Freyed Guppy Tails

[Elmo1738]

I have 6 male guppy’s and they all seem to have some type of trauma to the tail, some look freyed and split and others look like chunks are missing. I’ve been monitoring this for a while and removed fish and ornaments incase it was overcrowding problem and still hasn’t improved. I’m wondering if I have an aggressive male? What ways can I help them get better! Thanks

 

[Abaddon]

If your water parametres are OK, my best guess would be aggression. Male guppies sometimes fight with each other, and yours look like they have textbook bite marks. Maybe try adding some plant cover, or hardscape, to break up their line of vision so they're not forced to constantly see & interact with each other. Create some additional hiding places so that the weaker male(s) can get away, maybe dim the lights a bit, if your plants can take it. If they keep fighting you might have to rehome them though... constant stress is not good for their health in the long run. If you have the time, you can observe their behaviour & try and figure out which one is the troublemaker, and rehome him. Keep the tank clean to avoid infection, and their tails should heal in no time - provided they don't keep biting them, otherwise it's a vicious cycle

 

[Elmo1738]

If your water parametres are OK, my best guess would be aggression. Male guppies sometimes fight with each other, and yours look like they have textbook bite marks. Maybe try adding some plant cover, or hardscape, to break up their line of vision so they're not forced to constantly see & interact with each other. Create some additional hiding places so that the weaker male(s) can get away, maybe dim the lights a bit, if your plants can take it. If they keep fighting you might have to rehome them though... constant stress is not good for their health in the long run. If you have the time, you can observe their behaviour & try and figure out which one is the troublemaker, and rehome him. Keep the tank clean to avoid infection, and their tails should heal in no time - provided they don't keep biting them, otherwise it's a vicious cycle

Thankyou so much for you help, I’m going to look into some more hiding places and start observing for the culprit today!