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Do Guppy Tails And Fins Grow Back?

With guppies being such a popular fish that is commonly kept in North America and Europe, we constantly see a large number of questions from the fish keeping community about caring for their pet guppies to make sure that they are offering their fish the best possible care.

We often see people specifically asking about injuries to the tails and fins of their pet guppies often resulting in questions about if their guppies tails or fins can grow back over time.

As so many people reach out with questions about this, we wanted to publish our own, dedicated article on the topic to try and help as many of our readers as possible who have guppies with injuries to their tails and fins.

Why Are My Guppies Tail And Fins Ripped?

The three most common reasons that your guppies tail or fins will be ripped or damge are due to disease, fighting, and injury but there are a number of less common causes too.

Disease!

The most common cause of ripped fins or a damaged tail on your guppy is due to disease.

There are many different types of diseases that can attack the fins and tails of guppies including bacterial infections, fungal infections, and parasites.

All of these diseases will result in the fins or tail being ripped as the fish tries to scratch or rub the affected area on something in the tank to try and relieve the itchiness or pain that they are experiencing.

These diseases are often contagious which means that if one fish in the tank has it, it is likely that others will too so you need to treat the entire tank and not just the one fish.

You can read our full guide on the best way to treat sick guppy fish here.

Fighting!

Another common reason that you might see ripped fins or a damaged tail on your guppy is due to fighting.

Guppies are generally a peaceful fish but there are always going to be exceptions to the rule and you might have a particularly aggressive guppy in your tank that is bullying the others and causing them physical harm.

If you see one guppy in particular that always seems to have ripped fins or a damaged tail, it is likely that this fish is being bullied by another and you might need to remove the aggressor from the tank.

Injury!

The third most common reason for ripped fins or a damaged tail is due to injury.

This can happen in a number of ways but the most common is probably going to be from running into objects in the tank or getting caught on something and being pulled which results in the fins or tail being ripped.

It is also possible for other fish in the tank to bite the fins or tail of another fish which can also cause damage.

If you have any plants in the tank, it is important to make sure that they are not sharp as these can also cause injuries to the fins and tails of your guppies.

Do Guppy Tails And Fins Grow Back In Time?

Now that we have covered the three most common reasons for ripped fins or a damaged tail, let’s answer the main question that we get asked which is whether or not guppy tails grow back.

The good news is that in most cases, yes, guppy tails do grow back!

Given enough time, the vast majority of guppies will be able to fully regenerate their fins and tails providing that the injury was not too severe.

However, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind in order for this to happen.

The first is that the guppy needs to be healthy in order for the regeneration process to occur.

If the fish is sick or has a disease, the regeneration process will be much slower or might not happen at all.

The second thing to keep in mind is that the guppy needs to have access to plenty of food as this is what their bodies will use to generate the new tissue.

If you are concerned that your fish are not getting enough food, we would recommend reading our guide on the best way to feed guppy fish.

The third and final thing to keep in mind is that it takes time for fins and tails to grow back so you need to be patient!

In most cases, it will take around 4-6 weeks for the fins and tail to fully regenerate but in some cases, it can take longer.

If you are concerned that the regeneration process is taking too long or that your fish still has not grown back their fins and tail after 6 weeks, we would recommend taking them to a vet for a check-up just to be on the safe side.

Can Guppies Survive Without Their Fins Or Tail?

Despite the fact that guppy fins and tails grow back relatively easily, it is still not something that you want to see happen to your fish as it can be quite stressful for them.

Not only that but if the injury is severe enough, it can actually be fatal so it is always better to try and prevent ripped fins and damaged tails in the first place.

So, can guppies survive without their fins or tail?

The short answer is yes, they can but it is not going to be easy for them.

Without their fins and tail, guppies are going to have a hard time swimming and will be much more vulnerable to predators.

Not only that but they will also find it harder to eat as they will not be able to swim as easily to catch their food.

For all of these reasons, we would not recommend keeping a guppy without its fins or tail for too long and if possible, you should try and get them to a vet as soon as possible so that they can be treated.

Conclusion

In this article, we have answered the question of whether or not guppy fins and tails grow back.

We have also covered the three most common reasons for ripped fins or a damaged tail as well as what you can do to try and prevent it from happening.

If you have any other questions or if you would like to share your own experiences with regrowing fins and tails, we would love to hear from you in the comments below!