click

My new guppies are acting wierd. I've seen most of the fan tail males chasing these 2 other males around. And they are not looking like they want to fight, they keep touching them and pursue them all over the tank. I bought all of them as males, or so I think. You think these 2 might be females? The orange one gets chased the most. I'm a little worried

Water parameters are 0 - 0 - 5. pH 6.8 T=28C

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Tony G.

theyre both males, as you can see their genopodium.... dang i can never spell that right LOL

Has there been any nipping involved?

titusxander

yep as tony said they're both males. they have the thin spikey anal fin and not the thick trianlge fin like the females have. as to why they are being chased, i can't really say. maybe the other males are being territorial? or maybe they know that the other males aren't like them?

click

Thanks guys, that's a relief for sure to know they are boys. I was not prepared to care for any baby guppies.

I have this guy here who seems to be the trouble maker. He is sligtly bigger. He keeps touching their under belly, that why I suspected he wants to mate. He has no problem with the other much smaller guppies. The smaller ones actually follow his lead in chasing.This is a brand new tank and they are the first in the tank. Could this be a rank dispute? I thought guppies were peaceful

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titusxander

It could possibley be the rank situation. most guppies are peaceful, but there are some fish who break through the stereotype.

iloveengl

(I agree that the two pictured are males.)

Hmmm, that should be plenty of room for them.... Hmmm could the water params be making them angsty? Are your nitrates more than 20?

I once added a new gup that turned out to have a serious attitude problem and picked on one particular guppy. Had to take the new guy back to the store because the bullying was so bad it was turning to nipping and stressing out the other gups.

Another option, if these are a new addition to the tank, is you may need to take everyone out, rearrange a bit, add the ones being picked on, wait a bit, then add the bullies. This may give everyone the same disorientation, so to speak, and get rid of territorial/dominance issues. Sometimes the younger/smaller ones get bullied a bit.

I love guppies and with that one exception, I don't have any problems with aggression. I have three males in one tank who are the best of pals, and I have 1:3 ratio of males and females in my larger tank without problems either. Sometimes, you just get a fish with a bad attitude and you gotta take him back.

Edit: Woah! That guy might be being aggressive because he's not feeling well - he looks extremely bloated. Are you aware of the "pea treatment" for constipated/bloated fish? What do you feed him? Freeze dried foods are notoriously bad for causing bloat and constipation....

click

My nitrates are at 5. I keep forgeting to update my profile. I would hate to take him back, he is beautiful. But if by the end of the week the situation does not improves, than I guess I will have to.

Edit: I only had the guppies for 24 hrs and fed them twice a few flakes. No idea what they've been eating in the store. I will buy some peas tomorrow.

Tony G.

Is there any chance you could take a pic of the last guppy? he kinda looks like a she to me... and trust me, they bully too...

titusxander

I've had a female that looked like that one once, but i think click's fish has too flowy of a tail to be a female and the color looks like a male.

Tony G.

Dont get confused! LOL ive had females with bigger fins...

If he has the same anal fin as the other guppies then you've got yourself a male

titusxander

Sorry if i'm confusing anyone! I would attach a pic of my female guppy that kinda looks like Click's, but i don't want to hijack her thread!

iloveengl

I agree that fins are not at all a reliable indication of male or female for fancy gups because they come in such a variety, but the coloring on that particular fish is a good indication that it's a male. My blue females have almost zero color on their bodies and my blue male looks exactly like the one pictured - strong, full blue body. I think that is just a seriously bloated male. So bloated that it looks like a really preggers female....

Tony G.

Good catch ilove! i forgot about that LOL i just assumed because of the belly

if he is a male then i seriously reccomend you fast him he is rally bloated... or constipated? have you seen him poop lately?

click

I will try to take a better pic of him tomorrow. It looks like a male to me (comparing it to the others). I did not see it poop but eats like a pig...honestly. He usually goes after the biggest bite; this evening he swallowed a pice of flake as big as his head...wierd little one

Edit: titusxander , feel free to "hijack" my thread, I don't mind. A comparison pic might help

whisper

When there are no females the males will chase each other. I guess they don't know that they can't breed with each other but they try anyway. In my store I have the females in one tank and the males in another one. The males constantly try to breed with each other. It normal for them. Also that last picture could be a female but without seeing a side view it's hard to tell.

iloveengl

In that case...
Male: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...13&pcatid=1013
Female: http://www.eyefetch.com/image.aspx?ID=673499

Notice the color differentiations on the body. Male gups have that strong, bold coloring on the body. Even without the side view, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you have a male...not to mention he looks exactly like my male gupster, but way bloated....

Bloated guppies will continue to eat and continue to bloat. That's why the poop is under question. If they're pooping, then they're obv. not constipated. Constipation, if not treated, can lead to major problems because it puts pressure on the organs and bladder. That is one constipated looking guppy.

click

...30 shots later this is the best I could come up with. These guppies won't stay still for a second to get a proper shot

I believe it's male now, looking at the way females fins are. I fed them a pea today..they loved it. My bloated guppy ate 3 bits, all quite big. Hope he will not get diarrhea now

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whisper

I still question it. In the second picture I see the two bottom ventral fins but not a sex organ. The female tuxedo fish are colored like that too. Also the end of the tail is more rounded which makes me think female.

click

I think, but not 100% sure, that I can count 3 bottom fins...why can't he stay still for a second so I can take a good look?

..I guess from now on the best way to tell is to see if I get any additional fish in the tank

Thank you all, I appreciate your help.

iloveengl

Excellent! Lol - isn't it weird when you're cheering for poop?

They're b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l gupsters, btw. I have a blue male and an orange male just like yours! (I have the ladies with some boys, though !)

whisper

Here is a picture of my big female tuxedo.Does yours look like this?

click

Hm...the colors are more rich on my "guy" and I see the third fin only I cannot tell the shape of it, since I can not get a clear view, it moves around too much. He never keeps it open like your female. Maybe I'll try to post a video of him, see how that would work.

He still has an attitude, so I decided to name him Darth Vader if he proves to be a male

whisper

That's a cute name .

TheKayman

I had a guppy just like that one. And My black female was also kind of violent. It chased other guppies away and tried to nip them. I think it could be that when these guppies get larger, they can be little aggressive.. Not sure tho...