Transsexual Guppy?

Question

I bought a female guppy at the pet store. she had a blue tail and was fairly lage. she did have a gravid spot. It was about a month ago and she now has a bright red tail, colorful markings all over her body, and a gonipondum. before the males cased her and she is now chaseing the females but the males still chase her? Has this ever happend to anyone?

Answer 1

I doubt he changed sex. Most likely he was a young, late-blooming male. Many male guppies are late bloomers and develop their gonopodiums rather late in life. Some also have markings that seem to mimic a gravid spot. Male guppies are not the brightest fish in the world and will often chase a juvenile that looks like it has a gravid spot, even a male. They'll chase and try to mate with mollies and platys and in an all male tank, they'll chase and flash each other all the time. I have 6 male wild-type guppies in a tank and they have black spots on them. Some of the spots are roughly in the same general area as a gravid spot on a female and the other males will occasionally chase them and try to poke at that black spot. It's just guppies being guppies.

Answer 2

It has not been proven yet, but is thought that livebearers can change sex if the ratio of males:females is not adequate. It is more likely that it was always a male, it just hadn't developed yet. Many male livebearers like Platties, Mollies, Guppies, and Swordtails develop their gonipondum very late in life and may appear to be females until then. Either way, you have a male now, so have fun with the babies!

Soop Nazi

EDIT: VERY FEW fish are even thought to have the ability to do this, so changing sex isn't something that fish just do.

Answer 3

You could probably get a lot of money for a transsexual guppy!

Answer 4

fish changes sex...its normal...