Clamped Pectoral Fins

[PrairieSunflower]

One of my adult female guppies seems to suddenly have clamped side fins/flippers. She is still swimming and her top/bottoms fins and tail are not clamped.

I've not seen this before, what could it be?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Anyone have any ideas?


More possible helpful info. I have about 40 guppies in the tank (most being smaller fry). Only this one large female has clamped fins. My tank is cycled and I do not have an ammonia spike. I've done a 50% water change in hopes that it helps.

The only thing that might be related, but I'm not sure how, is that I cleaned my filter (part of it, not the entire thing). My filter has three compartments, two are bio filters and the middle one filters the yuck from the water. I cleaned out the middle compartment only as it was starting to get a bit blocked.

Also, I run two filters in my tank... the large one is of sufficient size for the tank and does the main filtering... the second one only has a 40 litre capacity and I run it in there so that it remains cycled in the case I need to set up a quarentine tank and can move it there.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

No idea, anyone?

I've got two more females now showing the same clamped pectoral fins (finally looked up the right term!)... so two have both pectoral fins clamped and the third one has only one pectoral fin clamped. I just can't figure out why... should I do another water change ever though I just did one this morning?

 

[sadguppy]

More water changes can only be a good thing. I can't help except to say that I've had this myself and never found a solution, my guppies started off clamped, the got the shimmies then passed on. It could be old age, how long have you had them? Are they still coloured up?

I am not a huge fan of guppies; never had problems with any other fish but have had four guppy deaths in six months. I won't be getting more, they are too delicate!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Well, the large female is of unknown age, I've had her for about 6 months and she is really really big so possibly old. The other two are 3 months old.

Their color is all normal.

They are no worse this morning, at least. They do hover from time to time and when they do, shortly after a few others join them... not sure if its copying or what...but none of the others are clamped in any way.

 

[sadguppy]

I don't know if there is anything specific you can do, just keep on top of water quality and perhaps keep the lights off to lower the stress. I hope they do get better.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I am not a huge fan of guppies; never had problems with any other fish but have had four guppy deaths in six months. I won't be getting more, they are too delicate!

I moved to guppies after goldfish having been an absolute nightmare, pretty much constant diseases. I've mostly had good luck with guppies until just recently. The first was a stupid mistake when I didn't quarentine the males I added to my male only tank... a new male died and spread some fin rot but that has been taken care of. Then right after have had this weird incident in the female/fry tank.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Oh good news!! My largest has started unclamping a bit! She has now unclamped one fin about 3/4 of the way! Hopefully with some more big water changes whatever it is will continue to resolve.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Just wanted to update and say my fish are improving daily! The two younger females are improving faster than the adult female but all are improving.

I decided to re-introduce salt to my tank and decided to start treating them with King British Disease clear which listed clamping as one of the things it treats. As they started slowly unclamping they took on a sort of waxy look and I think that they may have had some sort of irritation of their slime coat... which the disease clear seems to treat as well so I am going to continue on this course.