Re: Sick guppy... listless, bloated with black eyes

Question
QUESTION: Hello Rachel,

First off, here's the basic info:

Tank size- 15 gallons
Tank temp.- 78*F
How many filters- 1
What kind of filter- 20i in-tank filter with a large cartridge of
ultra-activated
carbon in a dual-sided mesh bag and bio-foam with aerobic bacteria.
How often water changes are made- once a week
How much water is changes with the water change- about a third
Dwellers of the tank: 1 male guppy, 1 male molly, 1 male swordtail, 2 female
swordtails, 1 female platy and 2 zebras of unknown gender

Now, the problem. I have a male guppy that's been healthy since I bought him
in February, but over the past couple of days he appears to have bloated. I
read up about bloat, dropsy, etc. and in comparison to those descriptions my
fish seems skinny, hehe. But compared to what he has looked like for the past  
half year, he definitely looks much rounder. Not like a balloon, and his scales
and skin are fine - he just looks like he has a big belly that sticks out a lot in
profile. He swims heavily, wobbling from side to side as if the belly was heavy
to carry. His eyes also look different than normal - the white rims around the
pupil have gone from the usual gold-white to cloudy to
almost completely black, so the entire eye looks like one big pupil now. He
couldn't be female and pregnant, as somebody suggested; he's most
definitely a male, as he has the large gorgeous tail, coloration, body shape,
the "special fin", plus he's been humping the females ever since I got him.
The first sign of change was when he lost interest in the females; then he got
slower and would avoid swimming much, wobbling slightly when he did; and
now he only rests on the bottom, supporting himself on a shell. He appears
to be breathing heavy, too. He will swim away in a normal, non-wobbly fast
way if I tap the side of the tank, so he's not immobile, but he looks sick. I
dropped a bit of food in yesterday to test his appetite, and he nibbled at it
but lost interest soon.

It has been two days now and I can't find help anywhere... I know the best
cure is to get another guppy, but I like my little guy and want to help him.

Additional information. I've had a recurring worm problem in the tank - tiny
thin white worms that crawl on the tank walls or float in the water. They don't
attach to the fish, but the fish like eating them. I was told they were planaria
worms, which are harmless unless the fish eats too many and can't pass them
through. That's why I wonder if my little guy got a ball of worms stuck in his
tract? I've cleared the worms with CopperSafe a couple of times, but they
keep reappearing. Once I even boiled all gravel and decorations, scrubbed the
tank with soap and replaced all live plants. The worms appeared again
though... possibly via the fish themselves? I'm thinking of getting a couple of
cories or other bottom-cleaners to keem the worms under control.

The guppy has been separated in a smaller tank since he gave up swimming
and first sat on the bottom. I've been asking fish experts and reading articles,
and following their advice I've raised the temperature of his water to a bit
over 80*F and am treating him with Maracyn 2 in case he has a bacterial
infection. I also got some castor oil to give him as a laxative in case he's just
constipated... and peas and lettuce to help his digestion.

Man, I can't believe I'm doing this for a fish... but I love the little guy! His
name is Giggity, after Quagmire of Family Guy (you know, guppies and their
nature, hehe). Please help me figure out what's wrong with him and what I
can do to help him! And also, if you know what those worms might be and if
they are trouble to the fish.

Thanks a lot!
Didi

ANSWER: First, let me re-assure you. One, the white bugs are just copepods, amphipods, and planaria or a mix of all them. They are completely harmless. In fact they are good to a degree because they consume excess waste and food. However, they are bad in the sense that this likely means that you have a large amount of excess waste, however nothing to really worry about as long as your ammonia is not high. I get the little guys all the time. They can look creepy but they arnt anything to worry about. Yes, the fish might love to eat them. As far as I know, there is not much of a possibility of the fish getting sick from eating them, at least non of my fish have. Corys do love to eat them, and they would be a good addition to your tank. I would suggest corys over all other bottom feeders and I am parital to their personality, super fun fish. Just dont get more than three, while they love to be in school and people tell you the more the better, they will become shy and almost mad when they are overcrowded. I made the mistake of getting more than I should a while back and they were not happy at all. Strangely enough, I took out a few and the ones left regained they awesome fun personalities. Bottom line, not more than three for you 15 gallon. Ok, now the strange guppy. Funny enough, I have two male guppies and one seems to have the same symptoms. The only difference is that mine acts normal and swims around, not resting on the bottom. My guppy has a bloated, not hugh, belly and his eyes seems to change. In fact, mine gets a black dot on both sides of his belly! I honestly am baffled! I have tried to do some research and nothing seems to answer it. The higher temp is great and the treatment should kill anything internal, which would be the first guess. Honestly, I am not sure what to say it is. I wonder if it has something to do with breeding. Perhaps the male guppies change when they are ready to mate, changing belly and eyes and so on. That is just a guess but would be my educated one. My guppy has these symptoms, except lathargy, and he is doing just fine. In fact, he has gotten the symptoms and lost it and than it came back, on and off, leading me to consider something having to do with breeding. However, this is again a guess, I honetly have no idea. If I was to speculate on a disease or parasite, it would be either bloat (not likely), a bladder issue (killed by internal treatments), or just an internal parasite (also taken care of with treatment). I am very sorry I do not have more certainty as to what is the problem. Maybe by now he is doing better. I understand how attached we can get to fish and love the ones I own (two male guppies, two albino corys, two clown fish [saltwater], two chromis damsels [saltwater], one cleaner shrimp [saltwater], and a bunch of snails [salt and fresh]. I only wish I knew the confirmed issue with your fish, and mine. Perhaps if he does not get better you should ask another expert. Its crazy that such a common and easy fish like guppies are one of the most difficult to examine and figure out! I hope I have helped you some at least. Feel free to ask me any more questions or keep me posted as to his progress.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Rachel,

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate the help and the effort, even if you couldn't
tell me what the problem was. It's hard to diagnose fish, but it's always better
when the advisor tries and sympathizes :)

Just wanted to update you on my guppy and warn you about yours. So, last
night I watched "Meet Joe Black" and, ironically, after the movie I realized he
had taken my poor guppy! After I spent so much money on medication... I
guess I should've acted sooner. I spent too much time researching and
wondering, and the little guy just couldn't hold on. I got Maracyn-2 for
internal infections, and will keep it around in case another fish gets sick. I'm
soaking them in the drug right away next time! If you suspect your guppy
might have something internal, it won't hurt to run the Maracyn-2 treatment
on him just in case. The dark eyes might be a common symptom of different
diseases though, so maybe your fish has something else... I don't know. I've
just heard that cloudy/black eyes are an indicator of an internal infection of
sorts, whether lethal or not.

And lastly, about your comments on breeding and the guppy's readiness to
breed. This is the hilarious part about the personality of guppies - they are
the horniest of pet fish, and the males are ready to (and will) mate all the
time! That's why I named mine Giggity - have you seen Family Guy? You'd
know :) Anyway, if you put a male guppy together with a female, he will hump
her constantly and may even exhaust her to the point where she dies! That's
why it's a good idea to keep the male-female ratio to at least 1:4 with
guppies. I didn't have any female guppies, because I didn't want millions of
them within months, but still, my Giggity would hump the female swordtail
nonstop even though she's like 7 times his size and not genetically
compatible :) So yeah, that's guppies.

It's sad that I couldn't find an answer in time, and I'll try to act faster next
time - just soak the fish in maracyn just in case, or something. I hope yours
has a brighter future!

Best,
Didi

Answer
I am sorry to hear the bad news. Again sorry I could not help. Chances are he was just too weak to survive it. My guppy has had these symptoms on and off for over 6 months. In fact he had the symptoms yesturday and today they are gone! Maybe my guppy is just wierd, but he definately doesnt have a disease or parasite. If he did, he would have been dead by now, as well as one of the other fish would have gotten something and likely died. I am semi-new to guppies, as I began years ago with the more difficult fish like angelfish and gobies. Its funny I never tried guppies before and one day thought it was time I tried them considering they are so beautiful. Yes, the treatment is a great treatment and does work. Its a very good brand and its a great idea to have it. So even though the fish has died it was a good thing you have the treatment now. Sometimes though, keep in mind, even though the treatment is given it can do the complete opposite it should. In other words, because the fish is already stressed due to the disease and parasites the extra stress of the treatment can make the fish weaker. In fact goldfish are notorious for reacting the opposite to treatment, they tend to die if they are not carefully watched and cared for. However, on the other side you dont know how the fish will react. You have to treat these problems so its a win/lose situation. Hopefully, it was just something affecting the one guppy and the rest of your fish will be just fine. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I am sorry I could not help you with it better. I try my best to give all the help needed and feel bad when I dont know the answers. Yes, you are right, it is SUPER hard to diagnose fish especially when you cannot see them. I look forward to helping you in the future if you need it!