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Fish Diseases

The Mutant Guppy Curveback Syndrome

It appears when guppies do inbreed to much.

If a normal male and a curved female breed, the young bred guppies appear to have curved back as well.

The conclusion indicates that disforming and curveback syndrome is polygenic inheritance.

The Curveback Syndrome is related to the human Spinal back Syndrome.

Inbreeding means that there are few guppies that breed with close family, after a few months they all appear to be closely familie to eachother.

The reason of inbreeding is that there sometimes are more males than females.

Saprolegnia

If on the fishes body, a white slimy, flattish patch appears which seems to have replaced a part of the fish's skin, it is probably saprolegnia.

Treatment:

Isolate the affected fish and disinfect the net.

(1) Add two drops of tincture of metaphen to each gallon of water in the tank to attempt to destroy the organism.

Several other treatments of the sick fish are also recommended:

(2) Salt treatment,

(3) heat treatment,

(4) Apply hydrogen peroxide to the spot while holding fish in a damp net. Let it disinfect for 15-30 seconds before returning fish to the aquarium.

Be sure to re-disinfect the net.

(5) Malachite green,

(6) Methyline Blue,

(7) Acriflavin.

Fungus Diseases

Fungus grows differently from bacteria and the organisms which constitute this group do strange things. Some turn into resistant forms called spores which wait for suitable conditions before they develop into characteristic and recognizable patterns. Others, like yeast, push out buds which break off and become organisms. The so-called myceleum threads of some fungi are most interesting because they produce the effect which we call mold - a dense thicket of such small threads, that they appear like satin but are easily crushed flat. Some invade an area and grow what appears to be slime. Some fungi are motile, that is they have whip-like appendages with which they propel themselves, much in the same manner as human spermatozoa. Note: The reference for this section is a bit dated. Although many of these products and treatments are still helpful and available, there are new classes of drugs and treatment compounds available at your local tropical fish store. Once I get the basic information entered, I will update the material to include the very latest in treatments. Always remember that it is impossible to effectively treat a sick fish without first making an accurate diagnosis. Since so many questions on the Guppy Forum were disease and treatment related, I felt it necessary to make the completion of this page a priority. I hope it helps you maintain a healthy aquarium.

Mouth Fungus

A very common guppy disease, mouth fungus, kills millions of guppies annually. From a small whitish area which prevents the fish from closing its mouth, the whole mouth becomes filled with a spongy-looking accumulation and the fish dies. If you examine the cottony growth from the mouth through a microscope, you will find it to be composed of an enormous number of moving organisms. The growth not only occludes the mouth but etches away at the tissue. Most people believe that this occlusion prevents the guppy from eating and therefore the guppy starves to death, but this is not the case at all. The necessary stream of water through the mouth and out of the gills can no longer pass and this is what ultimately kills the fish. Affected fish are extremely listless and hang near the surface, even in well aerated tanks.

Treatment:

(1) Aureomycin, 250 mg. to a IO-gallon tank.

(2) Mercurochrome, 1 drop per gallon, is said to destroy organism.

(3) Metaphen, 2 drops per gallon

Crown Fungus

When you see tiny myceleum threads radiating upward and outward from a smallish spot, making what looks like a crown or miniature drawing of the sun's rays, it is probably crown fungus. The rays may grow an eighth of an inch long before they are brushed off.

Treatment:

(1) Mercurochrome.

(2) Touch Spot with hydrogen peroxide.

(3) Aureomycin, 50-100 mg. per gallon and water changed after 3 days.

Fin and Tail Fungus

Sometimes grayish or whitish areas appear on the fins and the tail, etching out areas and interfering with swimming. This is more prevalent in fishes kept at temperature too cool for their comfort.

Treatment:

(1) Raise the temperature.

(2) Hold the fish in a damp cloth and apply a 1-3 solution of hydrogen peroxide.

If the fungus is in the tail only, let the tail swish in the solution. The dead tissue will slough off.

(3) Mercurochrome.

(4) Metaphen in tank or applied directly.

BACTERIAL DISEASES

Tuberculosis
This disease kills more fishes than is realized because the effects are generally slow and fishes do not waste as do birds and mammals; they stay plump until they die. The germ, called mycobacterium piscium, has been found in many parts of guppies, even in the eyes. You are not likely to know if your guppies have the disease even when you find them dead. A bacteriologist can make the determination for you. Despite the fact that we keep so many guppies in such small places, tuberculosis does not seem to spread among all the inhabitants. If it does, it is quite rare.

Bloat

When a guppy shows a roughened appearance from the scales standing on end, and it appears to be bloated, it may have an intestinal infection which distends its intestines so greatly that it cannot swim below the surface without great exertion. Some stay in an upright position.

Treatment:

Try placing the bloated fish in a solution made of two tablespoonfuls of Epsom salts and two tablespoonfuls of Turk Island salt in a gallon of water. Leave it there for 4-6 hours. Then add another gallon of water and let the fish remain in this weaker solution for twelve hours before returning it to tank.

Air Bladder Disease

Some fishes with air bladder ailments will appear to settle on the bottom of the tank and make violent efforts to rise, only to settle down again. Others, called floaters, rise to the top of the tank and are unable to swim down. Students of fish diseases tell you that inflamed organs can reduce the size of the air bladder. Inflammation of the bladder wall also exerts a disastrous influence.

Treatment:

Dissolve a teaspoonful of Epsom salts in a pint of water. Immerse the fish in it until it almost ceases its efforts to escape and lies exhausted. Then change the fish to a shallow container in which the water is not more than three times as deep as the fish is thick. Leave him in this water in which you have dissolved an antibiotic until he appears recovered.

Gas Bubble Disease

Bacteria which invade portions of the fish's body sometimes cause gas which produces lumps. The gas may collect behind the eyes and pop them forward. The exact cause is not known for certain, but successful treatments are.

Treatment:

(1) Aurcomycin.

(2) An old successful method involving the simple matter of placing the fish in a tank of long-used water. The high nitrogen content is believed to relieve the condition.

ABNORMAL GROWTHS

Quite a wide variety of tumors appear on or in guppies. Some are benign, some malignant. Scientists are much interested in such growths but from a practical point of view, it is best to destroy affected fishes.

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