# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Livebearers >  guppy getting skinny!

## cyruslaguna

I have a female guppy which still eats well but getting skinny rapidly! What could be the cause of it and how should I cure it? The rest of the guppies are all doing fine.

----------


## stormhawk

It could be due to an internal infection or infestation by Camallanus worms. Do you see any small tiny worms at the anus of the fish? They will usually stick part of their body out, especially when the fish is trying to poop.

Or it just due to old age, because at a point in time the guppy will deteriorate in condition and eventually die.

----------


## cyruslaguna

I don't see any tiny worms moving but the anus has a trail of something white; if it is the Cammlanus worm, anything I can do to save it?

----------


## harnsheng

There's a very good dewormer, Levamisole, but im not sure whether singapore allows the chemical as it was banned in Malaysia. 

It was said to be the most effective dewormer, especially against Cammalanus worm!
If you find it in SG, perhaps can let me know.. i would love to buy some too!  :Smile:

----------


## stormhawk

cyrus, is the symptom something like this:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...8&d=1258997087

Photo is not mine, an attachment from www.aquariacentral.com forums.

If yes, then it might be a sign of internal parasites. Levamisole can be obtained in Singapore, but only with a licence I think.

----------


## harnsheng

Can be obtained? thats cool...
Let me contact my vet friend and see whether i could obtain some!  :Smile: 

It's good to feed medicated(levamisole) food to livebearers like guppy as a prevention purpose.

----------


## stormhawk

In the past yes, but I am not sure now. It is effective but I think primarily meant for farm animals/herd animals like sheep etc. There must be a reason why Malaysia banned it. You can't get fenbendazole or flubendazole there? They seem to be effective against Camallanus too I think.

----------


## harnsheng

i tried... but it's not as effective as levamisole.. so, better get the best one!

----------


## stormhawk

Good luck man. Maybe in Malaysia you can still find.. if you try asking those farms that rear goats or other herd animals. Perhaps they got leftover stock that was imported before the ban.  :Grin:

----------


## Interestor

Camallanus worms is red in color.

is it an adult guppy, happen after giving birth ?

CHeers..

----------


## cyruslaguna

it hasn't been pregnant for awhile after a few weeks despite having 2 males in the tank along with 5 other females.

I've isolated the skinny female but the similar colour seems to have another which is also getting skinny (I have 2 females of the same breed).

Do I need to change a bigger amount of water and what is the cause, and prevention / cure methods?

@Storm: it does look a little like that pic you have added in just now but no more seeing something hanging out of the anus like that except regular poo.

----------


## Interestor

if it get skinny after pregnancy, mostly it cant be cure. could be due o old age or either bacterial infection.

CHeers..

----------


## stormhawk

> Do I need to change a bigger amount of water and what is the cause, and prevention / cure methods?


You don't have to do bigger water changes, just stick to your current regimen and you should be fine. The cause can be attributed to either old age, sickness or just a problem with the diet. When feeding them with dried food, make sure it's fresh and not spoiled. Those flake and pellet food can easily spoil in our climate due to the humidity in our air plus the temperature. If you did not check the food for signs of spoilage, you could have inadvertently caused the infection. It is fairly easy to see if your food is spoiled.

If the food doesn't feel dry to the touch, but a little sticky and the smell is funny, throw it away and get a new one. 

Either way, you should get a medication for internal bacteria. Such medications can kill the other bacteria in the tank, so treating the fish in a separate hospital tank might be necessary.

----------


## cyruslaguna

> You don't have to do bigger water changes, just stick to your current regimen and you should be fine. The cause can be attributed to either old age, sickness or just a problem with the diet. When feeding them with dried food, make sure it's fresh and not spoiled. Those flake and pellet food can easily spoil in our climate due to the humidity in our air plus the temperature. If you did not check the food for signs of spoilage, you could have inadvertently caused the infection. It is fairly easy to see if your food is spoiled.
> 
> If the food doesn't feel dry to the touch, but a little sticky and the smell is funny, throw it away and get a new one. 
> 
> Either way, you should get a medication for internal bacteria. Such medications can kill the other bacteria in the tank, so treating the fish in a separate hospital tank might be necessary.


I think it's the quality of the food; just sniffed it and it smelled funny (stale instead of fishy smell) and it's not dry and flaky like the usual self...

should I just drip internal aid into that tank?

----------


## stormhawk

If you have the medication, remove the female and treat separately, or you can choose to dose the tank. Note that the medication for treating internal bacteria can kill your filter bacteria. Follow the instructions and dose accordingly. Under-dosing by a small bit is fine, but don't overdose.

In your case the food is at fault. Flake food in our humid climate spoils easily unless you keep the container in a larger air-tight container with a packet of silica gel.

----------


## cyruslaguna

> cyrus, is the symptom something like this:
> 
> http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...8&d=1258997087
> 
> Photo is not mine, an attachment from www.aquariacentral.com forums.
> 
> If yes, then it might be a sign of internal parasites. Levamisole can be obtained in Singapore, but only with a licence I think.


one of the females look similar to this pics, how should I treat it?

would it be better to treat them all together in the same tank?

----------


## stormhawk

Since there's more than one sick fish and you can't be certain the rest are not just as sick, dose the whole tank.

----------

