Guppies

[flash13]

Hi all. so i am intrested in getting guppies. Does anyone here own them? i have been looking on the internet and they seem easy to take care of. But i have been getting diffrent answers on the size of tank. Petsmart said 10 gallons and other websits say 20. Also where should i go if i dont want to buy from petsmart. I was thinking a breeder. But i would be worried that they would die in transport. also how many could i keep at one time? i would not be getting any until next year. just starting to think about getting some. Thanks for input.

 

[jyuukai]

I kept aquariums off and on for several years and the rule I was taught,a nd the rule I went by, is that you need one gallon of water for every inch of fish you own. So guppies, I believe, get up to around 2 inches. In a 10 gallon tank you could own 5 guppies then, which isnt bad at all.

As for where to go if you dont want to buy from a pet store, I really couldn't say! We have several fish-centric stores in the area where I get my fish if I dont want the petsmart ones, but I have always had good luck with them! As for the fish dying in transport they should be sent overnight in a specialized container, and they would be fine like that.

 

[Jill]

My husband and I are fishkeepers and have a number of large tanks. However, we personally haven't had very good luck with guppies, platties or mollys. It seems like the livebearer fish do not do well for us, but other types thrive.

One really important thing when you set up a new tank is to cycle it. You can google and discover various methods of doing such. It's a lot more than filling a tank with water. You need to establish beneficial bacteria in the tank and filtration system to basically nutralize the fish waste. Until a tank is cycled, fish would suffer and have losses if the tank is stocked.

Good luck! Fish are such a relaxing hobby!!!

 

[HGFarm]

I had a 55 gal tank for years, and had guppies in it with other tropicals. Mine did ok. There are some good articles on the net for caring for guppies, the type of water they like (temperature, ph, etc...), what food to feed. The more variety in food, the better they do. (not just flaked food- they also need worms and other stuff)

The fancy guppies they have now are very pretty to look at in a tank, and yes, the rule for a gallon per inch of adult fish is the rule. So when you buy them, and they are small, they must have growing room. I would go with a 20 gallon tank- by the time you put gravel, rocks and decorations in there, that is going to take up some of the room and make a little less water in there.

Absolutely cycle your tank before adding fish. There are a couple of good products on the market that will help you do that too. And I recommend getting a fish to help with the tank algae that stays small. Forget the name of it but they dont keep growing like those plecostomus. They stay about 4 to 5". That is going to take up some of the gallons in your tank too.

I dont recommend live plants- unless you rinse them THOROUGHLY. You may end up with snail problems. Those danged things can take over your tank!

Good luck- I enjoyed my guppies and though I sold my big tank- have recently considered a small one with some pretty male guppies. I have no interest in raising babies so dont want any females.