Guppy Killer? Who Done It?

[Sacred]

Me again. You may have seen me post a few times here about problems I have found with my guppies, in particular my males.

Now the tank is 54litres, it's about 2 months old now. Water checks are all fine and within safe limits. Temperature is at 75°F. So far I have had terrible trouble with guppies.

The main problem with the males was nipping. Last time I got 2 males the following morning I found they had both had their tails nipped at during the night.

After triyng my best to isolate them at night in a hatchery (divided up) I decided to take my chances and stop interviening. One lasted 2 days, the other 4 before it was dead.

Everytime I find them dead their tails have been pretty much all gone. Which is sad.

Female wise I have been more fortunate apart from one which managed to get Tail-fin rot (I think it came with it but didn't notice it til a few weeks later), dispite treatment it eventually died 5 days in, but I fear it was too far developed by then to be cured entirely. I currently have 2 females. They seem to be strong, both blue tailed, no fancy colouring on the bodies or anything. They have got quite big too, and hang around together.

Now I really want to have guppies, but I fear that someone or something in my tank has the taste for guppy tails. I need to find out who it is. I don't want to keep buying guppies to have them die within days so I need to find out who is the trouble maker.

Current tank contents:
x1 Siamese Male Fighting Fish (very even tempered)
x2 Angels - 1 male + 1 female (again even tempered and small)
x4 Black Phantoms - Male and females (Peaceful)
x1 Swordtail - Male (peaceful - companions coming soon)
x2 Guppy - Females
x1 Pictus - (small but I know they are active at night)

Pictus
Now from what I drew from my other threads the likely suspect is the Pictus, reason being they are predatory, and more active at night, possibly the culprit of the male tails getting nipped whilst they rested at night. However my last 2 males I mentioned died during the daytime and it normally stay in it's little cave apart from when food is present.

Siamese
Keeps to himself, happily swims about with the other tank mates, never shown agressive behaviour to anything.

Angels
Small and hang around together mostly, can get abit stroppy with the phantoms at the mo. I know they could be a problem when they fully grow but they have never shown any agressiveness to my guppies

Black Phantoms
These 4 are happy and peaceful from my observations. They are active at the mo being abit frisky with each other to pay attention to the others.

Swordtail
He is a new addition to the tank, transferred from my parents tank because it needed some peace. Again no problems at all

Guppies
I know they can get abit stroppy to one another, but I thought that was males. Unless it was the males fighting each other. Though at the time when I had all my guppies the ratio of males to females was 1:2.

I don't know what to do. I want guppies but if I can't find the culprit and remove them then I can't keep guppies, especially males.

Maybe some of the guppies I got were weak anyway, I really don't know. Is there a guide on how to choose healthy guppies somewhere? I went by the quality of their tails for no tears or nips. I know the 2 females I got were that bit older then the others they are tough.

Anyone have any thoughts or wisdom they can share or enlighten me on? Else I just have to avoid guppies

 

[chigwellhammer]

Angels did it

 

[Rafael Dilone]

Well you have to keep in mind that you must have a good female to male ratio within the tank. About 3 females for ever 1 male. Yes guppies are peaceful fishes but the males will try to be dominate with one another over a female and you will have for example a larger number of males chasing after fewer females. So for that reason its good to have 3 females to one male. Males will nip each other when they try to fight over females. When there are plenty of females i am sure the males wont be fighting each other but chasing the good number of females in the tank. Also some of your larger fishes could of nipped the fins. That is another possibility. But for future references keep more females than males among the guppies.

 

[Harlequins]

I would say either the betta or angels,more aiming at the betta who see male guppies with their flowing tails a threat,they're not called fighting fish for nothing.

You also say you had finrot with the females,its quite possible that your males could have suffered from it? having no tail at all is normally associated with advance fin rot.
With your tank being just a few months old,its also possible that it has had poor water quality at some stage,(unless it was fully cycled and your stats have been ammonia/nitrite zero since..)this and aggressive tank mates will in turn stress the fish leading to their immune system to be lowered and therefore are more prone to picking up diseases.

 

[Sacred]

Only 1 female had fin rot. None of the others were infected, just this one.

The males I mentioned with no tail left was how I found them dead, with the tails nipped down to almost nothing. They was fine before, it just happened over night and fin rot can't take effect that quick, I would have noticed the symptons and they had no signs of it at all. It's just nipping of some kind

Again the betta has shown no ill-temper to the guppies at all, or any of the other tank mates, its peaceful.

And alot of places have said the ratio of 1 male: 2 females for guppies is enough. My males didnt even seem that bothered with the females really.

The most damage seems to happen at night, but some has happened in daylight hours.

I know these fancy tails on male guppies can make them abit slower to swim, maybe they just can't get away as quick as the females. But the two females I have left, they have not had any nips whatsoever, they have perfectly intack tails.

Water test levels are fine too, nitrate and nitrite 0, pH is 7. Water quality may not have been as good at the time of the female with fin rot but the male attacks happend within a day.

 

[♥fish♥]

Only 1 female had fin rot. None of the others were infected, just this one.

The males I mentioned with no tail left was how I found them dead, with the tails nipped down to almost nothing. They was fine before, it just happened over night and fin rot can't take effect that quick, I would have noticed the symptons and they had no signs of it at all. It's just nipping of some kind

Again the betta has shown no ill-temper to the guppies at all, or any of the other tank mates, its peaceful.

And alot of places have said the ratio of 1 male: 2 females for guppies is enough. My males didnt even seem that bothered with the females really.

The most damage seems to happen at night, but some has happened in daylight hours.

I know these fancy tails on male guppies can make them abit slower to swim, maybe they just can't get away as quick as the females. But the two females I have left, they have not had any nips whatsoever, they have perfectly intack tails.

Water test levels are fine too, nitrate and nitrite 0, pH is 7. Water quality may not have been as good at the time of the female with fin rot but the male attacks happend within a day.

 

[♥fish♥]

I would say it was the Angles or the Fighting fish, Angles are fin nippers and the fighters are ok if kept on their own but will go for other fancy fish such as male guppies as they see them as rivals for a fight!
Hope this helps

 

[Sacred]

I would say it was the Angles or the Fighting fish, Angles are fin nippers and the fighters are ok if kept on their own but will go for other fancy fish such as male guppies as they see them as rivals for a fight!
Hope this helps

It helps, but I am not convinced it is the angels or the fighting fish. I really have not seen them have any problem with the male guppies at all during the day.

 

[fish48]

it is the angels thy weight until you are on your computer lol

 

[Sacred]

Ok I got me some guppies today, and as soon as they was release I think I have found my culprit, the betta. Right away he was after all of them, as soon as they were out the bag. I am quite shocked as he has never shown this stoppy side til today at all. So I think he might be my culprit. Or the ring leader so to speak.

Unfortunatly I seem to have aquired a sick/injured female. It looked fine in the store but when I put the bag in the tank it was just sat there on the bottom looking sorry for itself. And now in the tank it's sat on the bottom. Also I watched the fighter take a nip at her and there is a wound

I have seperated the fighter for now in the hatchery with no dividers but the female could do with some isolation. Gah!

EDIT
Some photos of this poor female. She does not look too clever. They had only just delivered a new stock of guppies today, and the lights were off so I couldn't see them that well, the others are all ok and in good nick, but this poor one... The second picture you can see the nip on the top of her body

She just sits there, she can swim but doesn't much. I kinda of need to do something with her of the betta, they are both in that hatchery, with a divider, but the fighter will want space. I could chuck in the melafix again, or maybe just let nature take it's toll on this poor female. I can't remove the betta to another tank.

She really does not look too hopeful to survive

Advice

EDIT 2
She isn't going to make the night. She is lying on her side now poor thing, still breathing but well I dunno if she will go up for air or anything anymore

EDIT 3
Well sadly teh female guppy was dead last night before I went to bed, but at least she is out of her misery and the fighter can now have some more space to roam.

I woke up this morning and all my other guppies are still ok, some tiny nips to 2 males, probably between each other. But they are really small and barely noticeable. But yes I think I have found my trouble maker. Sadly poor thing will have to live in that hatchery for the time being til I think of an alternative place for him to live abit more freely