lilspartan Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Hello, I am a new guppy owner and I was wondering why my male guppy is freaking out? He has a nice sized tank and no tankmates...but he swims around like crazy!!! is he looking for a female to court with? He has been swimming so crazy we have named him spaz! I am concerned though because I had a minnow one time that committed suicide and jumped out! He's a beautiful fish, I just would like to know how to calm him down! Any help is appreciated! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 HI Lilspartan, More guppy lovers... great stuff, and welcome to the NZ Fishroom.. (where is Greensbro NC..?) Sounds like Nashville he he. Guppys... The males do tend to look a bit crazy at times with there rushing around the tank (usually after the females) but I think in your case it is that the poor fella only knows you and no other mates, so he is happy to see you and is showing his excitement. Suggest you get him a couple of good looking ladies to keep him happy and he may even get 'more' excited :) Great to have you here. Do you have any other fish...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Welcome to the fishroom lilspartan It is also possible your guppy is upset by the water conditions. Can you tell us a few tank readings (like pH, temperature, nitrates, ammonia etc). How long has the tank been set up? Guppies like company so a few mates might calm him down. With guppies, if you want to mix the sexes, make sure you have at least 3 females for every male. I found a dried up African cichlid on the floor today. Only a small gap in the lid but he found it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilspartan Posted August 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 the water temp is about 70, the pH is normal and there is no ammonia...the air stone is working just fine, but now he is just swimming right near the top of the bowl. i have no clue what is going on...maybe he is lonely...but my roommate and i don't want another fish. any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted August 19, 2003 Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 Hi Lilspartan, In your first post you say... He has a nice sized tank But in your last post you say... now he is just swimming right near the top of the bowl. Either way, if he is spending long periods on the surface then you could have a water problem. You say you have an air stone running, so it won't be the lack of disolved oxygen, but it could be a build up of ammonia. When did you do a partial water change last, and how much did you change if you did ..? What does his gills look like... Are they inflamed at all.. red looking..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 19, 2003 Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 Also, have you got a filter or just an airstone? They are two different things but some people do not realise this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilspartan Posted August 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 spaz (the fish) died this morning so my roommate and i are upset. We had an airstone and a filter. There was still no ammonia or high pH in the water and the water temp was about 72. His water was perfectly normal. And we did a partial water change yesterday when I vaccuumed the gravel. He wasnt in the tank when we changed it. I put him in a temporary bowl with the water from his tank just like you are supposed to. And we changed out just a little over half of his tank water, added chlor-out, let it sit for about 10 minutes so no chemicals would harm him,even though the chemicals I use are all supposed to be fish friendly. A friend of ours was up here and he owns several fish and he can't figure it out either. However, he did not eat at all in the three days that we had him, so we think now that he was sick to begin with, but we aren't sure. We are going to get another fish today when we go, which will probably be another guppy. Any suggestions? Is this a individual fish problem, or maybe a tank problem? R.I.P Spaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 19, 2003 Report Share Posted August 19, 2003 If a friend who keeps fish could not see anything wrong with your setup it may be the fish was a little sick to start with and the trip home stressed him too much. Try again and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 As you were unable to diagnose the problem with the fish, it might be a good idea to leave the tank bare for a while... say a week or more, as your fish could have contracted an internal parasite that might 'possibly' be still lurking in the tank. Most things of this nature will die off if they don't have a host (fish).. so it might just be something to consider before you buy another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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