guppy Attack

[kurtyboh]

I've had 4 guppies(all male) and one snail in a 7.5 gal tank since sept. My wife was in Afghanistan and i went to visit family to 3 weeks in dec. A friend fed our animals for us. when i got back the water was a little messed up but vacuumed the gravel to get the extra food and did aprrox 50% water change over the next 2 days everything was back to normal. Oh and one fish perished while we were gone, one shortly after. My wife wanted to pick out a fish so she got one and the store guy chose one. Since then we went on vaca to london for 4 days and one fish died then too... I didnt even have someone come feed them as it was only 4 days. Anyhow that fish was in pretty rough shape and I needed another major water change. Yesterday morning i found a dead fish with its fins all tore up and it was fine the night before. This morning I checked on the 2 remaining and fed them both were fine 2 hrs passed and another fishes fins are tore up. Of course he's not swimming well at all and will most likely die as well. Is my last male attacking the others. When i restock should i put him in a different tank? what should i do????

 

[dkpate]

How often do you normally change part of the water? Are the fins black around the edges?

 

[kurtyboh]

no there is some black in the fins but that's always been there. They look normal. I normally test my water 2-3 times a week and when the nitrates get above 20 i do about a 30% water change usually about 1-1.5 weeks

 

[dkpate]

OK, cause black fins are usually fin rot. You can tell the difference between nips and rot though, nips are clean breaks, and rot is more ragged with the black edges.
Since the tank is so small, you can't add females, which is usually what people recommend to spread out the agression. The ratio is one male to two females, but since they are livebearers, that's not an option for you.
I am not sure what to suggest, except change part of water twice a week and maybe try to get a bigger tank.

 

[kurtyboh]

thanks

Yeah i know i need a bigger tank. Just can't afford one yet. I could have got a 50 gal hex for free yesterday, but we dont have room for one that large, nor the funds to set a tank that size up, but soon i hope well at least for a 20gal.

 

[dkpate]

I think you will be surprised at how much better it will be in the bigger tank, more territory for the fish.
Is the mean guppy the only one left? If not, you can make a cheap divider with plastic craft mesh. You can find it at Walmart, 6 sheets for $3, and you can use bobby pins or bent paper clips to hook the divider up. That way they can be separated, and the mean one won't cause any damage to the other one(s). Keep it divided until you can get the bigger tank.
Congrats on the 50 gal for free!!!