Guppy Black Tail - is this normal?

A little over a month ago I got a couple new guppies and 1 had a really dark tail and part of her back. She gave birth about 2 weeks ago and we moved her to the main tank while the fry grew up (we found 6, assuming some may have been eaten). She still looks pregnant and now her tail looks solid black and is extending up her back a bit. She tends to lay near the ground or float near the top, but does swim around at times and eats when fed.

2 Questions:
- Is it normal for a guppy to still look pregnant after giving birth to some fry?
- Is this black coloration normal or is there something else it could be? I have found things online saying it could be a parasite but seems odd that it would only be on the tail.

Water Parameters: fully established 77 degrees, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate, 10-20ppm nitrate, 8.0 pH. No other issues in the tank.

Thanks for the help!

 

The coloration can be completely normal as she ages and being she is a female she will be pregnant and release fry for the rest of her life.

 

The coloration can be completely normal as she ages and being she is a female she will be pregnant and release fry for the rest of her life.

Thank you. I know she will always be pregnant but was surprised to see her showing like that less than 2 weeks after giving birth.

 

Coloration may change a bit (more or less intense is better put). Mood or change in water parameters can be one of the reasons which can establish this. In general nothing to worry about.

Sometimes such females won't deliver their fry at once. So yes, she could still look pregnant because of that.

 

Is that a Tuxedo Guppy...or a form of Tuxedo?

Just curious since my usual supplier of fish has some almost identical colouring and they are labelled as Tuxedo

 

She looks like a Phanton Delta guppy, where the fore-body is a silver-ish color and the lower body and tail are black. Guppies have all kinds of coloration. I would do research about her back, in my opinion it looks like her spine may have broken (not necessarily fatal for fish, but can cause health issues).

 

I got her from a "mixed guppies" tank at my LFS. I'll look into the potential of a broken spine. I don't know when it would have happened, but have also thought that her spine looks a bit off.

Any reason to move her to another tank? Everyone else in the 55 gallon seems to leave her alone, even the male guppy.

 

I got her from a "mixed guppies" tank at my LFS. I'll look into the potential of a broken spine. I don't know when it would have happened, but have also thought that her spine looks a bit off.

Any reason to move her to another tank? Everyone else in the 55 gallon seems to leave her alone, even the male guppy.

I would keep an eye out for any temperament changes but if everything seems normal for now leave her in there (moving her could stress her out at this point). Another option would be to get a breeder box to keep her in the same tank but separate for the time being so if you get especially worried for her safety at some point.

 

Is that a Tuxedo Guppy...or a form of Tuxedo?

Just curious since my usual supplier of fish has some almost identical colouring and they are labelled as Tuxedo

Guppies with half the body covered with a black coloration are called tuxedo but also HB (Half black). But the black should be on the rear part like this female has. So, the shoulder and head would be the base color which could be grey, bronze, blonde, gold or even asia blue.

 

Guppies with half the body covered with a black coloration are called tuxedo but also HB (Half black). But the black should be on the rear part like this female has. So, the shoulder and head would be the base color which could be grey, bronze, blonde, gold or even asia blue.

Thank you

 

Quick update: she's swimming all around and no longer appears to be carrying fry. No signs of a damaged tail/spine either. Wanted to provide an update in case anyone stumbles upon this thread in the future.