Guppy Tails

[XhaLe]

I have a few guppies in my tank, and since i got them new i have found that their colours have faded and that their fins and tails have split and are no longer solid fins...can anyone suggest why this might be? perhaps what i can do to counteract it?

in my tank i have neon tetra, cardinal tetra, guppies, glass catfish, albino corydoras, sucker catfish and clown loaches. perhaps one of these fish has contributed to this problem?

any help would be great, if any further details are needed pls ask

Regards
Tom

[silkieboy]

hi xhale. what are your water conditions like as that could be the cause of the guppies frailed fins. It could also be the other tank mates attacking their fins. Have u seen any of them chasing the guppies tails?

i used to keep fancy guppies and they did well with a temp of 26-28 °C. The Ph was around neutral or slightly alkaline and like moderate to hard water which can be done via aquarium salts (I used those blue crystal salts u find at lfs) at a dosage of 1 tablespoons per 19-20 litres. Feed them some occasional live food or frozen food and that should bring back their vibrant colours again.

HTH

Johnny :)

[XhaLe]

the temp of my tank is usually about 26-27 degrees, but at the moment it is in the low 20's as i am having issues with my water heater. the water is neutral at 7, im not sure about the hardness as i dont have hardness test kits. i was told by numerous ppl that they dont really matter...i used to feed them frozen brine shrimp, but i have been a bit slack on that lately...

thanks for tips
tom

[wombat1100]

Hi Xhale,
I would be turfing the heater and getting a new one, I had a heater that was playing up once and it boiled my tank and i lost ALL of my fish, too big a risk in my opinion.
As for you water conditions I believe you need to check all parameters as each individual fish species has special requirements and although you can be a little general with conditions such as hardness, the species thrive in their optimal conditions.
In a community tank you need to average out the benefits and only get fish that are of similar requirements to have a healthy and happy tank.
Do you check your water for ammonia and nitrite? these are both VERY dangerous to fish and should be checked regularly
Dazz

[XhaLe]

the only thing that i check in my tank is pH and i think its nitrite levels...i was told others dont really matter, but after this i will prob go and get a proper test kit :) i will also fix up my heater problem
thx
tom