Guppies Tails

[menacer]

Ok this morning i woke up and found that one of my Guppies tails had been eaten, i strait away suspected it was my Betta and have returned it to the shop. People on here had already told me that Betta should not be kept with Guppies but i had already got the fish. I took the Betta back and replaced it with a Guppy.

Me and my friend then went out for 2 hours and when i returned the new Guppies tail has also gone

I have a mix of serpae tetra and columbian tetra with the guppies. The serpae do seem very nippy?

What is going on?

Should i be feeding the tetra something different other than flake?

 

[menacer]

I think its the serpae tetra

 

[soybean]

Serpaes are nippy. How many do you have? A larger group tends to reduce nipping of other fish as the squabbles are kept within the shoal to maintain pecking order.

Incidentally, tho it's normally a bad combo, I have kept male bettas and guppies together before when I had a tank crack and had no choice for a few days. My betta was as good as gold, very meek with everyone. The guppies bullied him relentlessly. It's not always the betta!

 

[menacer]

I dont think it was the Betta and now i have got rid of him i have 5 serpae and 5 columbian tetra

 

[soybean]

Well maybe that was for the best as the tetras might've started on his fins next anyway.

Groups of 6 plus are really the minimum for tetras, even more for fin nippers. Try upping the numbers if you have room - maybe return one kind and have a large single group?

Make sure there is plenty of decor for other fish to hide if necessary.

Oh, and "Should i be feeding the tetra something different other than flake?" - all fish appreciate a varied diet. Try frozen or live food.

 

[menacer]

Thanks soybean,i dont have any room to up the groups of tetra I'm so upset for my Guppies i feel like i am giving them a horrible life

 

[menacer]

All shredded tails etc...

 

[MBOU]

Both serpaes and columbians are nippy but the serpaes are like mini piranhas, i love them to look at but i'll never keep them again, i had a shoal of 20 and they looked amazing until they killed 10 of my 15 XXL tiger barbs!!

Nasty little gits.

Where did you buy your fish from?! They ought to have known better!

 

[soybean]

Any chance of isolating them from that tank? With good clean water there's every chance their tails will grow back. Both Colombian and Serpae tetras are fin nippers - personally, I would decide which I preferred and exchange the others, or keep both and return the guppies. Or start a new guppy tank

Don't feel bad, you can only do your best.

Also - you could try black or red phantom tetras instead?

 

[menacer]

Its ok i took the columbian and serpae back i now have lamp eyes that look great in my tank. I am very upset about my Betta though he was not the culprit!

Nice to see my Guppies not hiding 24/7 now though

Thanks for the info though guys much appreciated!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Any chance of isolating them from that tank? With good clean water there's every chance their tails will grow back. Both Colombian and Serpae tetras are fin nippers - personally, I would decide which I preferred and exchange the others, or keep both and return the guppies. Or start a new guppy tank

Don't feel bad, you can only do your best.

Also - you could try black or red phantom tetras instead?

+1 to the phantom tetras! They look very similar to the serpae, but are far less aggressive. The blacks are supposed to be hardier than the reds, FYI.



Maybe you could swap out both tetras for the phantoms, 6 of each. That would make an equally stunning display, with far less fin nipping!