
Is that OK if I only remain it 2 ?
<Likely so>
They never seems stop swimming, even when it's night n
<and>
the other fishes r
<are>
sleeping. Is that normal? or should I
<I>
turn off the dim light beside?
<I would leave this light on at night>
Their stripes seem to be fading in colour since I brought them back from the shop. How can I cope with it? or maybe it's just the lights in the shop brighten their colour?
   <Color change can be a clue as to temperament/mood, as well as health...>
  2) my tetras r just about 1/2 inches. How long do they take to grow up n what is their maximum length?
   <Is posted on WWM... about 3/4 inch overall, 3 cm...>
  3) I bought 2 male guppies at first (for I had mistaken the male as a female) I'll name it A n B here. A seems to be always swimming up n down rapidly at the corner n side of the aquarium for the first few days. Y is it so?
<Likely interacting with its own reflection>
After a few days, it started to chase B, which I notice its behavior as courting (bites its fins under, turns into a sigmoid curve n vibrates rapidly) This is weird, I supposed it had get confused as B is bigger in size than A. I added a female n a male guppy after 2 weeks ( I should name it C n D). B seems to be attracted to C, for he is also showing the behavior of courting, but C won't accept when B tried to pose it's anal fin towards her (or sort of) Is she already pregnant or just not attracted to B?
<Possibly either or neither>
How could I know if she's pregnant?
<The vent area will become clearer, transparent, the young's eye pupils evident>
And A is still continuing 'chasing' B non stop although I added the female. How can I stop this from happening again?
<Bigger tank, more females, more plants, decor>
I assumed that D is still new here that he is always alone. How could I know whether he had reached his
maturement? (He's less than 1 inch)
   <Is mature physically, perhaps not behaviorally>
  I apologized for bothering u with so much questions, but am curious. I'll be grateful to have your reply soon. Thanks a lot.
<I/we don't mind input, queries, but spelling and grammar issues are a cause for consternation. I take it from clues here that you're not a native English writer/speaker. Nonetheless, you would do well to learn to/use the "checkers" that come with your software to become proficient... Bob Fenner>

I need a straight answer please  12/8/05
<Hello, Crew member John here with all the straight answers this morning.> 
I've asked different people the same question and got different answers. I recently bought some Male Guppies. I bought 2 Phantom Deltas, 1 Sunrise and 2 I'm not sure. One of the ones I bought that I'm not sure the breed, is quite larger than the others and the other males seem to chase it constantly. 
A couple of days ago 2 of the males started to protect that particular guppy not allowing the others near it. I'm slightly confused, the guppy was sold to me as a male, however, I was told to look for particular aspects to find out if it is a female. However, I also read in the book, that sometimes the female can have some male characteristics. 
This guppy is dull color in body, but has a zebra striped tail, the only other color on its body is on one side has a tiny orange dot. This fish is either constantly hiding or being chased. Can you please help? How can I tell 100 % if it is a female I was sold?
<You will be able to see the gonopodium if it is a mature male. I have seen male guppies apparently attracted to each other when no females were present in the tank. Maybe it makes sense that they would choose the most "girly" of the fish in the tank. So the answer may not entirely be "straight" after all... (!)>
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely, NoviceGuppy
<Best regards, John>

New Guppies  11/30/05
Hi! I just got my guppies and they all seem to stay near the surface and in one corner. Is there something wrong?
<Maybe. It is normal for them to be scared and try to hide when you add new fish. The "at the surface" part of your question may mean a lack of O2. You should have a filter, or at least an airstone, to help with gas exchange. Don>

Stop Touching Me!!!! (And No Need to Yell) 11/3/05
I still can't find a satisfactory answer on how to stop the males from poking each other's bellies!!
<What?>
I go to the links but they all LEAD TO THE SAME PLACE! It would be more helpful if you would be more specific as to where the information is! I HAVE LOST MANY GUPPIES BECAUSE OF THIS AND IT SEEMS RIDICULOUS THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL AND THAT I STILL CAN'T EVEN GET PAST THE BIRTHING STAGE!!!!!!  I thought you guys were experts!
-Ayu.Kura
<I'm wondering what you're referring to... BobF 

Guppy food question & a few other Guppy questions, esp. breeding traps  8/31/05
Tetra Min used to make "Guppy food Special Diet" (purple lid), but they no longer make it. It was nice since it was regular flakes broken up into Guppy size flakes and you didn't have to break it up with your fingers (which always seems to end up with dust and large flakes, and
few flakes the 'right size'). You could just use it 'straight'. I've tried HBH 'Guppy bites', but my Guppies don't seem to like that, nor do
I since the food won't break down small enough to be drawn into the gravel filter. Within days it decomposes and floats through the water.
<I see>
The only thing I've found is the regular tropical fish flakes. I'm currently using 'Nutrafin MAX Color Enhancing Flake Food' which, again,
must be broken up. Since food is usually sealed and the pictures on the front are all the same and not at all indicative of size, I was
wondering if any of you know a good quality small flake food (primary criteria) that perhaps also enhances color (secondary concern).
<Mmm, am thinking of a couple of things... One, that you might have luck locating a set of "sieves" that used to be sold for sorting sizes/flakes for aquarium use, the other to advise having small catfishes (likely of the genus Corydoras) for "clean-up", fun as well with your guppies. Don't know of any given size/shape foods that might be better shaped... I would try Omega-Sea's fine line though>
Second issue: I've just recently started up one of my 20 Gal tanks after a 15-20 year hiatus from having Guppies, so I'm not 'up to speed' on the details of pregnant Guppies (darn memory). I have one that had about 17 fry yesterday. It looks like she has another 3 in her, but it's been about 36 hours since she had the last one.
<Likely done then>
She was put in the breeder (another issue) a few times last week (I thought she was ready) but when she didn't start in 12-24 hours, I put her back in the main tank. She was caught starting and I immediately put her in the breeder where everything went fine except for the last 3 that she still appears to be carrying. Is this normal?
<Happens>
Is it possible she can't push them out right now, but will later?
<Could, but not likely>
I left her out back into the main tank about 4 hours after she produced the last one she had yesterday (a dilemma - is it better to keep her confined where she may feel, well, confined, or let her at the mercy of the males?)
<When, where in doubt, I would wait, leave in the breeding trap>
Third issue: I found 1 fry about a week after getting my initial stock (2 males + 2 females) about 4 weeks ago. I'm not sure which one it came from, but there was only one left (I'm assuming all others were eaten). About a week later, I found three more. I don't think they were hiding, although that is possible. Anyway, the point is that I had small fry in my breeder and didn't want to cramp them in, so I bought a second breeder, but the new one is built so poorly that the fry are getting through the cuts in the bottom plastic tray due to manufacturing
tolerances, I think. It's not built anything like my old one, which does not seem to have that issue. The old one is made by Lustar.
<Ah, yes... a fine company... no longer extant>
I could not find that brand in any stores (incl some local fish stores, PetLand, PetCo, PetSmart, and another chain I forget the name of). The new one that is poorly made (for Guppies at least) is made by Penn Plax model "12345 Plus" (Cat #BT-5). Is there anyone who makes this type of breeder that is tight enough to not let fry swim between the plastic plates and the outer 'tank'?
<Not as far as I'm aware. I would either go with net-types or use a separate tank entirely>
I've been looking at some of the models that use air to 'suck' the fry into another section of tank. Your thoughts on those models?
<Am not a fan... too much likelihood of damage to young>
The ones I have are the type with the metal straps that fold over the top of the tank. I wouldn't trust suction cups in the long term. I saw a model with that, too, that was based on suction from an air line. BTW, I solved the above problem, or at least lessened it, by filling the bottom inch with gravel and spreading it up the sides where the 'rails' are on the 'tank' and the cutouts are in the bottom plate (which is the place the fry are getting through). I don't care for that solution much, but it's the best I can think of other than sealing the bottom plate with silicone. (would that even be recommended?)
<Could be done... will "stick" enough, fill the void, be chemically inert...>
BTW, including the fry, I'm up to about 26 guppies in about a month.  I suppose soon I won't care as much about losing some as 'food', but I'm still at the stage where I really don't want that to happen. One last question: It seems after about 3 weeks the fry are large enough
that they don't get picked on by the adult Guppies. Does that sound about right? I waited until they were significantly larger than 'bite size'.
<With good feeding... is about right>
Also, found your site looking for info on sexing the fry. Haven't looked at the fins yet but I found some great info in your FAQs. Thank you for your time and help,
Joe M.
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Aggression - 08/27/2005
Hi Sabrina, I just wanted to know if you knew or had any ideas to why  my fancy guppy keeps chasing and attacking my lionhead fish?
<Could just be simple aggression, perhaps.  It would probably be best to try keeping the two in different tanks - guppies (and other tropical fish) and goldfish have different preferences for water parameters, as well.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Guppy Behavior? 8/3/05
Hi Gang!  Thanks for the great resources!
<Welcome>
I have recently inherited a neighbors 1/2 abandoned tank.  I am not even sure how the 2 poor fish had managed to live in the nasty tank (not even full of water)!  After a few weeks of diligent maintenance and getting everything balanced and on target we added some fish.  The tank came with a Blue Gourami and a male guppy.  That Gourami (Mean Fish, as we have named him) was sure being a pain to the little guppy.  Our solution?
<Best to trade in... for species that are more compatible>
Add a few more guppies.  We now have 3 male guppies, the gourami and a Cory cat.  Mean Fish seems to be very happy with this balance and is behaving now.  My question is about the guppies...
I added a bubble stone in the back, under the gravel.
One of the guppies (Tate) is obsessed with "chasing bubbles" (as my 4 yr old son calls it).  He sprints to the top, doesn't surface, back down a bit slower and up again.  He does this pretty much all day.
Occasionally one of the other males join him.  I think the 3rd just sit there laughing at their stupidity.  Is there something I should be checking for?
<Water quality... ammonia, nitrite principally>
I had the store check our water yesterday and everything was perfect.  Should we be concerned or is he just "playing"?
<Likely is "just playing"... many fishes (and humans... including myself) "do" this... for no apparent gain, reason... Bob Fenner>
Thanks gang!
Beth

Guppy Behavior 7/17/05
I have three female guppies and two male guppies in a 10  gal. tank with one ram and three Corys. Of late, both males have been following  and bothering one of my females. This female is VERY round although I can see  her gravid spot I cannot see any eyes. Could she be near the end of her  pregnancy or is she not at all pregnant now? Why are the two males just  following her instead of the other two females?
Love your website!
Chris
<Please read... here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppybehfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Guppies motionless at top of water, facing same direction  07/02/05
Hi~
Could you please enlighten me?
I have 13 guppies (2 months old) and they are normally very active. Recently I have noticed that they would stay at the top of the tank only (not gasping for air), but more weirdly, started to huddle in one corner, motionless, and all of them facing similar directions!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/160685/Picture3002.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/160685/Picture3001.jpg
These guppies were fry from my previous batch of guppies, and the water quality etc is the same all along (nothing new added, water change every 4-6 days)
I'm really puzzled and would appreciate if you could help!
Thanks
J
<Mmm either something is toxic in your water, or a "fright contagion" has been established chemically from/with these fishes (please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FrightChemsFWArt.htm
I would add some activated carbon in your filter flow path. Bob Fenner>

Aggressive Guppy 6.14.05
Hi!
I have 2 male guppies and 2 female guppies. One of the males is constantly attacking or should I say poking both of my female guppies. One of them is pregnant and I don't think she'll be able to release her babies if he doesn't leave her alone for even a second. I would like to get the net or whatever it's called for pregnant female guppies but I don't know what it is or what it looks like. Do you have a picture of the net for pregnant guppies? If you do, can you send me one? Before my other male guppy (the one that doesn't attack) kind of chased the attacking male guppy away most of the time but now he doesn't care it seems. I wish I could do something so that he won't attack and chase the females so much. Thanks!-Eunhae-
<This is pretty normal behaviour for male guppies, I would not worry too much, maybe add some more females so he can spread the aggression to some of the others.  I did a google search for breeding net and found the following image, hope it helps, Gage  http://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/breeding-net.jpg  >  

Boys being boys... Guppies
Hi there,
<Hello>
Just a quick question:  I currently have 3 male fancy guppies (the little sign at the store said "Mosaic").  They're happy and healthy so far in the 20 gallon tank that I have set up for them. I've noticed that they are starting to fight, which according to everything I've read on this treasure-trove of a site says that I should get some girls for them to focus their attention on.  Would 5 females be an okay number to have?  
<Yes>
I'm still new to this.  I'm going to the fish store tomorrow to get my water tested.  I realize that with 5 females and 3 males, I may soon be swimming in fry.  Can you recommend a tankmate that would help to control the fry population without harming the adults?  
<Mmm, I'd rather encourage you to give away young to others, your fish shop... A predator of the fry would better be placed in a separate system...>
I'm planning to have some (probably 2) snails for garbage duty -- partly because snails are neat to look at, but also because my sister has a puffer who would be all too glad to "take care" of any extras.
<Including the guppies...>
The tank came as a kit with filter, heater, fish net, hood with a full-spectrum fluorescent light built in, and a variety of water conditioner and food samples, by Marineland.  
<Very nice>
I have a filter (hangs off the edge, has a charcoal replaceable cartridge and a BioWheel.  The heater keeps the tank at a steady 76 degrees F.  As I said, I haven't had the water tested yet, but the guys at the store I frequent said to come in this week to have that done.  If I'm not being specific enough, please let me know.  Thanks for your time.
Gayle K. in Ottawa
<So far so good. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Male in Guppy Mail...
I just bought some guppy males and females (one of which just had some fry). The one male has a really nice tail, but doesn't have it fanned out a lot. He is half red/gold. Is there something wrong with him, or is he just being modest and not showing off in front of the females.
<Well, it's hard to say from just this info. - would you say he has clamped fins (do a search on Google to see a picture if you aren't sure what I mean) or his tail just isn't as flaring as some of his mates? If he's one of the smaller, less dominant males, he may just not be fanning out his tail as much as the "alpha" male, perhaps. If he's showing other signs of sickness, such as listlessness, not eating, swimming, etc., then you may have a sick fish on your hands. Just to be sure everything is A-OK, check your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate...is any are present, do a water change ASAP. He could be reacting to poor environmental conditions, so I'd definitely check that out - maybe he's just the first to react.>
Thanks for the help
<Hopefully I gave you a starting point...based on the info. you gave me, it really could be any of those things, so please do some research and let me know if you have follow-up questions!>
Tim
<Jorie>

Fancy Lady Guppy- Problems
Recently (Three days ago to be precise) I bought a "Fancy Lady Guppy".  The fish itself is a nice fish to look at and looks good in the tank with the accompanying fish and surroundings. But the problem is, it is displaying aggressive behavior towards the other fish in the tank. I thought that possibly I am/was doing something wrong -example: wrong breeds/species sharing tank space-, when I bought the Guppy it happened(s) to be pregnant and is displaying a form of protective behavior, or whether this breed of fish is just naturally cantankerous.
<Maybe... even just this individual>
The behavior the Guppy is displaying consists of fin/body nipping, chasing the other fish around the tank and " ramming " them, and just generally being mean to all of the other fish in the tank other than my " bottom feeder/Algae Eater " and my three " Zebra Striped Danio's ". What action(s) could I take to curb, or prevent this behavior?
<Putting the female guppy in a "breeding trap" or such for a week... where it can be kept separate but in view/smell of the other livestock may well take the "spit and vinegar" out of it. Bob Fenner>
Thank you for your time, Dan. Cote

Guppy Questions
Hi... I came across your site and I thought that you may be able to answer my question about my guppy I got the other day. I am new to the guppy hobby, but I bought two new guppies and I got them yesterday from my local fish store...
One male and one female to add to my 10 Gal. Tank already containing one female guppy, two platies (one male one female) one female swordtail and then algae eater and a Cory fish. I observed yesterday that my Male guppy was trying to mate with not the female guppies in the tank but instead my male platy! Is this something to be concerned about!?!?!?! Is it possible to have a Homosexual or Bisexual fish? I'm kinda wondering if his decided habits are something that are "normal", or not... I have never seen it happen before in fish, so I was wondering if you had heard of this ever before. I also woke up this morning and noticed that the female guppy I got yesterday happened to give birth to two (from what I could find) baby guppies! I wasn't expecting her to drop her babies as of yet but I guess sometimes in life we are surprised by those things! HUH? But what I was wondering was is it possible that she only had the two? or is it just most likely that the others weren't so fortunate to make it? :( I appreciate any words of advice that you can give me!
Thanks, Derek
>>Hello Derek; Congrats on having babies :D It is possible your female is still young, age and size will determine how many babies she will have at a time. The other problem is that with the swords and platies in there, most of the babies will be eaten before they have a chance to grow up. You can add some java fern, duckweed, or other multi-leaved live plants to give them somewhere to hide from the adults (ask at your LFS). Your male guppy sounds young, also. No, he is not gay, but he is confused :D :D Just kidding. Are you positive that your platies are male? Do they have gonopodiums? Instead of a normal fin on their belly like the females do, males will have a pointy gonopodium pointing backwards, near the tail. I would not worry about it, your male will have plenty of energy to chase the females around :D One thing that does concern me is your stocking ratio...this tank is full up! I advise regular partial water changes, weekly. Same temp, please. Make sure you have a good thermometer, to use at the sink. Also, please buy yourself a nitrate test kit, and keep your nitrates low, say around 60ppm or lower, 20 is better. Good luck! -Gwen<<

Guppies Gulping
I have a tank of guppies that are fairly new along with some Cory cats.  All of the guppies have started swimming at the top and just hang around there but wont ever go to the bottom.
<You didn't mention how large the tank was, but it probably is due to a lack of oxygen for the fish.>
I thought maybe they weren't getting enough oxygen and switched to a stronger filter/power head but they are still doing it.  Can you tell me what it may be?  Thanks!
<I suggest you get a air stone and an air pump.  Adding this to the tank will raise the oxygen level in the water dramatically.  Good luck. -Magnus>

Fancy guppies acting strange and water levels
Hi, my name is Ashley and I have a 10 gal. tank with 2 fancy guppies (I think they are both males), 2 glass fish, 1 algae eater, and as of tonight only 1 Gourami. I have had these fish for almost 2 months now and they have all been living together from the beginning. I have a few questions actually. One is that I don't know how to tell if the guppies are males or not.
< Female guppies tend to be larger and have less color than males. In the back lower section of the fish females will have a regular fin and males will have a tube like structure instead.>
Two (this is my main question) my guppies tend to stick together, but I have noticed that the two of them will seem to 'gang up' on one of the glass fish and follow it around the tank all the time. I don't know if the glass fish are male or female either. I don't really know if this behavior is normal for guppies or not.
< There is something about this glass fish that has gotten your guppies attention. Either they see something on this glass fish that reminds them of something to eat or if you have two boys then they may be trying to breed with the glass fish. Hard to tell why fish do these things sometimes.>
Finally, my last question is that my water levels have been going crazy and I don't know what to do about them. The first thing that was wrong was the ammonia level was high, when I got that under control I noticed that the nitrate and nitrite levels were going up. I went to the pet store and they told me
to put something called a Nitra-Sorb that would remove the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but it hasn't seemed to help. Please help me I think that my fish are in stress because of the nitrite and nitrate.
< All new aquariums go through an adjustment period. Go to Marineland.com and look at Dr. Tim's library and you will see articles how a tank normally cycles. Some products tie up the ammonia in the water but the bacteria are still able to break it down causing nitrite spikes. High nitrates require that the filter be serviced and maybe the gravel vacuumed too during a water change. Make sure you are only feeding them enough food so it is all gone in a couple of minutes. Excess food causes many of the problems you are describing.-Chuck>
Thank you.
P.S. -- All of the other water levels (pH, ammonia, alkalinity, and hardness) are fine.

Lady Killer
I am wondering if you can help me with my "killer" guppy. He has killed 5 females in the last month. <I'd name him "Ted"> Right now he is the only fish in a 10 gal tank other than my Plecostomus. <If this is a common Pleco he will get very large. Over a foot! And he makes tons of waste. Not good in a 10 gallon> I have done my best to keep 2 females in with him at all times. I don't know what to do with him. He is a very pretty fish and I would like to breed him but it is beginning to get rather expensive to keep replacing the ladies!
How long does it take for a male to impregnate a female? <A second, poor things> Could I put a couple more in, wait a week and take him out? <Yes, but see below> I am so angry with him today I just want to flush him! <Don't EVER do this! Mean and cruel. Take unwanted fish back to the fish store and donate them.>
Also, are things like temperament genetic for fish? Do we have any idea? <Not sure. Some species are naturally aggressive. But each fish within a species is an individual> Because I would really hate to breed him and have all the babies be the same way. <All male guppies are aggressive to the females, but not all to this degree.> Any help would be greatly appreciated because I really hate to see my fish suffer. <Then never send one the Big Tank in the Sky via the toilet>
Anna
<Male guppies can be very aggressive breeders. Best to spread the aggression by adding 4 or 5 females for this extra randy fellow, along with some hiding places. Dense plants like Java Moss would be good for both the female and the fry to hide in. Be aware that most of the females you buy will already be pregnant. They can store sperm and use it for several batches of fry. Breeders will keep very young virgin females away from all males until they pair them up to ensure they know who Dad is. So just because he's the only male in your tank does not mean he is the father. Don>

Help! Fighting Guppies!
Hi,
I really need help. I've had a male guppy all summer and I recently added another. They are the only one's in the tank. The problem is, is that they seem like they are fighting. The one I've had longer, who is bigger seems like he's using his tail as a shield to get closer to my new one and once he gets close enough he tries to nip him. If my new one (Hermies) turns to get closer he swims back a little. My older one kind of seems like he is circling Hermies too and the keep swimming sideways to flash their tails at each other. Is this for territorial reasons? Will it stop or should I take Hermies out? I really don't know what's going on.
< When guppies are being well kept they seem to concentrate all their efforts on breeding. Males will try and chase other males away while trying to attract females. Try lowering the temp by a couple degrees and see if they cool off.-Chuck>

Freak Out Guppy!
Hi WWM crew!
<Hi...you've got Jorie this time.>
I know I've been asking a lot of questions lately, but its because I just found out about your web site! ( and I love it!)
<Excellent...and welcome!>
I had a female guppy 2 and a half weeks pregnant and I moved her to my smaller tank( 10 g). It took me a while to catch her but when I did she seemed pretty freaked out.
<I've never seen a fish that really appreciates being moved, but sometimes it is necessary, in the fish's best interest...they usually get over it.>
So I put her in the smaller tank and she went and hid. Four hours later I came back to check on her. She was hiding and her gravid spot was gone but there wasn't any babies. And now when ever I go near the tank she swims around franticly and hides. I brought the rest of my female guppies into the tank to see if that helps. She seems calmer but still freaks out when I come near the tank.
<Well, to be honest, this is pretty drastic, but I have heard/read that undue stress during a fish's pregnancy can cause a miscarriage.  Generally, it's  not a good idea to move the fish when pregnant unless absolutely necessary.  If you're trying to keep the fry, perhaps consider mating the fish in the "birthing" tank, then removing the male when her pregnancy becomes apparent?  I'm sure in time she'll get over this...how long has it been? And, is there adequate coverage (i.e., plants, decoration, hiding spots, etc.) in this new tank? Is the tank in a particularly high-traffic area?>
If there is anything I can do please let me know. Also why is she acting like this?
Thanks for your help:
     ~Lena~
<Lena, I'm sorry your fish lost her babies, but trust me, she's a livebearer and will soon enough become pregnant again! Again, try not to move a fish during it's pregnancy (especially later on in the process) and perhaps try the method I specified above, with regards to moving the male out of the tank when it gets closer to the time your girl is ready to give birth.  Good luck, Jorie>