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Why is my Guppy Laying on the Bottom of the Tank? 8 REASONS YOUR GUPPY IS LAYING ON THE SUBSTRATE!
Nov 25, 2022
In this video, I will share with you 8 possible reasons why your guppy may be laying on the bottom of the aquarium. Stick around to the end of the video for a bonus 9th reason!
Guppies are incredibly hardy. It is one of the factors that has made them so popular over the last 50 or 60 years. There are however occasions we look into our aquariums only to see a guppy laying on the bottom.
This may lead us to ask why is my guppy laying on the bottom of the tank.
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👀 Check out my article on Guppies overeating here - https://fishkeepinganswers.com/why-is-my-guppy-laying-on-the-bottom-of-the-tank/
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0:00
Guppies are incredibly hardy. It's one of the factors that has made them so popular
0:04
over the last 50 or 60 years. There are however occasions we look into our aquariums only to see
0:11
a guppy laying on the bottom. This may lead us to ask the question, why is my guppy laying on the
0:16
bottom of the tank? In this video I will share with you 8 possible reasons why your guppy may be
0:22
laying on the bottom of the aquarium. Stick around to the end of the video as I have a 9th bonus
0:28
reason for you. Hello friends, welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, my name is Richard
0:33
and I'm the owner of the fishkeepinganswers.com website. Based on my 30 plus years keeping and
0:39
breeding guppies, I have come up with a list of 8 possible reasons your guppy may be laying on the
0:43
substrate. The first reason on my list is due to pests or diseases. Guppies are hardy but they can
0:50
sometimes become susceptible to pests or diseases. Ick or white spot is one of the most common issues
0:57
and internal tapeworms are another. If the guppy is new to you it may have brought in a problem you
1:03
are not aware of. Take some time to check the guppy over. It will present itself as small white spots
1:10
normally starting on the fins or the tail. Internal tapeworms are harder to spot but a swollen abdomen
1:16
or white stringy poop can be indicators. Next up I have listed stress. Stress can be a bit of a
1:24
catch your word but guppies can suffer from stress and when they do they may become sluggish
1:28
and choose to sit on the bottom of the tank. Stress can be caused by dozens of different factors
1:33
but the most common are people banging on the aquarium glass, loud noises coming from a tv or
1:38
speakers or even just from something as simple as the aquarium heater has failed and the water
1:44
temperature is too high or too low If stress could be a factor take some time to assess your aquarium checking all the equipment and considering if the aquarium is located in the best place
1:56
Number three on my list is poor water quality. There are many different ways water quality can be poor
2:02
In this instance, I'm thinking about the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels of the aquarium water
2:07
Without getting too bogged down in the science, when our fish go to the bathroom, their waste is high in ammonia, and ammonia is very toxic to fish
2:18
Fortunately, there are strains of bacteria in our aquarium, and more accurately, our aquarium filters, that convert the ammonia firstly to nitrite, then to the less toxic nitrate
2:29
The best way for us to reduce the nitrate levels is to carry out regular partial water changes
2:34
If the levels of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate become too high, they can quickly have an
2:41
adverse effect on the guppies, causing them perhaps to lay on the substrate. A simple test kit like the API Master Test Kit or these test strips made by Aquarium Co-op
2:50
are by far the easiest way for us to test the quality of our water
2:55
I've placed some links in the description below in case you wish to check out any of these test kits
2:59
Do be aware, your aquarium water can be crystal clear and still be poor quality chemically
3:07
Possible reason number four is due to water parameters. When we say water parameters, we're generally talking about temperature, pH and hardness
3:17
although ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are also considered water parameters. When one or more of these parameters is outside the guppy's preferred range
3:25
it can cause your guppies to feel unwell, possibly leading to them sitting on the substrate
3:31
The ideal water parameters for guppies are as follows, with a temperature being between 76 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit although they can live well on either side of these temperatures a pH of between 6 and 8 and a hardness of around 8 to 12 dgh Measuring the temperature of the aquarium water is usually
3:50
fairly simple as most of us have an aquarium thermometer. To measure the pH and hardness of
3:55
the water however, test strips or a liquid test kit will be required. As mentioned, guppies are
4:01
incredibly tolerant and they can live and breed outside of these parameters. These numbers are
4:05
just to provide a guide to the ideal parameters. Now before I move on to reason number five
4:12
please take a moment to tap the like button. It helps show some support for the channel
4:16
and spread this video to other like-minded people. So potential reason number five is bullying by other tankmates
4:24
Our aquariums are nothing like you might find in nature. We typically cram a relatively large number of fish into an aquarium
4:30
and expect everyone to get on. Sometimes this doesn't happen, and one or more fish may try and dominate their tank mates
4:38
On the whole, guppies are not especially aggressive and they can be easily intimidated
4:42
either by larger, more aggressive fish or even by members of their own species
4:47
For instance, male guppies are very persistent breeders and if you have more males than females
4:52
it is possible that an individual female is getting more attention than she would like
4:56
leading to her becoming stressed and potentially sitting on the bottom to avoid the attention of the males
5:01
Next up is swim bladder issues. Guppies, like many of the fish we keep in our aquariums
5:07
have an internal organ known as a swim bladder. The swim bladder's job is to keep the fish
5:12
neutrally buoyant in the water. Think of it a bit like our own ability to balance
5:17
When the guppy has problems with its swim bladder, it can lead to the fish either floating around out
5:21
of control, unable to remain upright, or potentially sitting on the bottom of the aquarium
5:26
unable to get back up into the water column There are many potential causes of a swim bladder issue Those caused by bloating or a poor quality diet can sometimes be resolved by feeding roughage such as crushed garden peas or brine shrimp Other issues
5:40
may be a result of internal tumours and these are far more difficult to rectify
5:46
Number seven on my list is because the female guppy is pregnant and in labour. Usually when
5:51
guppies are given birth they will tuck themselves away in a clump of plants or behind some rocks
5:56
However, they do occasionally just sit on the bottom of the tank
6:00
This can be especially true if the female is heavily pregnant and struggling to pass all the babies
6:07
If your guppy sitting on the substrate is female and heavily swollen
6:11
there is a good chance she is sitting there trying to pass the babies. The final reason on my list is due to the guppy being a new inhabitant of the tank
6:21
There are two different ways fish typically react when we pop them into a new tank
6:25
some swim around boulders brass whereas others will immediately shoot and hide or may show their
6:31
submissive by laying on the bottom of the tank. If your guppy is just sitting on the substrate but
6:36
he or she has only just been added give them a day or two and hopefully they will soon be up and
6:41
about with the other fish. Now as promised for those who stuck around I have a ninth reason your
6:46
guppy may be laying on the bottom of the tank. Reason number nine is due to the guppy consuming
6:51
too much food. Guppies are voracious eaters and they can often gorge themselves to the point they
6:57
can no longer swim. If you've recently fed your guppies this may be the reason one of them is just
7:02
sitting on the bottom of the tank. It does beg the question can guppies die from overeating
7:08
and I answer that question in the video linked on screen. Thanks for watching
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