I've been stalking here for a few months and this is my first post.

I recently lost a Guppy when it gorged on cabbage being enjoyed by my Otos. It died with a swollen, greenish looking belly.

Now, I have another swelling Guppy and I'm worried it could overfeed to death too. This time, the Guppy is eating the live bloodworm I'm trying to feed my Bumblebee Gobies.

The Bumblebee Gobies are being out competed for the bloodworm but only 1 Guppy is really over eating.

I tried to fashion a food box with small holes through which only the BBGs would fit but the greedy Guppy squeezed through.

I've read that a snail trap could be used as a BBG feeder and keep the Guppies out. I'm concerned that it could trap and stress the BBGs.

I'd really appreciate any advice you could share with me.

Thanks.

--

90L planted Tank
Hard/Alkaline water
5 Male Guppies
5 Otocinclus
6 unsexed Bumblebee Gobies

A trap could be effective, or a breeding net to seperate them during feeding times.

How big is your tank maybe you can try and section them off? I.e feed the guppies one side and the others the other side?



Edit:
Just seen you have wrote what you have, this could still work separating either side i have a 64 litre and have to do this to stop my Mollys eating it all as the guppies will only eat food that sinks (dont think they know to go to the top and eat as only one of them does)

If not use a breeding trap

Thanks Daniel. I'll try the trap. Separating them might be stressful.

Someone at work suggested I use a pipette, which I will also try.

Someone else suggested I get some female guppies and let the Bumblebees hunt the Guppy fry. Is that cruel and unusual? If not, how many female Guppies would produce enough fry to sustain 6 Bumblebee Gobies?

Thanks again.

Hi boris

It would be rather unusual for a fish to gorge itself to death so i think other factors may be at play here

Can you post the following:

1. Your tank water readings for pH, Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (GH and KH would be a real bonus too)?

2. Temp of tank

3. List of all stock and numbers?

4. Water change regime (how often, how much)?

Turkey basters are a good way of getting food dircectly to a fish who is being outcompeted

Ahh, just clocked your fish in your siggie.

Can you confirm the other bits though, as it should help?

Hi Violet

Thanks for your interest. I got big coral feeding droppers today to place live daphnia I front of the bees. It worked somewhat.

Thames Water’s supply to my house is hard (214.8 GH/KH) and alkaline (pH 8.0). The readings from the tank are pretty much the same although possibly 7.9pH.

I'm doing approx 15% water change twice per week, although ammonia and nitrite are staying at 0 and Nitrate is less than 5ppm according to API FW test kit.

Here’s the aquarium spec:
■Fluval Roma 90L Tank (60cm x 45cm x 30cm)
■Fluval U2 110L Filter
■Fluval M100 100L Heater
■2 x T8 15W GLO Flourescent Bulbs

Here’s how I’m dosing the water:
■2.5ml Easy Life EasyCarbo CO2 daily
■2ml Easy Life ProFito Fertilizer daily
■4 tablets Sera fore plus Growth Promoter fortnightly
■25ml Nutrafin Aqua Plus Water Conditioner with each water change (25% weekly)
■25ml Nutrafin Cycle Biological Supplement with each water change (25% weekly)

Here’s the animal list:
■Now 5 x Male Guppy, Poecilia reticulata
■5 x Dwarf Suckermouth Catfish, Otocinclus
■6 x Bumblebee Goby, Brachygobius xanthozona
Just added:
■1 x Pair Threadfin Rainbowfish, Iriatherina werneri
■6 x Espe’s Rasbora, Trigonostigma espei

Here’s the plant list:
■Vallisneria nana
■Hygrophila corymbosa ’Siamensis 53B’
■Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Green’
■(Ceratopteris thalictroides, died and removed after 1 month)
■Rotala rotundifolia
■Ludwigia brevipes
■Lilaeopsis
■Hygrophilia
■Eleocharis

I can't think of anything else to tell you!

Are you sure about that nitrAte result? I know Thames Water has different supplies, but often they are very high in nitrate, just worth repeating following instructions for shaking (vigorously!!) to the letter - just so you are sure.

That all looks good then other than just two points. Nitrate does look a bit odd. As cathie said you may want to double check given what we know of London water. The pH of 8 is a bit on the high side for some of the stock though.

Oto prefer softer more acidic water, range is usually 6.5 -7. These are still often wild caught and are not generally happy in hard water set ups.

Esep Tetra, pH 7 - 7.4 and Threadfins, 6 - 7.5. The BBG's range is around 7.5 to 8.5 so OK. A little RO perhaps with the tap water will steadily bring the tank down to acceptable levels for most of them but you may wish to reconsider the otos.

As for the dominance when feeding, perhaps a species only BBG tank (as many have) is the answer. These tiny placid fish do struggle with more bossy fish.

Hi Cathie,

Yes the Nitrates are low. I reckon the plants are using it up. I've used test strips as well as liquid to test it.

Hi Violet,

I'll follow your advice and reduce the pH slowly towards 7.5. Would you think the pH might've killed the Guppy??

Thanks.

Hi

Have you checked your tap water nitrate level? If it's typical for London then your plants won't be reducing it to 5ppm. To see a really large nitrate reduction, especially when you're adding nitrates with every water change, you would need to have an abolutely huge quantity of plants, such that there'd be no room for fish.

It's worth checking on Thames Water's web site what they report for the nitrate level at your post code and comparing to your own test as there may be a problem with test procedure if there's a discrepancy. Test strips aren't very accurate so the result from those can be ignored.

The pH is high for some of your stock as V said, but that doesn't include the Guppies - they do well at higher pH levels so that won't be the cause of the Guppy's death.