Has anyone ever seen this type of damage before?

Hmongol

Hello, I have a 10 gallon with 4 male guppies and 4 lamp eye tetra along with 3 ghost shrimp and 1 Chinese Algae Eater aka sucker loach.
My blue Guppy became sick that night because I noticed he wasn't swimming around, I figured it was nothing. The next morning I awoke to find him with this huge bite mark which ripped half of his tail body off.

I posted this on my other website and many folks think the culprit is the Chinese Algae Eater. They say that the sick Guppy was probably not strong enough to avoid the Chinese Algae Eater and he got a good sucking out of him. I do believe it was the CAE because the tetras and shrimp would not have good enough teeth to do this.

GwenInNM

All I can say is "Oouuch!" Hope you find out

gwen

Eshnon

That poor fish... I would remove him from the tank.. gently, and put him in a seperate home for a week.. Get some medicine for cuts, and gashes like that one. Medicine will obviously help heal him quicker. If you leave the gash like that.. the Guppy will no question not be strong enough for a second attack from the CAE.. or eventually die from something getting in that wound..

Good luck! Intervene before he dies!

dfbiggs

Do SAEs take bites like that? Don't they just have a sucker mouth?! Would there be a chance he got caught in that fan in the background or sucked to a filter intake? I am surprised he is still alive.

DarkMaster Y0da

CAE all the way yea they normally only suck the slim off other fish but with a guppys size i have seen em take chunks. no way he got that from the fan

Teishokue

Shrimps could definitely be the culprit. Ghost shrimps could tear fishes easily. but knowing that its a sick or dying fish, its natural for a sucker or shrimp to attack it.

Hmongol

No that fan is just a propeller that barely moves on that submarine ornament bubbler.
Yeah, I thought about them as well... but I've only read that many many people claim it only attacks dead or almost dead fish. I knew he might have been sick but I'm sure he would of been able to escape those tiny claws of the shrimp.

Teishokue

off topic: by the way are you hmong?

Romad

Agree that you should isolate and treat that poor Guppy but I say for at least a month or more. Treat him with an antibacterial to avoid infection in that wound. Poor lil guy.

And get rid of that CAE. If your water params. are right for Otos, get some of those instead.

1077

My money is on the fan if it was running.
I have a fan /powerhead(KoraliaII) somewhat like the one pictured and have seen my tetra's swim directly into the front of this. If it weren't for the plastic fish gaurd over the front ,I have no doubt that some of the tetra's would be chopped to pieces.Juvenile bristlenose is always glued to the front of this device.
Agree with finding a new home for the Chinese Algae Eater, they really present more problems as they mature than any benefit for community aquarium.