purple_phoenix

Hey... haven't seen you all in while

Anyway, you might've heard that my guppies gave me three fry on Christmas Day. They've given me a few more lots since then, but one of them has a lump on her stomach- about the same height as her, and the same width as her body (excluding head and tail).

It doesn't seem to be affecting her swimming, and she's eating fine - just growing a little slower than the others. I can't tell yet if the lump grows as she does. Should I be worried about it, and does anyone know what it could be?

I was a little worried about the adult, as I know it's stressful enough having fry, but this would've been like having two at the same time
Four or five weeks on she seems to be doing fine, though, and looks nearly ready to pop again.

I will try again to get a good photo, but the babies don't usually show up in pictures. They're too small, and my camera's not very good

Thanks everyone!!

FishKing

That could either be a tumor which is highly unlikely or it is just food left in it's stomach. This happens alot when I feed my fry large pieces of food. So there is probably nothing to worry about.

COBettaCouple

It's possible that's an ulcer. Do you have melafix?

purple_phoenix

I don't think it's an ulcer. I have something similar to melafix, but I've been using it in the tank anyway, just to keep away any infection.

She was born with it about four or five weeks ago, so I'd expected it to go by now...
I'll try for another photo later.

Thanks for your help!!

purple_phoenix

I've managed to get one good picture. I had to put her in a glass, and as I was taking the photo, I noticed two tiny 'flaps' on each side of the lump (they're way to tiny to show up on the picture). Is it at all possible that this lump would have been another baby, and that these flaps would have been fins?

I really don't want to get rid of this guppy - it seems perfectly happy and healthy, and I seem to have become quite attached

I hope you can tell me what this is. Thanks for your help so far!!

COBettaCouple

Very unusual! I think it is possible that's a sort of 'twin'. I think you can keep her, but I'm not sure how this will affect her lifespan.

purple_phoenix

That went through my mind. My uncle says I should use her as a feeder fish, as I could get more like her if she breeds... am I right in thinking he's wrong?

I might keep her in an all-female guppy tank, and see how they go.

COBettaCouple

yea, it's probable that she couldn't breed and even if she did, the fry would be normal.. and keeping her away from males is the best way.

purple_phoenix

Any excuse for a new tank

So, do you know how likely is it that you'd get a guppy like this? I'd never heard of anything like it before I found her. Sorry for all the questions, I'm just really curious!

CaliFishGuy

Kind of a late reply, but I'm just catching up on posts in here....


I've been breeding guppies for years now, and I get a couple of fry like this every once in a while, usually the result of inbreeding. I don't know if it's a genetic birth defect, some sort of siamese twin type thing, or what. However, I do make sure that a) if the fish looks like it might be suffering, I put it out of its misery and b) if it's not suffering, it's not in a position to breed and pass on its genes and possibly result in more like it.

In my case, I only keep fry from my breeding tank, so the "b" option is pretty easy, as I just never move the deformed fish into the breeding tank to help expand the population.