Guppy Tails

[redfishblewfish]

I have a bunch of guppies in with some tetras (blood fin and neon) and three puffers. Two of my male guppies are missing their tail fin. The usual suspects were rounded up and the most likely guilty party are the puffers. I am quickly setting up another 55 just for the guppies. Here’s the question; will their tail fins grow back?

[cam191919]

yes, they should grow back in maybe a month. what kind of puffers?

[saram521]

Their tail fins will grow back with time. Frequent water changes can help their fins grow quicker, as the water will be cleaner. I would suggest moving the guppies to a tank smaller than the 55 if you have one, just for a couple of weeks. You won't have to change as large of a volume of water with a smaller tank, hence the suggestion.

[redfishblewfish]

Cam and Saram, thanks for the quick response. That’s good news.

Cam, they are dwarf puffers, aka Pea puffers and many other names. If you’re familiar, neat eyes; like a chameleon. And if you have snails and you want to get rid of them…gone. Suck them right out of their shells.

Saram, maybe I should have explained a little more. I will move ALL of the guppies over to their own tank. When I say a bunch, I can only guess…it might be 40…it might be 60…I don’t know…heavily planted. The reason I’m not moving the three puffers is because they are territorial, and they have already picked their territories in the heavily planted tank. Since the three of them are happy and have pretty much stopped their territory fights, I’m leaving them where they are.

I do a quick cycle by doing a water change on the existing tank and using that water in the new tank, along with a bunch of plants and maybe stones.

[catnipgal]

I have 3 guppies and a bunch of tetras in my 40 gallon tank. I noticed the female guppy was nipping at the tail of another guppy. Part of that guppy's tail is missing, so I put that one in a hosiptal tank. I thought it was odd that the female guppy would fin nip.

[redfishblewfish]

My problem isn’t nipping…I have a couple with nipped tails. My problem is the tail is gone…note, these are “fancy” guppies with the long flowing tails.



http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/psh54/Guppy2932-1.jpg

[Dangerdoll]

looks like the dwarf puffers are having a fields day when lights are out.... and have a great reputation for it..... might want to look into separating them out to their own tank.

[redfishblewfish]

Danger, once the guppies are pulled out, the puffers will only be with a small bunch of tetras. They look perfect…probably too fast to be tail nipped. If they then become a midnight snack, than they will be pulled out to. And now, the puffers will have their own tank.

Part of the reason I think the tails have become snack food is that the puffers are slow eaters, while the guppies are gluttonous pigs….and I have too many. They eat all the food, while the puffers slowly attempt to approach the food…and bang…it’s gone by a guppy. I’ve even tried to bait the guppies to one side while I try to individually feed the puffers. It’s tough.

[Dangerdoll]

actually, the puffers are known for that and I have seen it happen overnight with a betta. I thought a 55 gallon was big enough to keep the betta ok..... but nope, all flowy fins gone over night..... the puffers can be pretty voracious, more than you might think...

[redfishblewfish]

Well, hopefully by tomorrow night, guppy tail will be off the menu. Although the puffers tell me it tastes like chicken :22_yikes:.

[summer_of_41]

Hello!

I just recently purchased female guppies from a breeder (shipped via U.S. Postal Service). One of them arrived WITHOUT a tail. There is literally a bone sticking out from her chest. Because she has sustained life for six days, I am assuming she will survive. It looks painful though!

I have conducted daily water changes and treated the tank with Pimafix. Her condition has not changed very much and thankfully has yet to develop a fungus. She is social and eating well. I read somewhere if the guppy's tail is significantly damaged (as in this case), the tail may never grow back. This is an awful thing to read.

My question: Has anyone experienced a guppy whose entire tail fell off? Also, would you recommend that I raise the water temperature from 75 ºF to 80 ºF ? Would the warmer water, such as 79 ºF or 80 ºF, better supplement the healing process?

Any thoughts? This has never happened to me before!

I paid for next day shipping, but the shipment arrived a day late. I don't know if this was the cause or not...

Thank you so much.