Guppy males nipping each other's fonts

[Schuyler]

I have males and females in my 40 breeder and I think the males are nipping each other's fins. There are clear bites out of them.

I think it's because of male female ratios. The are more males than females.

If I remove the females all together will they stop nipping? Or would it be better to remove males into water that hasn't had females in it?

[Gwallace]

It could absolutely be competition for the females.  I have a guppy fraternity in a standard 10 gallon with 8 males with no nipping issues.  I have bred guppys for decades and I always used 3 female to every male.  Good luck with it.

[Shadow]

So, in my experience, a fraternity tank when breeding guppies is a must. More often than not, you get a higher ratio of males than females. When I got back into the hobby, I started with a 10 gal with Yellow Albino King Cobras & Blue Dragons, they quickly bred too many for the 10 gal and I had losses do to a major issue before my move with the tank. Once I moved the survivors and the surviving fry to a new tank they quickly grew in numbers. My decision to make a fraternity tank kept the posturing between males to a minimum and also eased the incessant harassment of the females in the tank. I highly advise it and def think you would see a decline in your nipped fins. BTW, no other fish in that tank but guppies, right? Also, how many generations? Do you group feed them? 

On 7/31/2023 at 5:50 PM, Gwallace said:

It could absolutely be competition for the females.  I have a guppy fraternity in a standard 10 gallon with 8 males with no nipping issues.  I have bred guppys for decades and I always used 3 female to every male.  Good luck with it.

Perfect ratio honestly