# question



## T4987 (Nov 25, 2006)

when I got my swordtail about a year ago it was a female. since then it has changed into a male. now it seems to be changing its other fins on his bottom side. I recently noticed the fins on the bottom (I forget what their called) have grown longer and become thinner sort of like a lyre tail. when a live bearer changes sexes is it possible for other attributes on the fish to change. If its not possible for them to change like this then it must be fish nipping at his fins. So it would be a big help if anyone can tell me anything about the process.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Livebearers do not change sex (in most circumstances). Yours didnt. The sword on the tail takes a long time to develop. I'm guessing you had a male all along that didn't develop as fast as one normally would.


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## T4987 (Nov 25, 2006)

he was quite large and still didnt have his gonopodium it took several months to develop from the female version of the anal fin. he may have just been a very late bloomer but it took quite some time not to mention that the male I had in the tank before it started mated with him like he was a female.

any idea why his other fins are changing? it doesnt seem that they have been nipped at. I would give a picture but my camera cant take good shots of things in aquariums.


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## Cichlidsrule (Nov 8, 2006)

Does it sound like this?
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/livebearers/15585-1-2-male-guppy.html


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## T4987 (Nov 25, 2006)

I'm not worried about it anymore after getting him to sit still long enough to see the fins I can tell their too long to have been bitten. I don't really care why their growing longer. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't being eaten by the beta in the tank.

His fins are changing looks sort of like a lyretail. Their not as wide as they were before and I though it could have been bitten but now that I've taken a better look their growing longer and thinner. I've had him for a year so he is probly a year and a half old. I just got a little worried since this is change was recent, within the last few weeks.

My guess is he has some lyre tail in him and like the male attributes these too are taking a long time to show up.


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