Guppies can’t regrow a lost fin. However, their fins will recover from partial injuries and wounds. Since the fins of guppies are formed of cells and tissues, they will heal if they get injured. However, the extent of their recovery will depend on how much damage has been caused to the fins.
Let’s talk about this in detail now.
What Makes Guppies Lose Their Fins?
Fins are valuable organs that enable fish to move. Without fins, the fish will be unable to swim around.
It would compromise their safety, health, and well-being.
Guppies have delicate fins and tails.
If you take a closer look at these organs, you will notice thin bony structures and skin arranged in a webbed fashion.
So it’s prone to damage and can get torn or shredded due to many causes.
Let’s look at what causes fin loss in guppies and how you can avoid or treat it.
1. Illness or infection.
Guppies are prone to parasitic infections like fin rot on their fins. Fin rot can be caused by fungus or bacteria.
The fins will look uneven and ragged when your guppy has fin rot.
The tips will usually change color and appear redder, darker, or lighter.
In the case of fungal fin rot, you may also notice a white fuzzy layer at the edges.
Fin rot is a serious condition that will escalate and affect the entire fin and tail.
The infection may also extend from the fins to the body. Once it reaches this stage, your guppy may not survive.
Since it is a contagious parasitic condition, fin rot can also spread to the other fish in your tank.
Hence, you shouldn’t overlook this condition once the symptoms appear.
Fortunately, you can easily spot fin rot before it gets out of control.
With suitable treatment, you can prevent the condition from spreading and reverse the damage.
2. Physical injury caused by tank decorations.
Guppies are very active fish. They explore all regions of their tanks.
If your tank decorations have sharp or pointed edges, they may injure the fish.
Your guppies may tear their fins when they get too close to such decoration.
Stones and rocks with rough edges can also cut their fins and cause injuries.
3. Bullying.
Guppies don’t usually stir up commotion in a tank.
Nonetheless, they may occasionally nip each other’s fins and chase around the tank.
When such fights happen, their fins may get torn or injured.
Guppies are more prone to bullying when you keep them with other fish. Larger and more aggressive fish may bully them.
If you keep them with barbs or bettas, the chances of fin nipping are higher.
Constant fights will significantly damage their fins and delay healing if they are already hurt.
It can also cause immense stress to the guppies and affect their health in the long term.
Can Guppy Fins Grow Back?
A guppy’s fin is made of skin and bone. Hence, it can heal and grow.
However, the cause of the damage and the extent of the injury will affect recovery and regrowth.
If you notice the damage to the fins on time and offer proper care and treatment, you should be able to rescue the fins.
However, it can take a long time for the fins to grow back to their original size.
The extent of recovery and the time it takes to recover will depend on the care you give your fish. It will also depend on whether you provide optimal conditions for recovery.
How To Help Guppies Regrow Their Fins?
If your guppy has lost its fin, the first step to reversing the damage is locating the cause.
You should plan the treatment based on what caused the injury.
You can help the regrowth of your guppies’ fins using the following methods.
1. Provide optimal living conditions.
A guppy with injured or damaged fins will recover faster in a favorable environment.
Their injuries will heal better in a clean and hygienic tank with pristine water.
Keep your guppies in water with the correct pH, temperature, and low levels of nitrites and ammonia to improve their outcome.
2. Quarantine the injured fish.
If your fish has a parasitic infection or is injured in a fight, it’s a good idea to transfer your guppy into a hospital tank.
It will enable you to monitor the fish closely.
In the case of parasitic infections, separating the fish will prevent germs from spreading to other fish.
Similarly, if the injury was caused by a fight, separating the fish will prevent attacks during the recovery phase.
3. Use aquarium salt.
You can dose the tank water with aquarium salt to hasten the recovery process.
Add one teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water.
A higher concentration of salt in the water will suck out the fluid from the body of the parasites.
This process is called osmosis, and it’s commonly used to kill microorganisms.
So, by using aquarium salt, you can kill infection-causing parasites and control the spread of disease.
This will enable your guppies to regrow their fins faster.
4. Improve their nutrition.
Good nutrition is very important for the health of your fish.
However, it’s even more important when your guppy is recovering from an injury or illness.
A rich and varied diet will help your guppy to heal quickly.
It will also ensure that the guppies receive the necessary nutrients for regrowing their fins.
5. Use medication if necessary.
If your guppy has suffered extensive fin damage, it may need medication to recover completely.
For advanced parasitic infections, you may need antibiotics.
Use prescribed drugs in the correct dosage to ensure complete and proper recovery.
Supplement medication with proper food to ensure that the recovery is faster.
6. Clear your tank of sharp or hard decorations.
Before you return your guppy to the original tank, remove any items that can injure its delicate fins.
Make sure that all the surfaces are soft and smooth.
Ensure that there is enough space for the fish to swim in and the water current is not too high.
Your guppies have fewer chances of accidents when they have enough water to swim.
7. Avoid keeping guppies with aggressive fish.
Since guppies are prone to fin nipping, choose their tank mates carefully.
Avoid keeping them with aggressive fish even if they are of similar size.
Losing their fins is only part of the problem.
Your guppies will also be under constant stress when they share the tank with unfriendly fish.
It will affect their health and lifespan.
