Guppy has tear in tail, also rests a lot

Hello,

so I have a little guppy who is one of my favourite fishies in my aquarium, however I noticed yesterday that she has a tiny tear in the top of her tail. I was really worried because she is always healthy and gets along well with everyone. So I was really hoping she just tore her tail on an ornament by accident instead of getting into a quarrel with another fish. I will insert some pics of her tail below, but she also likes to rest on the bottom - still swimming and looking perfectly fine, but its looks like she is sleeping more but then I turn around a few minutes later and she is swimming around normally. Does anyone know why she would do this? BTW I am leaving for a 10 day trip in 2 days, and is this something that I should be concerned about? Will she be okay for when I get back? My grandma is taking care of my tanks so would she need extra medication or something else?? It is very hard to see but there seems to be a little bit of orange or brown around the tear - its minuscule but does that mean its rotting?? His/her belly also seems a little bigger - is she/he bloated? I had another guppy that had bloat, but he unfortunately passed away. Edit: Is this a male or a female?

Here are some pics (there is a before and after):

 

If you want to know more about the tank here is some info:

Size: 20 gallon high (pic below):




Ph: 7.7
High range ph: 8.2
Ammonia: 0.25 (Its most likely 0 because it has never changed once for about 7 months)
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5
Temperature: 78 - 82 (Hot days make it hard to keep it cool)

Tank mates:

3 cobra guppies (including her)
1 glass catfish
1 gold gourami (who is quite territorial but gets along with all fish except new ones)
3 kuhli loaches
1 barred spiny eel
2 nerite snails

Now before anyone asks about the eel - yes I know that he will get bigger however I haven't thought of a long term solution for him, maybe I should. He is also the sweetest thing and keeps to himself and has NEVER once bothered any other fish. So I am pretty sure he wouldn't be the problem. He is also quite small and the guppies are quite large compared to him.

 

I can’t say for sure but unless it was getting some large nips out of its tail I would say that looks more like fin rot vs rips/tear due to nipping.

The belly also looks extra bloated as well. Was this taken after a feeding?

 

I can’t say for sure but unless it was getting some large nips out of its tail I would say that looks more like fin rot vs rips/tear due to nipping.

The belly also looks extra bloated as well. Was this taken after a feeding?

This was taken around the feeding time. I thought they might have cut it on a rock or an ornament because it was a cleaner cut and just at the top. One of my previous guppies also died to fin rot and bloat.

 

To me this looks like physical damage that would come from another fish. Fin rot there is usually more signs of it on the fins not just missing chunks.

It is a little concerning hearing how you've lost others to fin rot and bloat. Generally these things occur with less than ideal water conditions or stress. My guess is there is some stress from the compatibility issues with the tank as most of the fish you have need bigger tanks or to be in groups or both.

 

To me this looks like physical damage that would come from another fish. Fin rot there is usually more signs of it on the fins not just missing chunks.

It is a little concerning hearing how you've lost others to fin rot and bloat. Generally these things occur with less than ideal water conditions or stress. My guess is there is some stress from the compatibility issues with the tank as most of the fish you have need bigger tanks or to be in groups or both.

Thanks for your advice. I haven't ever really seen my fish fight as they have all been together for a long time. I tried adding new guppies to the tank after I lost the one to bloat, but that didn't end well as my Gourami was very territorial and wouldn't let the new fish settle in. The guppies leave the Gourami and others alone and vice versa, and the bottom dwellers (catfish, eel, kuhli loaches) never really interact with the others. If it is bloat do you have any suggestions of what to do? I have a medication for both fin rot and bloat, but as I won't be here it will be harder to keep an eye on things ): Also do you have an idea of why she would be resting a lot more??

 

My guess if anyone was hurting your guppy it would be the other guppies or the Gourami.

I will point out that the guppy in question is a He and not a She. it also looked like the other guppy in the picture was a male too. Sometimes males can be aggressive towards each other but 3 in 20g shouldn’t give you those kinds of issues. But sometimes fish are just jerks

 

My guess if anyone was hurting yo it guppy it would be the other guppies or the Gourami.

I will point out that the guppy in question is a He and not a She. it also looked like the other guppy in the picture was a male too. Sometimes males can be aggressive towards each other but 3 in 20g shouldn’t give you those kinds of issues. But sometimes fish are just jerks

Thank you for the info. I believe if she was attacked my another fish it would most likely be the gourami in my opinion or I agree the male guppy may have had some issues too. Thanks for the info about him being a male, that’s very useful! Do you think that he rests more because it’s hard to swim or that he doesn’t want to interact with the others? Seeing him like that and hearing that he may have fin rot or may be bloated really worries me.

 

I would also recommend being very careful when you have someone step in to watch your fish. It's very common for a substitute to way over feed. They want to do a good job and worry they won't, and they dump way too much food in. If I was going away for a week, I'd just not feed them at all. The biggest threat by far is ammonia while you're away. The ammonia level is based on how much food you put into the tank. If you keep them feeding on the same regimen, they'll keep producing ammonia constantly. If you don't feed at all, their metabolism will slow down, and there won't be nearly as much ammonia produced. I've taken several trips for a week and didn't have anyone feed them, and they have always been fine when I came back. For 10 days, I'd recommend maybe having grandma feed them a tiny bit every three days. Again, the risk of ammonia poisoning from overfeeding is great, but the risk of starving your fish being gone for 10 days is almost non existent. They constantly graze on plants, algae, and other microscopic organisms.

 

I would also recommend being very careful when you have someone step in to watch your fish. It's very common for a substitute to way over feed. They want to do a good job and worry they won't, and they dump way too much food in. If I was going away for a week, I'd just not feed them at all. The biggest threat by far is ammonia while you're away. The ammonia level is based on how much food you put into the tank. If you keep them feeding on the same regimen, they'll keep producing ammonia constantly. If you don't feed at all, their metabolism will slow down, and there won't be nearly as much ammonia produced. I've taken several trips for a week and didn't have anyone feed them, and they have always been fine when I came back. For 10 days, I'd recommend maybe having grandma feed them a tiny bit every three days. Again, the risk of ammonia poisoning from overfeeding is great, but the risk of starving your fish being gone for 10 days is almost non existent. They constantly graze on plants, algae, and other microscopic organisms.

Okay, this is a good point. I will talk to my grandma and recommend this. Thank you!