further inspection of the guppies...

[SC Fish]

I have been watching the "4" guppies...

i have came to a conclusion (which may change) that it is just 1 of the guppies that are being bullied. 

i see that not just the small guppies but also the other larger ones are chasing him too, still no signs of obvious nipping, yet . 

i originally thought it was just him because he is the only one with a dorsal fin turning white. (not completely, but its fin is around 0.8cm tall when its not flared and 0.2 - 0.4cm is white , which wasn't like that before.) so he is clearly stressed. 

(thought id mention that the other larger ones have some stress and are chased a bit too but no where near as this specific one,)

i know what some people may say, maybe put him into a different tank? , i would! but the other tank i have (i have 2 ) has just female platys and minnows which means he will breed with the platys which i am not up for. i see a lot going wrong if they breed. and i am also scared that the guppy will be killed by the larger females.

 

i may see if i can rehome him , i have someone who may take him but im not sure if she will. if not ill list him on a website somewhere and make sure he goes somewhere good.

 

any thoughts?

Edited November 14, 2022 by SC Fish

[Colu]

On 11/14/2022 at 4:04 PM, SC Fish said:

know what some people may say, maybe put him into a different tank? , i would! but the other tank i have (i have 2 ) has just female platys and minnows which means he will breed with the platys which i am not up for. i see a lot going wrong if they breed. and i am also scared that the guppy will be killed by the larger females.

Guppies are from a different family and can't cross breed with platy's they should be fine together 

[Cinnebuns]

I assume it's all male guppies in this tank?  The reason i ask is because all male guppy groups require specific factors to work.  This is because males will naturally spar and often all gang up on one fish until it dies. All male groups are possible but require these factors:

1.  A group of 5 or more - the reason for a larger number is to spread out the aggression. Since there are more fish, they are less likely to gang up on just 1. As always, more is better. I even hesitate to say 5 is ok but that is the generally accepted number. 

2.  Plenty if space - you need a tank large enough to where one can get away if they need to. Smaller tanks will stress the fish out more and cause more aggression. Plenty of space is needed for them to feel like they can move around without bumping into each other.

3.  Hiding placing and breaking line of sight - a fish being chased needs an opportunity to break from its pursuer. Thing like live or fake plants work amazingly for this but so can other decor. Keep in mind guppies tend to be at the mid to top of the aquarium when setting this up.  

4.  If you have one especially aggressive - sometimes even if you do everything right, one specific fish will just be more aggressive than the rest. In these situations be prepared for a "time out."  Just remove that fish for a day or 2 then reintroduce them. If that doesn't work you can try moving decor around to help. Sometimes complete removal is necessary. 

Any other questions let me know!

[SC Fish]

On 11/14/2022 at 7:40 PM, Cinnebuns said:

I assume it's all male guppies in this tank?  The reason i ask is because all male guppy groups require specific factors to work.  This is because males will naturally spar and often all gang up on one fish until it dies. All male groups are possible but require these factors:

1.  A group of 5 or more - the reason for a larger number is to spread out the aggression. Since there are more fish, they are less likely to gang up on just 1. As always, more is better. I even hesitate to say 5 is ok but that is the generally accepted number. 

2.  Plenty if space - you need a tank large enough to where one can get away if they need to. Smaller tanks will stress the fish out more and cause more aggression. Plenty of space is needed for them to feel like they can move around without bumping into each other.

3.  Hiding placing and breaking line of sight - a fish being chased needs an opportunity to break from its pursuer. Thing like live or fake plants work amazingly for this but so can other decor. Keep in mind guppies tend to be at the mid to top of the aquarium when setting this up.  

4.  If you have one especially aggressive - sometimes even if you do everything right, one specific fish will just be more aggressive than the rest. In these situations be prepared for a "time out."  Just remove that fish for a day or 2 then reintroduce them. If that doesn't work you can try moving decor around to help. Sometimes complete removal is necessary. 

Any other questions let me know!

there are 9 guppies total in the tank, 3 endlers , 2 small fancys , 4 large fancys (1 of which very bullied)

other fish: 7 neon tetras , 4 platy - all fisha re males apart from the tetras (also im adding more fish in the next few weeks)

20 gallon tank

plants are growing incredibly fast for the fish to soon hide in , plus other plants im buying soon.

 

thats not a bad idea.. i have spare equipment, filter , heater... what if i put the aggressors in like a bucket for a day? with a lid. they will be fine?

On 11/14/2022 at 5:38 PM, Colu said:

Guppies are from a different family and can't cross breed with platy's they should be fine together 

i thought they could cross breed because i remember seeing something about it, did more research and your right. 

but now im thinking my minnows wont be too good if i heated the tank to 22-23 degrees...

[Cinnebuns]

On 11/14/2022 at 2:41 PM, SC Fish said:

thought they could cross breed because i remember seeing something about it, did more research and your right. 

Guppies can cross with mollies only. Platies and sword tails can cross. Maybe you were confusing them with mollies.