# Upside down Guppy



## ZeeDeveel (7 Jun 2016)

I believe this has been caused by feeding too much flake food, I hoped that by not providing an alternative food source, the guppies would increase their algae grazing or nibble some of the fine leaf plants I put in there for them. I realise now this was a mistake but the result is a sick Guppy and we need your help!

The guppy was moderately bloated when I noticed it, but was still acting fine. I decided to feed peas, none of the fish were interested except this guppy which gobbled them up voraciously and after two days of pea eating is now much more bloated and unable to swim properly. I've noticed thin white lines of poo trailing behind him, which is apparently symptomatic of a blockage.

My current plan is to separate him from the other fish, add Epsom salts to his new water and starve him for a few days, then maybe try some finely chopped peas. (not the big chunks I was using :/ )


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## PARAGUAY (8 Jun 2016)

It does look like a diet issue the domestic guppy as are fish of the inbred balloon types of Gourami Molly do require extra roughage in the diet ,I would try feeding live Daphnia stop flake for now maybe later feed something like the Fish Science food containing insectsand spirulina and chlorella flake.


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## MirandaB (8 Jun 2016)

White stringy poo can also be a sign of internal bacterial infection but I'd go with Paraguay's advice to start with and see if live daphia will help.


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## ZeeDeveel (8 Jun 2016)

Poor little blighter didn't make it through the night. Thanks anyway folks. I'll adjust their diet.


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## zozo (8 Jun 2016)

Bloating and upside down or iratic swim behaivor is most likely swim bladder damage.. Can be caused by constipation due to diet where the bloating affects the swim bladder function, but as Miranda says also inernal bacterial infection. Both go often hand in hand, bad diet, constipation swim bladder issues followed by infections due to stress and long term poor condition causing weaknes.


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## GHNelson (8 Jun 2016)

Hi
Poor environmental conditions can kick start  internal bacterial infections.....regular water changes and light substrate cleaning will improve the inhabitants wellbeing always!
Dropsy/Pine Cone disease/Bloat......is nearly always attributed to poor water conditions and poor diet!
hoggie


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## ZeeDeveel (9 Jun 2016)

Thanks all. The tank was overstocked for a while, it no longer is and I shall include more roughage in the diet.


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## PARAGUAY (10 Jun 2016)

Guppies are not the "easy" fish they once were as they are intensively farmed in the far east and exported by the bucketload, if you really want to keep them long term breed off the best and introduce new strains to breed in,thats the advice of the Guppy societies to avoid the pitfalls of inbreeding which weakens the fish,anyone who keeps them long term I would recommend joining a Guppy societyor fish club purchasing new fish of fellow members.I think years ago lot of shops would replenish stock with different customers bred fish meaning no imported fish so in general stronger fish.Sadly these days they cant be bothered. Sorry you lost the fish ZeeDeveel


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