fan tailed guppy

Question
hi there Nicole i hope you can shed some light on a problem i am having with a blue fan tailed guppy. his tail fin seems glued together and causes him to drag it on the bottom my other guppies seem fine. thanks in advance Gez

Answer
Hi Gez,

This sounds like a genetic problem. Guppies are shipped out of the Eastern breeder farms as tiny fry, so only the ones with the most obvious defects are culled, such as bent spines or missing eyes. You could try isolating this guppy in a small hospital tank and adding a bit of aquarium salt (1 teaspoon per 5 gallons, mixed in warm water then added) to see if this is perhaps due to nitrite exposure.

You could also watch to see if this develops into fin rot, in which a combination of high water quality and an anti-fungus, anti-finrot remedy might help this guppy.

My gut feeling here is that this is a genetic problem and cannot be cured. With the right care, this guppy can still lead a quality life but should not breed.

I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole