Feeder guppies for turtle with black sections on tail fins

[Nature Momma]

Okay, so I've browsed the forums & so far haven't seen anything on my certain situation. I have a small guppy feeder fish tank (I think it's 10-15gal) w/a Aqua Clear 30gal top tank filter. I got the new fish over 2wks ago from a small local aquatic pet store & I didn't see any over crowding of fish & some rare fish I've never seen in person. But they did sale their guppy as feeders & most seemed happy without notice of any fungus/bacteria/sluggish behavior. Within the past week I had noticed what I thought to be fin rot on 2 & some jagged looking bottom fins on a few. I immediately tested the water 4 EVERYTHING & did EVERY SINGLE test. Ammonia levels were high so i did a 50% water change adding all water conditioners that I knew I needed. I started MELAFIX, MARACYN, MARACYN-TWO, AMQUEL, & MEDICATED FISH FOOD. The AMQUEL was only used once since it's OK to use wkly. Everything else was used in combination BY DIRECTIONS of a 7day period as it stated it was safe. Now that is been 7days, my biggest (also pregnant) fish still has the black areas on her tail fin. What else can I do? Is she still sick? Also, a few of them hang out at the top of the water even tho the filter is more than double the size of the tank & I also have a large air pump in it. Please help me. I do not want to hurt my turtle but i also want to be able to keep fish by reproduction instead of inserting new (infected) fish to the tank. I also haven't done the 25% water change at the end of the 7days of MELAFIX.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Just guessing here, but I am thinking you have four primary problems: 1. An uncycled aquarium. 2. Bio-overload (too many fish at one time and for that size of tank) 3. Medication overdose that has killed any semblance of beneficial biological bacteria. 4. Inbred feeder fish that are diseased. Here is what I would do: Return the fish to the point of purchase if they will take them. Explain your dilemma. A good, locally owned pet shop will work with you. Restart the tank using the humane, fishless method.
If you can't return the fish: 1. Discontinue the medications. 2. Don't feed the fish for awhile. 3. Obtain a couple of aids such as Seachem Stability and Prime. 4. Do a partial water exchange and carefully follow the instructions on the bottles. Please let us know which direction you take. We will help you.

 

[Nature Momma]

Just guessing here, but I am thinking you have four primary problems: 1. An uncycled aquarium. 2. Bio-overload (too many fish at one time and for that size of tank) 3. Medication overdose that has killed any semblance of beneficial biological bacteria. 4. Inbred feeder fish that are diseased. Here is what I would do: Return the fish to the point of purchase if they will take them. Explain your dilemma. A good, locally owned pet shop will work with you. Restart the tank using the humane, fishless method.
If you can't return the fish: 1. Discontinue the medications. 2. Don't feed the fish for awhile. 3. Obtain a couple of aids such as Seachem Stability and Prime. 4. Do a partial water exchange and carefully follow the instructions on the bottles. Please let us know which direction you take. We will help you.

Stephen:
Thank you so very much for your input on my matter. I do have a few responses/explanations that go along with what you've said....on your first guess- how do I know it's cycled too much or too little? I allowed the filter to run in tank no more than a week...keeping ammonia & nit lvls where they were supposed to be & water changes. The day before adding the fish, the nitrate & ammonia levels were at 0ppm (which is what I thought was the time to add fish) like feeders to help build up the filter. Another question, since you believe it may be that reason, should i leave any dead fish in it instead of removing them?
Second guess- I have about 12 guppies ranging from 1/2in-1inch long. I do not have any live plants. The bottom of the tank is bare. Any water change I do, I add the needed amounts of water conditioner. I took the charcoal part of the filter out of the tank during the 7 day meds period & left the sponge & white cylinder rocks part in it.
Third guess- that is the reason I removed the carbon in the filter. The MARACYN & MARACYN-TWO are both listed SAFE to use concurrently also with a liquid antibacterial remedy (MELAFIX) which is also natural, made from Melaleuca (tea tree) extract. CORRECTION: I used the MELAFIX for 7 days & the other 2 MARACYN products for 5 days. I used the AMQUEL 2 DAYS (but not in a row) even though it says it's safe to use as needed.
Fourth guess- Do you mean that they are diseased because they're inbred? Or do you think that my pregnant fish is inbred?
Also, how long should i go without feeding them if I can't return them? I don't know how long fish can go without eating or how long the tank would need either. Is there anything like (similar) to the bottles of treatments that you suggested? I want to make sure I don't already have something that can be used. I have already stopped the meds. Thank you again, any little bit helps!

 

[Stephen Noble]

Well, Nature Momma, your tank can't be too cycled. I am guessing yours is not cycled. Cycling means that the filter, substrate, tank sides and any decorations etc have sufficient beneficial bacteria thriving on those surfaces to convert toxic fish waste into substances that are less toxic. We manage the toxicity levels (Nitrate) through performing partial water exchanges. A new filter, running in a fresh tank of water, with nothing else in the tank, will not conduct a cycle. It can take several weeks to properly cycle a tank. Shorter cycles can be obtained with substrate (gravel), live plants, a seasoned filter taken from another well-established tank. You can also do it in less time with some of the bacteria cultures for sale. Here is a link explaining cycling https://www.petcha.com/fishless-aquarium-cycling-method/ Your tank is uncycled which explains why you got zero readings for ammonia and nitrite before adding the fish. New water should have no ammonia or nitrite for the test kit to measure. Yes, remove any dead fish. Feeder fish are notorious for being diseased. Often, they are inbreeds and culls that get dumped by the thousands into severely overcrowded tanks. I would return the fish if you can. Seems like they sold you a bunch of expensive supplies/medicines and at the very least, should be willing to help you out of this situation so you can get a fresh start. Yes, there are other products that will do the same job as Prime and Stability but I recommended them because I use them and can say they work well. Fish can go for several days without food. The reason for no food is to reduce the amount of toxic ammonia being dumped into your water from their waste. One thing I didn't ask is why are you using feeder fish for your turtles? I apologize for the long answer and hope this helps. Take care,

 

[Stephen Noble]

Sorry for another post...I can't figure out how to edit my previous post. Don't feel bad Nature Momma, most of us have experienced your situation when we began keeping fish. One thing I didn't ask is whether returning the fish is possible. If not, we will help you 'plow through.' There are many experienced hobbyists on this site and I am sure they can help too.

 

[Jhn]

Agree with Stephen, on why are you feeding your turtle live feeders?

What species of turtle do you have? What does it feed on in nature?

Personally, I avoid feeding all the turtles I keep live feeder fish. As many feeders aren’t very nutritious and as you are finding out disease carriers.

Usually feed my turtles a variety of pellet foods as a staple, then frozen foods that they would eat in nature a few times a week.