Can I save him?

[Irksome]

My guppy has a bad prolapse. I treated him for a milder one a couple of weeks ago, which resolved quickly. This one is worse and he is looking thinner and very weak. I have isolated him for the time being. To me he looks a bit far gone, but guppies can be resilient.

How can I prevent this in the future?. It happens more with fancy guppies, never with endlers. It only seems to affect my males. I’m doing regular water changes.

 

[Colin_T]

The intestine sticking out of the fish's butt is caused by inbreeding and poor quality genetics. Blame the Asian fish farms for this problem because as you said, it only happens to your male guppies and not the Endlers.

 

[GaryE]

I have seen enough posts about this fatal (sorry) problem with male fancy guppies that I've wondered if the overbred tails are too heavy for the abdominal muscles.

 

[Irksome]

The intestine sticking out of the fish's butt is caused by inbreeding and poor quality genetics. Blame the Asian fish farms for this problem because as you said, it only happens to your male guppies and not the Endlers.

I’m always overly optimistic that this time it will be better, that my fish won’t **** themselves inside out and die horribly with their intestines wrapped around a plant. I once tried crossing the two breeds to see if I could get a bit of hybrid vigour, but all the offspring had crooked spines. I’ll look into getting some mutts next time and hope they don’t fall apart.

 

[Irksome]

I have seen enough posts about this fatal (sorry) problem with male fancy guppies that I've wondered if the overbred tails are too heavy for the abdominal muscles.

That does look possible. The problem guppies are all very slender with heavy tails, while my endlers have much straighter backs and greater swimming ability. This one has a delta tail, and never looked like he enjoyed swimming much.

 

[emeraldking]

My guppy has a bad prolapse. I treated him for a milder one a couple of weeks ago, which resolved quickly. This one is worse and he is looking thinner and very weak. I have isolated him for the time being. To me he looks a bit far gone, but guppies can be resilient.

I'm sorry to say but once a prolapse, not much you can do about it...

I've wondered if the overbred tails are too heavy for the abdominal muscles.

A too large caudal connected to a not too firm build body can cause such problems as well. But most occurring problem with a too large caudal is that the fish will bend and will have problems to swim normal. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fancy strains that have a too large caudal. And I know that in the show segment, they're quite popular. But it won't contribute to a better wellbeing of a guppy.

 

[Irksome]

I'm sorry to say but once a prolapse, not much you can do about it...

A too large caudal connected to a not too firm build body can cause such problems as well. But most occurring problem with a too large caudal is that the fish will bend and will have problems to swim normal. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fancy strains that have a too large caudal. And I know that in the show segment, they're quite popular. But it won't contribute to a better wellbeing of a guppy.

Unfortunately I can only easily buy fish online, so I don’t get to see the conditions or pick out specific fish when I order them. I have another strain that has lovely colours and a sturdier looking tail. I might mix them and see it helps.

 

[emeraldking]

Unfortunately I can only easily buy fish online, so I don’t get to see the conditions or pick out specific fish when I order them.

That's really impractical. If I buy fish, I have to see them. I must know the condition they're in. But even if that would be the case, an illness or another negative matter can always show up. So, even if you can see their condition, it will never be a guarantee that they'll stay healthy despite of one's efforts.