GuppyLover123 Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 Hi! I'm a new fish owner, and I recently got a female fancy guppy. She was very active for the first week, but she has recently developed a red mark on her body. Now, she spends most of her time floating at the top of the tank. I know she is still alive because if I stick my net in near is, she will slowly try to swim away. I have 5 other fancy guppies in the tank, an African dwarf frog, and two blue mystery snails. Is this something that is common, or are the red marks something I should be worried about? If this is a disease, is there a way to treat it, and should I be separating this fish somehow so the disease does not spread? Please help! My phone made the redness in the images look more dull, but in person the red is more noticeable. In one image I circled where the redness is. I apologize if it is hard to see the redness in the photos. If you have difficulties seeing it, let me know and I will try to get better photos. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuppyLover123 Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Additional info: The guppy barely swims, and just floats in one corner of the tank. She seems like she is dying, but if I put some food near her she will still eat it, so I know she is still alive. Additional image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 On 5/21/2024 at 12:05 AM, GuppyLover123 said: Additional info: The guppy barely swims, and just floats in one corner of the tank. She seems like she is dying, but if I put some food near her she will still eat it, so I know she is still alive. Additional image What are your water parameters ammonia nitrite nitrate pH KH GH temperature do you have any medication to hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuppyLover123 Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 Unfortunately, she actually passed away last night, but thank you for trying to help. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guupy42 Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 This website might help: https://guppyexpert.com/guppy-diseases-parasites-remedies/ First of all, for a 5 gallon tank, 5 guppies is a lot. Don't forget the frogs and snails. When I got my first guppies, the PetSmart employee told me that it was okay to put 5 guppies in a 5 gallon tank, but it turns out that would only apply for juveniles. For a 5 gallon tank, it should be around 3 male guppies (females are bigger) at the most. Overcrowding can cause excess ammonia, which is dangerous for fish. Is the tank cycled yet? According to the website mentioned above, one of the causes of inflamed gills or red marks is ammonia burn or poisoning. Too much ammonia, Nitrites, or Nitrates will also cause stress, one of the leading causes in fish sickness, which makes water condition very valuable here. If you have a testing kit or strips, you will probably want to test your water parameters. @Colu , the expert on fish diseases will be able to tell you more about what this is with the information. I just read that your fish has already passed away. Sorry for your loss. Be sure to monitor your other fish for signs of stress. Guppies can get sensitive to lost tankmates sometimes. (I have had some bad experiences with guppy depression and inbreeding recently.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuppyLover123 Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 @Guupy42 thank you for the advice. Don't worry I am transferring all my fish, snails, and frog over to a 29 gallon tank very soon, the 5 gallon is just temporary. I will test for ammonia and Nitrates later today. 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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