How to Treat Guppy Fish with Diseases
Guppy fish is a popular aquarium fish found in many homes. With its diverse coloration/patterns, and its ability to reproduce offspring quickly, it is loved by a lot of fish keepers world wide. However, they're also vulnerable to various diseases that can affect their health and well-being. In this guide, we’ll dive into the common diseases that affect guppies, how to identify them, and the best treatment methods to cure them.
The most common guppy diseases are:
- Ich (White Spot Disease)
- Fin Rot
- Velvet Disease
- Dropsy
- Swim Bladder Disorder
Dropsy is generally considered the hardest to treat for guppies, it often indicates severe internal issues, such as organ failure or a systemic bacterial infection. By the time symptoms are visible, the disease is usually advanced, and treatment is often ineffective. Maintaining good water quality and a healthy environment is key to preventing these diseases; you can also read our guide about guppy tank environment here.
Symptoms and Treatments for guppy diseases:
1. Ich (White Spot Disease)
Symptoms: Small white spots on the body and fins, scratching against objects, rapid breathing.
Treatment:
- Raise the water temperature to 80°F (27°C) gradually (This can be done using a adjustable aquarium heater)
- Add aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons).
- Ick + methylene blue
2. Fin Rot
Symptoms: Decaying fins, white edges on the fins.
Treatment:
- Improve water quality with regular water changes.
- Remove any sharp objects that could cause injury.
- Use antibacterial medications like Melafix or tetracycline.
3. Velvet Disease
Symptoms: Gold or rust-colored dust on the body, clamped fins, lost interest in eating food.
Treatment:
- Reduce light level
- Raise the water temperature to 82°F (28°C).
- Use copper-based medications, such like Cupramine from Seachem
4. Dropsy
Symptoms: Swollen abdomen, scales sticking out.
Treatment:
- Isolate the affected fish in a quarantine tank immediately.
- Use antibacterial medications such as Maracyn.
- Maintain good water conditions. 100% Watch change every day.
- Use sea salt inside of the quarantine tank
5. Swim Bladder Disorder
Symptoms: Difficulty swimming, floating to the top, sinking to the bottom.
Treatment:
- Fast the fish for 24-48 hours.
- Maintain good water quality.
- Feed them a diet high in fiber
However, if the swim bladder was caused from deformities upon birth, it's generally untreatable. The best case to do is to separate the sick from away from the community as stronger fish will tend to bully them and bite their fins.
So how do you prevent guppies from having disease in the first place?
- Maintain good water: Regular water changes and proper filtration are crucial to keep your guppies healthy.
- Adding live aquarium plants: Plants are very important for fish’s health as it suck up a ton of ammonia and bad chemicals from the fish waste. Creating a natural environment for them
- Avoid overcrowding: Give your guppies enough space to reduce stress and aggression, 5 - 8 guppies are usually the best for a 10 gallon community tank.
- Quarantine new fish: Always quarantine new fish for at least two weeks before introducing them to your main tank. During the quarantine period, you may use sea salt or methylene blue to make sure the fish is clean of outside parasites that may cause health problems in the entire tank.
- Balanced diet: Provide a varied diet to ensure they get all necessary nutrients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should I change the water in my guppy tank? A: It's recommended to change 25-30% of the water every week to maintain good water quality. Be sure to treat your water for chlorine and chloramines before using them
Q: Can I use salt in a guppy tank? A: Yes, aquarium salt can be beneficial in treating certain diseases. Salt reduces stress for fish, which a lot of people add salt to their tank even though their guppies are completely healthy
Q: How can I tell if my guppy is stressed? A: Signs of stress in guppies include clamped fins, rapid gill movement, and hiding behavior and lost interest in food
Keeping guppies requires a lot of attention from you, you need to constantly check on your fish to make sure they are doing well. Don’t freak out if you see a fish being sick, always stay calm and treat them with the proper treatment!