I need help setting up a guppie tank?

Question

Hi i would like get a guppie tank and i would like to know what will need for the guppies. I read a alot of books but i wold like to know what to do from bying all the stuff to the babies growing up (I would appreciate the help:)

Answer 1

Think carefully about where you are going to put your aquarium. Site it where it can easily be viewed, and where you won’t have difficulty getting to it for maintenance. Avoid placing it close to your rooms heating source, or where it would be in constant direct sunlight, these would cause temperature fluctuations, and excessive direct natural light would promote unsightly algal growth.

Remember that when your aquarium is fully set up it will be very heavy; one gallon of water weighs ten pounds (5 litres-5kgs). Therefore, an aquarium measuring 24x12 x12 ins. (60 x30x30cm), when filled with water, gravel, etc. would weigh in excess of 200 pounds (90kgs). Your stand or cabinet must be strong enough to support these kinds of weights, and if you are setting up an aquarium on raised floors be sure your stand is at right angles to, and lies across the floors supports.
Wash your new aquarium in clean fresh water; do not use detergent or soap. Remember to place polystyrene tiles beneath the base of your aquarium, some tanks don’t need this precaution, they are designed with a floating base, which stops the bottom coming into contact with the stand. (Ask at the shop)

If you are to use a background film décor, stick this on now with tape, keep it close to the edges and as tight to the glass as you can.

Now is the time to position your aquarium on its permanent site. Use a spirit level to ensure that your stand and aquarium are level.


Building your aquarium: Don’t be tempted into putting any water into your aquarium yet! Don’t rush things, patience is a virtue in this hobby, it’s better to take a day or two to set things up, than to find something wrong and have to start stripping things down, to make them right. Follow these steps and you will find things easier in the long run.

If you have decided on an undergravel filtration system put the undergravel plates and uplift tubes in now.

Gravel should be washed thoroughly. Put a bit at a time in a bucket and run water through it from the tap or hosepipe, at the same time stirring it, this could take some time to get all of the dust out of it. When clear water runs from the gravel then it’s ok.



You can now carefully put the clean gravel into your aquarium. In theory you should arrange the gravel so that it slopes from the back to the front, this is so that any debris will accumulate at the front of the aquarium, making it easier to clean. In reality, I find that the gravel doesn’t stay that way; it will just find it’s own level. Either way you should aim for a depth of about two to three inches (5-8cm).

Rocks should be washed thoroughly, and placed gently in the aquarium, don’t over do it, this stuff is heavy, and to avoid the risk of it toppling you could consider bonding it together with aquarium sealant, remember to let it dry.

Bogwood and Mopani wood are quite attractive pieces of décor, (remember to soak the bogwood for at least a week prior to using it), and can be placed in next.

Try a little aquascaping by using the wood or/and rockwork to form terraces rather than a flat expanse of gravel. This sort of décor can be beneficial in hiding some of the equipment you’re about to put in.

Heater Set the heater to approximately 76F (25C). Place the heater on the rear glass of the aquarium at an angle of about 45°, close to, but not touching the gravel. It should be placed near a filter outlet, or where there is water movement, so that heat can be distributed around the tank. Do not plug it in yet! Aquarium heaters must be submerged in water before being switched on, irreparable damage could be caused.
there is more info at this website
http://www.guppy-world.com/equipment.htm#Internal%20filter

Although Guppies are a fresh-water tropical strain of fish, you should add one tablespoon of salt for every five gallons of water in your tank. This may seem odd, but the ration of salt to water is low and the salt plays an extremely important role in maintaining the health of the fish. With the addition of salt to the water, the fish are able to produce a better slime coat to protect them against the many bacterium in the tank. The salt also helps to neutralize high nitrItes. I lost a few fish from not understanding this fact. Any educated aquarist will tell you, this is important to know. Try to dissolve salt in a cup of the aquarium water before adding to the tank. NEVER let the salt touch the fish as it will injure or even kill the fish if it falls on them. If your tap water has a low ph, then consider adding an ocean salt product that contains trace minerals that soft water doesn't contain. If ph is high, then stick with an aquarium salt product as hard water contains the needed minerals for the fish.
If you don't start a tank with the "fishless cycling", you should begin adding only two fish at a time. Recommendations state you could add fish as often as once a week, but I recommend you test your water after 10 days through the 14th day to make certain ammonia hasn't built up. You should also be checking the nitrAte level in the tank. The natural cycle is as follows:

First you will see a spike in the ammonia level, followed by a spike in the nitrIte level, and last will be a spike in the nitrAte level. After the nitrAte spike, watch for the nitrAte to fall to 40 ppm (parts per million). Once the ammonia and nitrIte are zero and nitrAte is 40 ppm or less, the nitrogen cycle been established. There are many testing supplies available at your local Pet Store, and I would recommend you have plenty of testing supplies on hand.
Once the levels are normal, ammonia is zero, nitrIte is zero, and nitrAtes are 40 ppm or less then and only then should you add more fish to the tank. Then follow the 10 to 14 day testing once again.
Please note there are all types of solutions out there to help lower the levels of ammonia, but please understand that if you add these chemicals, it will only prolong the establishment of the nitrogen cycle. If you want to do anything, increase the oxygen supply to the tank. Clean and remove excess debris daily and replace with water only the amount removed. Don't remove 10percent, or 25 percent of the water, as again, you'll only be delaying the nitrogen cycle. Only remove the amount of water needed to pick up excess food and waste.
http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/guppies/page2.html

If you decide to raise the young fry, consider setting up a few tanks to let the fry grow out in. Start any tank immediately, before the young ones arrive so the tank can cycle before the fish are added. Do this "fishless cycling" either by ammonia cycling(adding 3 drops of ammonia per day until nitrite forms), or by taking water from your existing tank and filling the new tank with all siphoned debris and water. The debris starts the ammonia which starts the cycling, and any water provided from the existing tank will have some nitrifying bacteria already in it providing a quick start for the nitrogen cycle. If possible, exchange filtration m media from an existing tank to the new tank so the process will be expedited.
In the fry tank, you'll need to cover any suction devices with a material to stop fry from being sucked in to filtration. I suggest you find some fine bridal netting or tulle and cut a piece to cover suction tube and hold in place with a rubber band. Some suggest using nylon pantyhose, which you can use until you find netting, but I don't suggest using it all the time as it will interfere with filtration process. The fry tank can be a simple tank, meaning all you'll need to provide is filtration, heating and lighting. I don't have any type of gravel in my fry tanks as this allows very easy cleaning of the tanks. As the fry mature and are separated, then I place gravel and plants in larger tanks for them to continue growing. Set the temperature to 80F if possible to allow maturation and then as the fry age, you can reduce the temp back to 78F.
After the new tank has cycled when levels are ammonia zero, nitrite zero, and nitrate is 40ppm or less, then you can add the fry. You'll need to feed the fry a few times per day. If possible for the first four weeks feed them as often as time will permit. Some feed the fry 5 times per day. The first four weeks of their lives go into building body and muscle tone. Grind the tropical flake food to powder to feed the fry. It would be great if you're able to hatch brine shrimp to feed the fry a couple times per week. The baby brine shrimp provide a great source of nutrition to enhance fry coloration. Don't use color enhancing flakes as the flakes don't provide correct vitamins the fry need to grow properly.
At the end of the first four weeks, the fry begin to sexually develop into male or female guppies. At the age of 6 weeks, they become sexually active. So, between weeks 4 and 6, you might want to consider separating the fry into female, male groupings. Do this by taking one fish out at a time and placing in a small container with water from the tank and with a magnifying glass look for either the gonopodium or the gravid spot. More often it is better to see the gravid spot of a female. Mix ups do happen and don't be to worried as the fish can be selected out a put into the correct group. It's just a bit less to worry about what you'll be doing with the fry of all the young females if you decide to separate them.
Between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months, you'll need to consider putting some of the fry to sleep due to deformities in some of the fry. This is a procedure called culling which means to take out the bad fish. Most stores will take the culled fry off your hands, but don't expect anything in return, as they are doing you a favor. See the page about putting fish to sleep.
At six months of age the guppies are then considered adults. So, you're still going to have to find some one to take them. A donation on your part at this age is considered highly recommendable, but think about all the effort you put into raising the fry. If Local fish stores won't trade or pay you for your efforts, consider asking who their distributor is and get a name and phone number. Check the distributor to see if they'll take your fish. Distributors pay you more money for larger fish. Meaning, if by week 4 the fry are too much to handle, a distributor will take them, but probably only for a couple dollars. But if you wait til they're six months old, you will probably get 50 cents per fish. Same goes for trading or receiving payment from a local fish store. The bigger the better. Remember to check with your area regarding laws.

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If you decide to raise the young fry, consider setting up a few tanks to let the fry grow out in. Start any tank immediately, before the young ones arrive so the tank can cycle before the fish are added. Do this "fishless cycling" either by ammonia cycling(adding 3 drops of ammonia per day until nitrite forms), or by taking water from your existing tank and filling the new tank with all siphoned debris and water. The debris starts the ammonia which starts the cycling, and any water provided from the existing tank will have some nitrifying bacteria already in it providing a quick start for the nitrogen cycle. If possible, exchange filtration m media from an existing tank to the new tank so the process will be expedited.
In the fry tank, you'll need to cover any suction devices with a material to stop fry from being sucked in to filtration. I suggest you find some fine bridal netting or tulle and cut a piece to cover suction tube and hold in place with a rubber band. Some suggest using nylon pantyhose, which you can use until you find netting, but I don't suggest using it all the time as it will interfere with filtration process. The fry tank can be a simple tank, meaning all you'll need to provide is filtration, heating and lighting. I don't have any type of gravel in my fry tanks as this allows very easy cleaning of the tanks. As the fry mature and are separated, then I place gravel and plants in larger tanks for them to continue growing. Set the temperature to 80F if possible to allow maturation and then as the fry age, you can reduce the temp back to 78F.
After the new tank has cycled when levels are ammonia zero, nitrite zero, and nitrate is 40ppm or less, then you can add the fry. You'll need to feed the fry a few times per day. If possible for the first four weeks feed them as often as time will permit. Some feed the fry 5 times per day. The first four weeks of their lives go into building body and muscle tone. Grind the tropical flake food to powder to feed the fry. It would be great if you're able to hatch brine shrimp to feed the fry a couple times per week. The baby brine shrimp provide a great source of nutrition to enhance fry coloration. Don't use color enhancing flakes as the flakes don't provide correct vitamins the fry need to grow properly.
At the end of the first four weeks, the fry begin to sexually develop into male or female guppies. At the age of 6 weeks, they become sexually active. So, between weeks 4 and 6, you might want to consider separating the fry into female, male groupings. Do this by taking one fish out at a time and placing in a small container with water from the tank and with a magnifying glass look for either the gonopodium or the gravid spot. More often it is better to see the gravid spot of a female. Mix ups do happen and don't be to worried as the fish can be selected out a put into the correct group. It's just a bit less to worry about what you'll be doing with the fry of all the young females if you decide to separate them.
Between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months, you'll need to consider putting some of the fry to sleep due to deformities in some of the fry. This is a procedure called culling which means to take out the bad fish. Most stores will take the culled fry off your hands, but don't expect anything in return, as they are doing you a favor. See the page about putting fish to sleep.
At six months of age the guppies are then considered adults. So, you're still going to have to find some one to take them. A donation on your part at this age is considered highly recommendable, but think about all the effort you put into raising the fry. If Local fish stores won't trade or pay you for your efforts, consider asking who their distributor is and get a name and phone number. Check the distributor to see if they'll take your fish. Distributors pay you more money for larger fish. Meaning, if by week 4 the fry are too much to handle, a distributor will take them, but probably only for a couple dollars. But if you wait til they're six months old, you will probably get 50 cents per fish. Same goes for trading or receiving payment from a local fish store. The bigger the better. Remember to check with your area regarding laws.

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Answer 2

bypass to the fish keep, somebody who works there could be able that may additionally assist you out... i like guppies yet do no longer feed them greater effective than two times an afternoon and in basic terms slightly, they'll over devour and DIE in case you feed them too plenty. Plastic flora are advantageous, WASH each and every thing in boiling salt water in the previous you place it interior the tank. It wont soften. Get pcostemus air purifier fish, they are friendly- a one gallon tank could have approximately 3 guppies/ so use that as a tip. so in case you have a 5 gallon tank, you ought to get 15 guppies. identification bypass with a 5-10 gallon for starters. good luck!

Answer 3

bad girl has it going on but too techinical. Once the cycling of a new tank is done and a bacteria bed is set to protect fish from disease---place floating anacharis plants across the top of the tank for babies to hide in and also stick some in the gravel for those hiding at the bottom. Only thing which is quicker and wors--I did this for thirty years---find a friend that has a tank and have thim siphon about on third of water for your ten gallon tank from the bottom of theirs---this bacteria bed is already set up-----after a few hours the tanks will clear up with the use of your filter and you can enjoy the tank--you dont have to wait to add fish either once temp is set---you friend can go buy new fish now as his tank is set up and with the use of his water--so is yours--enjoy

Answer 4

Guppies are easy. Just feed them in the morning, keep the temp. @ 76, have a decent filtration system and you'll be fine. Thats all I do. Guppies are sooooo easy. I've had others and the Guppies have been my favorite.

Answer 5

on the last day of school i got to take one of the class guppies home.then she had 5 babies.dude do not put the babys with the mother until they are half her size! sometimes the mom can get aggressive and eat the babys.

you should feed your guppies:
crushed up tropical fish flakes( makes a powder)
brine shrimp,freeze dried plankton,some kind of red fish pellet which
is really small(idk what its called but it works for me.also remember to break it apart with your fingers).

Answer 6

http://www.guppies.com/
This is a very good web site and it covers everything that you will need to know either as a professional breeder or a home hobbyist.