Okay, it's been a few years since I had a tropical aquarium (all I've had was bettas the past 3 or 4 years). So I wanted to get some guppies. I went to the store and got a obviously pregnant yellow tailed female, the first female the guy could catch (which turned out to be a male...but he didn't believe me when I told him how obviously it was a male!!), and a very beautiful red male...I figured it would be okay for now since when the fry come I will do my best to keep most or all of them alive, and keep some females to even out my numbers. Also I got a little baby sucker fish to help out my tank later on down the road. (for now he's eating the live plants I got for him) But back to my real problem: ever since I brought these guys home, the sucker fish has been normal (eating like crazy!). But the three guppies are huddled together at the top of the water in the corner. At first I wrote it off as "they are just scared, and not used to so much room to run around in! But hours later same!
2007-02-01 18:26:29 · 4 answers · asked by EYoungmom88 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
It's going to take a little bit longer than that for the fish to calm down.. Especially if the trip home has been traumatising or if you simply released them into the tank without leaving the bag in the tank fist (for the water temperature in the bag to be the same as the water in the tank), then that would be an extra shock. The fish may also be terrified of another fish you've got in the tank. But for now, all you can do is to be patient. It may even take a day or two before they start swimming around normally..
2007-02-01 18:35:42 · answer #1 · answered by aken 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
you may need to check the quality of your water, a move from a shop to an aquarium is quite tramatic for a fish and it really is touch and go for a couple of weeks, The cat fish is a hardy fellow and will adjust to most aquariium set ups so he is quite happy, The guppies on the other hand are not as hardy in my experience and opinion (although others will disagree) did you establish the tank for a while before adding the fish, ie, add bacteria (Nutrafin Cycle is excellent for this), and dechlorinize the water, Fish hanging at the top is quite often a sign that something is not quite right, My suggestion is to get some of this cycle and add another dose in now, the filter needs to be really matured to help the fish fight off infections and to break down the toxins in the water. I suggest also as male guppies are quite rampant to have 4 females to one male, I should not imagine that they are scarred of the catfish as all your fish are good community fish, you may even find that the guppies will pick on the catfish, I have a little male guppy that likes to chomp the fins of my huge catfish, He's not bothered though he just flicks them off. If all of this is correct though, Your guppies may just need time to adjust, Another suggestion, not too much food, They only need a small pinch in the morning and as your tank becomes more established they will eat off the bottom and nibble on the plants, Overfeeding is a main cause of Water Pollution Hope this helps,
2007-02-02 06:13:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Guppies are a weak fish to begin with. Is your filtration too strong? Is your water the right temperature? Do you test your water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates?
2007-02-02 05:29:34 · answer #3 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
give them a while. some fish can take days or weeks to adapt to their new home. if you had bettas sometimes bettas will sulk and not eat for days after you get them home.
2007-02-02 02:51:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋