Red area behind/to side of gills?

[skinz180189]

After my gill disease thread, I have now noticed the guppies have developed a red coloured patch actually behind/to the side their gills, which you can see through their skin. They don't seem to have any behaviour changes yet.

 

[skinz180189]

Some google digging suggests a few things. Ammonia seems a major cause of this in guppies, so I've just changed 50% of the water, gave the filter a good deep clean, and added some filter floss in the gaps between the existing media.

 

[SunnyP]

I think it is just a build of ammonia or nitrate levels out of their tolerence. Possibly do some water changes over the next few days.

 

[skinz180189]

I think it is just a build of ammonia or nitrate levels out of their tolerence. Possibly do some water changes over the next few days.

That's what I plan to do

 

[amy4342]

Do you use dechlorinator when you do a water change? If chlorine levels are high in your tapwater, the chlorine can cause irritation. If you do use a dechlorinator, does it treat chloramine? If your local water supplier uses chloramine (a mixture of chlorine and ammonia), the dechlorinator will burn off the chloring but leave the ammonia. Just some possible thoughts.

 

[skinz180189]

Do you use dechlorinator when you do a water change? If chlorine levels are high in your tapwater, the chlorine can cause irritation. If you do use a dechlorinator, does it treat chloramine? If your local water supplier uses chloramine (a mixture of chlorine and ammonia), the dechlorinator will burn off the chloring but leave the ammonia. Just some possible thoughts.

Yea I use De-Chlorinator, and it treats both chlorine and chloramine. I've never had this issue until now though, which is strange.

This is pulled off my water supplier's website for my area;

Water quality report
Substance Typical value UK/European limit Unit
Calcium 69.5625 - mg Ca/l
Magnesium 21.9775 - mg Mg/l
Residual chlorine - free 0.08 - mg/l Cl2
Residual chlorine - total 0.12 - mg/l Cl2
Coliforms 0 0 no/100ml
E-coli 0 0 no/100ml
Aluminium 7.942 200 µg Al/l
Colour 0.86 20 mg/l Pt/Co Scale
Conductivity 508.77 2500 µS/cm
Fluoride 0.074 1.5 mg F/l
pH (Hydrogen Ion Conc.) 7.52 6.5 - 10.0 pH Units
Iron 11.58 200 µg Fe/l
Manganese 2.42 50 µg Mn/l
Nitrate 24.4313 50 mg NO3/l
Nitrite 0.0093 0.5 mg NO2/l
Sodium 15.61 200 mg Na/l
Turbidity 0.126 4 NTU
Copper 0.0209 2 mg Cu/l
Lead 0.703 25 µg Pb/l

I'm guessing that means we using Chlorine round here still?

 

[amy4342]

'm guessing that means we using Chlorine round here still?

Yup. Although, if you're de-chlorinating, that shouldn't be the problem. Just to cover all bases, you are using old tank water to clean the filter media also? I wouldn't have thought it was an ammonia problem because you left the old mature filter in for quite a while to seed the others. Strange.

 

[skinz180189]

'm guessing that means we using Chlorine round here still?

Yup. Although, if you're de-chlorinating, that shouldn't be the problem. Just to cover all bases, you are using old tank water to clean the filter media also? I wouldn't have thought it was an ammonia problem because you left the old mature filter in for quite a while to seed the others. Strange.

Yeah I always clean the filter in the water I've just siphoned out.

 

[aaronnorth]

the level of ammonia produced from dechlorinating wont be enough to affect you fishes like it has been doing,