[ChristineS]

Today, one of my guppies died while I was at work. (I had a morning shift, so I didn't pay close attention to them this morning. I didn't notice any obvious symptoms. There were none last night when I sat staring at them and my triops for a few hours.) When I came home he was swimming weakly upside-down, and I removed him right away to another container, intending to create a makeshift quarantine tank with an old plastic one. When I got back to it with an airstone fifteen minutes later he was gone. (There was no residue on the tank, it had been thoroughly cleaned, and I used tank water.) Upon his death, although none of the others seemed to have anything wrong, I did a 33% water change. (I usually do about 10-15% every other day.)

Now, I am noticing that the gills on my remaining three are shiny (they were not before- it's almost a pearliness that shows up in the light) and the females seem fatter- they were already pregnant, both gave birth shortly after being put in my tank, and all but one fry was eaten. That one is fine, by the way, in a small tank with java moss. No filter but I change about 75% of the water daily with regular tank water. Should I be concerned about my guppies? Or are they just getting bigger as they have more babies growing in them?

[As a side note, I DID just add three small goldfish the other day, temporarily- they were bought as feeders for the turtle by my younger brother but I'm fairly sure they are fancies, and if they are, I have a friend that wants them. If not, I'll give them to my uncle for his pond. They have very unusual patterns. Could the new fish be the culprit?]

:edit:
Last night one of my females went back down to normal size, the other did not.

 

[NativeKeeper]

It sounds like to me that you have your guppies in a container separate from your main tank, and do water changes from your main tank, which now houses, at least temporarily, goldfish. Gold fish are wonderful pets, but produce large ammounts of waste, and if in fact youre using that water to freshen up your guppy tank, you may be adding harmful levels of waste to your guppy tank.

 

[ChristineS]

No, I have my one guppy fry in the separate tank. I currently have three guppies (1-1.5 inch) and three goldfish (1-1.25 inch) in a 10 gallon aquarium with a filter rated for 10-20 gallons. When I do water changes, I add water conditioner to tap water I've let age 3-5 days.

 

[NativeKeeper]

I see . My thought still applies, even though your filter is rated high enough for your guppy tank, the fact that the goldfish are in there, may still create a problem, if the bio isnt adequate to remove the high waste volume created by the goldfish.

 

[ChristineS]

So should I do another 33% change today? Do you think that will help? Or should I stay with my every other day schedule and increase the amount I change?

 

[NativeKeeper]

Doing lots of water changes, while obviously reducing the toxins in your water, can also create havoc with your other chemistry, if youre trying to maintain a constant balance. Guppies, as with all fish are somewhat adaptable but constant change, can and will cause stress. I recommend finding a nice home for the goldfish, separate from your guppy setup, and let your guppy tank find its nice comfortable balance again.

 

[ChristineS]

I plan to, I'm just trying to figure out which home they are going to- uncle's pond or friend's tank. If I take them out of my 10 gallon now they'll end up turtle food. =/

 

[NativeKeeper]

I see your problem, but i think you will become much happier, as will your guppy setup, once they can get back to some stable enviornment.

As for your choices for a new home for the goldies, im sure you will make the right decision soon, or at least one that works for you. As harsh as it might sound, Turtles gotta eat too, its the natural order of things, And fish, as well as most other creatures have developed their own means of trying to keep that from happening.

 

[ChristineS]

I know, it's just my turtle is a brutal monster. He has fun hunting and killing the fish but doesn't always care to eat them after.

I just got home from work- none of my fish look right. I don't think I have a choice other than to put them back in his tank NOW and apologize to the people that wanted them. All three of the goldies seem almost out of it, and my male guppies pearly sheen has spread over half his body. The tail of the fat female looks like it's stressed- the edges are almost fraying. This stinks. =/

 

[NativeKeeper]

Im truely sorry that youre having this problem, but the fishkeeping hobby is a learning process, sometimes a painful one.

In this case. youve learned about the added problems with keeping goldies, It can be, and is done regularly, but the added waste they produce is taken into consideration during the planing process

 

[ChristineS]

Yes, I suppose so. Fish are much more demanding than the other critters I keep. In a way I guess I deserve this for thinking they'd help me prepare. =/

 

[NativeKeeper]

Dont be so hard on yourself, our pets are our best teachers, if everything is not right in their world they will let you know, and in this case youve become a better and more experienced aquarist.

 

[ChristineS]

My other male guppy is acting strange now. Do you think a store would be willing to 'babysit' fish while I sort my tank out? =/

 

[NativeKeeper]

maybe?? if you talk to the store manager, and explained.