Guppy deaths :-(

[Tara Starr]

Hi there

Wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this one...
I have a 180 litre tank. It is quite new. The Ph level is 6.5. (Mineral water bought from Tesco. Dechorinated and Safe Start used. All my tests (6 in 1 kit) are ok. Then waited one week).
So far, I have a dozen danios, a bronze cory and two sterbais (all fine and happy) though last week I bought 6 (male) guppys and after 3 days 4 of them have died. Water temp is 78 degrees
Bit bemused Any thoughts or clues?

Many thanks,
Tara.

[Lolita]

Have you tested for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?

[rich311k]

What are the parameters of the water now? How did you acclimate the fish?

[Tara Starr]

Hi Rich and Lolita
Haven't tested for ammonia. Just did a 6-1 tetra test which all came back fine. 'Acclimmate' Do you mean introduce by that? If so, bags floated by normal means and tank water gradually introduced.

[Lolita]

By fine what do you mean? Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 10 or under?

Are you using strips? Strips are notoriously unreliable and a liquid test kit is probably best.

How long has the tank been running? It doesn't sound like you cycled it.

[Tara Starr]

The tank has been running for three weeks and it had Safe start added. Yes, I used the strips to test which came back as being in range. Anyway, if there was a problem would it not have affected the corys and the Danios. How come its only 4 of 6 guppys?

[Lolita]

Okay, if the tank has been running that long with fish and safestart then you could be cycled.

Trusting that the strips were accurate and your parameters are within safe limmits for the fish, it could be very likely that the fish you got were sick or weak when you got them.

Guppies aren't nearly as hardy as people make them out to be, and can be difficult to introduce to a new tank.

[Lab_Rat]

I would be willing to bet your tank is cycling. Did you add the SafeStart and wait a week? If so, (and I have not used this product) that may have been waiting for too long. That is also a pretty big bioload (20 or so fish) to introduce all at once, especially in a tank that hasn't been cycled. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate so you'd be best off to get liquid kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, then give us the readings you get from those. API makes good test kits.

[Afk4Jfk]

I agree with lab_rat, Also danios are especialy hardy as for the cories, in my experience bottom feeders and scaleless fish should go in last anyway, waiting about a week between each new addition.

[lobsternoob]

If you added all these fish at once, there is a chance you could have had an ammonia spike, even if the tank is technically cycled,you may not have enough bacteria built up to keep up with the ammonia the fish are producing. If that is the case, maybe the weakest fish died first, and now your bacteria has built up more, and the rest of the fish will be fine. Just a guess, and I am not trying to criticize you, but did you add all these fish at once? If so, that is generally not a good idea. Add fish over the course of a few weeks, or at least days. Sometimes the bacteria just can not convert enough ammonia to keep it in safe levels when fish are added quickly to a newly cycled tank.

I would also say, buy a liquid test kit if you can, the API master kit is the most economical I've found, especially if you test regularly, they go quick with a lotta tanks. I think, and other people may say the same, that test strips are no good for anything unless your water is so bad that the fish are already dead. Then they're no good for anything at all.

[Scrup]

I think, and other people may say the same, that test strips are no good for anything unless your water is so bad that the fish are already dead. Then they're no good for anything at all.

I only use strips to test for chlorine. Actually very good at that.

[lobsternoob]

You really shouldn't need to test for chlorine tho, unless you're testing right out of the tap or don't use a dechlorinator. Are you talking about testing your tank, or what, now I'm really curious!

Edit: maybe you meant ammonia? I often type something when I'm thinking of something totally different! I can see myself saying chlorine instead of ammonia easily.

[Tara Starr]

Hello all you guys. Thanks so much for taking the time to try and help and advise me on this. It is much appreciated xx
Actually, no, I didn't add all the fish together. I had the danios for a week, then the bronze Cory, then the two sterbai, then a week and the Guppys.
I guess I thought with the SafeStart and waiting a week and a 40 gallon tank and them being quite small that this would be ok (which it seems to have been exempt the guppys).
Still, I've certainly got some good clues and advice there, not least the liquid kits. I'll let things run a while now and see how I go before adding anything else.
Thanks again :-)
Tara.