Guppy Information?

Question

I am planning on getting about 3 guppies for my 8 gallon tank, what do i need to know to care for them example: diseases, food they eat, do i need a heater or filter, etc.

Answer 1

After reading a few answers you are getting mostly good advice.
However the person who cautioned you about Tetra foods is way off base.
I have kept fish for most of my life,over fifty years. I have bred species that are rare and difficult. I have fed live foods,homemade foods,custom made foods by expert aquarists,all of the high quality Japanese foods,and just about any other thing that has come down the pike.(Oooo,fish pun). I have fish that are probably older than the person that made that statement about Tetra.
I usually feed Tetra "crisps" to almost all of my pets,and they thrive. I would point out that the labels on most fish foods list almost all the same ingredients,so how can anyone make judgments about the quality of the contents?
The reason that Tetra products appear in the cut rate stores is that Tetra is the largest fish food producer in the World,and therefore can sell quantities of food that satisfy the needs of these big organizations.

Answer 2

Guppies can be a rewarding and easy aquarium fish to keep. Here are some answers:

>diseases; as with any fish prevention is the key. Keeping a clean tank that has good water parameters is a start here are a few parameters that are important for guppies:
*Ammonia/nitrites- 0
*pH- Stable, however 7.5 + is best
*KH- 100 +, this will buffer a more stable pH and is more important, especially with guppies
*GH- 200+, important for necessary electrolytes and minerals such as magnesium and calcium
Regular water changes are also a must for disease prevention

This article about disease prevention may be very helpful:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Disease.html


>food they eat; a varied diet that includes a good basic flake such As Spirulina 20, Omega, HBH. These are just a few good brands. Be careful of brand such as TetraMin that are mostly low quality ingredients
Supplement with Brine Shrimp, Bloodworms, ect.

>do I need a heater or filter, etc:
Yes they should have a filter, a heater. A good HOB (hang on the back filter) is a good start, so are the under rated sponge filters.
Here is more information about filters to help with this decision:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Filtration.html

This is just a start; I hope you enjoy your guppies!

Answer 3

I had guppies when I was younger.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guppy#In_the_aquarium
for some aquarium info.

" Guppy fish can be feed a wide variety of foods (flakes, Spirulina, lettuce, spinach, freeze dried foods, mosquito larvae). They eat almost everything. Guppies have small stomachs and can only consume a little bit of food at one feeding. By the way, it is entertaining to watch them eat larvae, which are almost as big as Guppies. They eat them like big spaghetti. It is best is to feed them in small amounts at least 3 times daily.

When males and females are together they will breed. The males will perform a courtship display in front of the female by spreading their fins and curving their body. The Guppies are livebearers. Fry can fend for themselves immediately after they are born. As a matter of fact, the guppy fry are a delicacy to most fish. Floating plants are good hiding places for fry. Female guppies mature in about 3 months, males mature sooner. A female’s period lasts about 4 weeks. They are quick breeders, so if you have only Guppies in the tank, they can over breed. "

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