What to Do About Guppy Tail Rot? Cause Analysis and Prevention Methods

Many people love guppies because guppies have graceful body shapes and brilliant, very beautiful colors. However, anyone who has kept guppies knows that you must be careful with water quality and the environment, otherwise guppies are prone to tail rot. Now let us take a look at what to do about guppy tail rot!

Causes of Guppy Tail Rot

1. Not changing water for a long time, not cleaning filter media, too much humus, and deterioration of the water environment.

2. The stocking density of guppies is too high, causing deterioration of the water environment and a sudden water temperature change with a temperature difference reaching 5°C. The fish suddenly suffer an unbearable cold stimulus and become ill.

3. During water changes, tank cleaning, or catching fish, internal or external injuries occur and become infected by bacteria and viruses.

4. Feeding bait without fixed timing, quality, quantity, or location, causing fish malnutrition, etc.

Symptoms of Guppy Tail Rot

1. Sick fish swim slowly, have reduced appetite, and in severe cases stop feeding. The fish body loses balance, and the diseased eel is easily suspended on the feeding platform.

2. The caudal fin and caudal peduncle of the sick fish become congested and inflamed, the ends of the fin rays are eroded, the tissue between the fins is destroyed, the fin rays spread apart, showing fin erosion.

3. When tail rot is severe, the caudal fin rots away, the muscle of the caudal peduncle ulcerates, and even the entire tail rots away with the skeleton exposed. When the water temperature is relatively low, secondary saprolegniasis infection often occurs.

What to Do About Guppy Tail Rot

1. Early stage: In the early stage of guppy tail rot, reduce the possibility of injury to your beloved fish. Appropriately add methylene blue, salt, or yellow powder (any one of them is sufficient) for medicinal bath conditioning. If discovered in the early stage, about 3 treatments can basically cure it.

2. Middle stage: In the middle stage of guppy tail rot, erythromycin, furazolidone, gentamicin, etc. can be used for medicinal baths. Treat the fish like a human. If you think about how much medicine you would use for yourself at one time, put that amount of these medicines into a basin, then fill the basin with water, put the fish in, and take it out after about 30 minutes of medicinal bath. When using it for the first time, use as little medicine as possible. If you feel there is no effect, then increase the dosage. Beginners must not be impatient. 3 consecutive treatments make one course.

3. Late stage: In the late stage of guppy tail rot, you need to go to the fish market to buy specialized fish medicine. By all means, do not use it unless absolutely necessary, because specialized fish medicines are all very strong, equivalent to performing surgery on a person, and are relatively harmful to fish. Beginners should use them as little as possible.