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Hi!

I've got a problem, a sick female guppy. Can someone please help me? I have this female for about a month and 6 days ago she gave birth to 30-40 little guppies. She looked OK before and after the birth, until yesterday. She's standing just below the surface with her body turned upwards and stays still. She doesn't eat and she doesn't move unless I open the top of my aquarium, and then she moves a bit unwilingly. She started acting that way one day after a water change (around 20% with treated water,at about the same temperature as the aquarium water). No other fish seemed to be affected at all by that.

Water parameters:
Aquarium Capacity 35 lbs
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites:20
Nitrates: 0
PH: 7,2
Temp: 78 F
Salt is added with every water change
Please help me if you can

the correct aquarium capacity is 30 gal (135 litres)

I've had problems breeding livebearers, specifically swordtails. It's hard to tell, but sometimes a fungus or bacteria in the tank will attack a e fish. Hey, if you just gave birth, you wouldn't be feeling too good either!!! You could move the pregnant fish into a hospital tank before birth or really try to keep fungus/bacteria out of the tank. I use Pimafix (from the makers of melafix). It controls both fungus and bacteria. Good luck with your sick guppy and those youngsters!
KMLubahn6609

I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell!

Often a female Guppy after giving birth will suffer a stroke and become partially paralyzed...

The older the Guppy the more intense the attack becomes because older, larger Guppies produce large quantities of fry which is very stressful on the Gup.

Medication will do nothing and there's not much that can be done except wait and see.

Usually the outcome is not favorable.

--garyroland.

ya, sadly most female gupps dont survive long after birth if they arnt in prime condition, like stress after moving can cause infection, and still born fry, i have had only 1 female endler survive birth in the last 2-3 months they appear fine then they get a rash around their lower girth, then just hours, or days later i find her dead on the bottom, i have tryed keeping them hospitalized after and before birth, but its just natural selection, i have lost ALL my female guppies from giving birth, thats why i recomend controlled breeding, i wouldent breed a fav female with a male that has been known to have dead females after birth, usualy from having too many fry, thats what happened to my fav blond gupp, 45 fry, 2 days later and still showing no signs of being sick was dead, sorry for your loss

If you have a tank with thick surface plantings at one end, either real or plastic bushy types where the females can hide and drop their fry and remain, the death rate should be reduced...

--garyroland.

Thanks everybody for your replies!

I'm afraid you are all right that this could be a problem after a long birth (she had 53 fry fish). Do you think that putting her in a hospital tank with a bit more salt and maybe higher temp could help her fight for her life, or is it completely out of my hands?

i have never been able to save a female after they get what i call "strech marks" which i when the scaled go white around the girth, its sad, and with 1 female i never saw them and she still died, so far 1 endler has survived giving birth, but i would count on doing it again, and if you want to help save your females get seperate tanks for males and females, both males and females are more active, going on with their lives, rather than wondering when a female is ripe to breen, orspending your whole life fighting males, i call it selective breeding, and so far it has worked, so far i have 1 platy who isnt pregnant FINALY!! hope she survives, and you can try to hospialize her if you want to try it

She's still rather stressed and quite weak, but she's more active than before and I think she's eating a bit now. She has survived so far and that's a good point but she's soooooooooo thin now and I don't know if she'll make it after all..