Crazed Female Guppy

[Despina]

Hi! I'm new to this forum and looking for a little advice. Sorry if it sounds really stupid...

Basically I moved into an apartment a month ago and the previous tenant left behind a 64 litre tropical tank. It had a Pleco and a Molly in it. My son fell in love with them (as did I, truth be told), and asked me to get the Molly some friends, so I went and got one more Molly and 4 guppies as per the the petshop guy's recommendation (actually he said to get 8 Guppies, but that seemed like overkill).

Anyways, one of the smaller Guppies was quite aggressive, and after some interwebbing it transpires that she's female and they're all male. She's bitten a side fin off one of the super pretty males, and I'm worried she'll tear the rest to shreds by morning. Any suggestions? I don't have another tank to house her in, and am considering taking her back to the shop if she doesn't calm down. I've turned the lights off, and there's plenty of space/plants for her to hide in. I don't get why she has to take over the whole tank.

An aside: she does have a black spot on her underbelly, so I was wondering if the hostility might be pregnancy related, but she's not looking fat or anything so I dunno. She's just chasing everything in the tank (even the Mollies, but they at least seem to know when to swim the other way), so advice would be greatly appreciated. I'd really love to keep her if she'd only just relax a little.

(Ps. Contrary to what I've been reading online regarding common Guppy behaviour, the males aren't chasing her at all. Can't say I blame them to be honest!).

 

[WILDER]

Welcome to the board.

I think it 2 females to 1 male guppy. It's been quite a while since I've kept them I forgotten.
She will be getting fed up of the male guppys chasing her. This is why it best to have more females, to males.

You could take her back to the store and only keep males.
Or add another female to the tank.
Also guppys will try in on with the females mollies.
Male guppys only have one thing on there mind. There lovely lively fish.

There a problem with keeping both females, and males, you will be over run with fry.
I only kept male guppys. Female platys.
Male guppys can't breed with female platys.

Information for you to read on the gravid spot.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/200198-the-stages-of-a-guppy-pregnancy-and-more/

I will also move your post to the livebearers section of the forum.
So you can also get some help over there.

Good Luck.

 

[Despina]

Thanks for the response Wilder! I went back to the shop and was advised to get more females, so I came home with three and it was just carnage. Found two dead at the bottom of the tank today, one male and one female. In both cases bits of their tails had been torn off. There are two males and three females left now (including the crazed one, obviously). Don't really know what to do to be honest... add some more females or take the lot back and be done with Guppies. They're very pretty, but not very hardy by the looks of it

 

[slimeneo]

I'd say take back the aggressive one. Sometimes they are just born aggressive... if she's killing other fish then I think you definitely need to take her back I have an aggressive platy too, who would randomly charge at other tankmates (who weren't even bothering her!) and nipped one of my smaller platy's fins She was new to the tank, but after a couple of weeks she's pretty much settled (of course it required "time-outs" when she got bad) and the little platy's fin has healed. You could try separating her and see if she calms down a bit, wait it out. But honestly if she's still killing other fish, I'd say take her back

 

[lolobunnz]

Sorry that you are having this experience with guppies! Take back the agressive one and start enjoying your community tank! I would trade her for another female or two.