Altum wrote:
Daniel Morrow wrote:

I didn't invent or come up with the phrase "function fish", I have
seen it
used on this newsgroup before. Quite frankly I would rather have one 55
gallon tank with my two silver dollars and 1 oscar than the silver
dollars
with a couple mountain minnows (like now) and tons of fancy guppies
with a
guppy dieing every other day. Come on guys - even fancy guppies are
supposed
to live at least a year except for the high nitrates and nitrites.
Could my
problem be not enough oxygen? I don't have decent transportation so I
can't
get to the lfs 14 miles away one way to drop off bags of fancy guppies
every
2 weeks to 1 month, I've done it before and I just don't have that
much time
on my hands anymore. I doubt the bus system drivers would let me carry on
bags of fish each trip and I sure can't get to the store often enough to
keep buying rubbermaid tubs which the bus driver wouldn't allow
anyways. I'm
sorry if I sound negative but when people chastise me after acting on
assumptions and incorrect information even after I have already said the
correct/accurate information here before it really saddens me - don't you
guys know me by now? I guess not. I am sorry I even asked about this
subject, geez, [goes away sulking]. :-(


Hey...don't sulk. Frank makes a good point about fish tending to all
show toxicity at the same time from nitrites. There are guppy viruses
and some fancy guppies are really sensitive to certain bacteria.
Parasites can cause problems like you're seeing too. Are you sure there
isn't velvet or tetrahymena in the tank? Check the slimecoats of your
fish with a flashlight for parasites. There's also a guppy fluke
disease called gyrodactylus that's gotten more common in the hobby. It
causes bad shimmies and eventually death when it gets in the gills. You
treat it with formalin.

What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate results? How bad is the
water in the tank, and is there any way to get more biofiltration going
like a big sponge filer (or two)? Nitrates aren't particularly toxic so
you can buy yourself some time. You have some salt in the tank, right?
Silver dollars will be OK with 1 tsp/gallon for a while and the salt
helps counteract nitrite toxicity.

While you're waiting for the extra filter to help, think about your tank
plans. Oscars are cool, but you do have other options. Most small
carnivorous fish will catch and eat baby guppies and hold the population
down. The adults may continue to die off, particularly if you have one
of the nasty Singapore viruses in the tank. If not, you'll have a
stable population of healthy guppies and some tetras, an angelfish,
loaches, or whatever other baby guppy eating fish you choose.

Do keep posting - your tank doesn't sound like any fun right now and
we're happy to help out.


Another long-term option is to separate the males from the females - I
seem to remember that you have more than one tank...or return the
females to the LFS along with the excess fry (that way you don't need to
keep making multiple trips to get rid of the fry).

I don't seem to have too much of a problem with my livebearers (Platys
and Mollies) over populating the tank(s) but I'm pretty sure these are
kept in check by the other fish (and I don't have an Oscar)...

The Mbunas are a different kettle of fish - they are getting an
additional Fluval 304 at the weekend (got one hanging around in the
garage). But even so I'm pretty sure that the numbers are kept in check
by the Plec.

Right now your options are limited because of the nitrites (and I guess
ammonia) in the water - you can't go adding another fish in there right
now. Altum may also be spot on that it is in fact a guppy specific
disease - whenever I've had a hiccup on the water quality front it is
all the fish that are affected not just one or two.

Good luck
Gill