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First Guppy tank in 30 years

Care Tips
By sfguppy
from the Excited as a 5 year old department, Section Ask Guppylog
Posted on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 12:25:16 PM PST
Tags: (all tags)
Pleasure to find guppylog. I set up a guppy tank yesterday. I haven't had an acquarium since I was 8. Yesterday, now age 38, I was as excited as I was when just a fry myself when I was choosing my pairs - -



Pleasure to find guppylog. I set up a guppy tank yesterday. I haven't had an acquarium since I was 8. Yesterday, now age 38, I was as excited as I was when just a fry myself when I was choosing my pairs - - I did make a unknowing mistake - - bought pairs (1M-1F) and set up my tank without proper "conditioning". What can I do now? What should I expect? By the way, I named my 3 pairs: Ricky and Lucy, George and Weezy, and.... Archie and Edith All females appear to be expecting - - I can't wait. So how can I "fix" the unconditioned water problem and should I buy 3 more females so that i have tri-pairs? Joey
< Great Breeder | Pregnant Gup ??????? >
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First Guppy tank in 30 years | 6 comments (6 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
All is well - - bought some bacteria koolaid (none / 0) (#6)
by sfguppy on Tue Oct 14, 2003 at 05:12:52 AM PST

Hi all - - everyone (me and the fishies) are doing well. I got a tip to buy some of the bacteria brew as mentioned above from a local aquarist. I also bought a pack of frozen brine shrimp. Added the Bio-spiro (I think that was the name) and the brine shrimp. Everyone is well and very FULL. I also released the soon to deliver mother and the new fry from the matertinity thingy - - heeded everyone's advice about the breeder boxes being death traps - - the more I thought about it - - better to let nature take care of things in as much the normal way. I am not worried about being a champion breeder yet - - let everyone try to exist as close to the way they would in nature. In regards to the 2.5 gallon tank, I wanted a tank that I could sit next to my computer monitor on my desk - - so, I am limited in space. I will probably get another tank (or 2 or 3 or 4 . . . .) and will be able to get larger tanks. thanks to everyone for the advice. Joey



Babies!! - - One Loss :( (none / 0) (#4)
by sfguppy on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 05:04:05 PM PST

Update all - - got home last night to find that one of my ladies had given birth. I found 6 fry - - I was able to get 4 of them into a birthing box thing that I bought with the aquarium. There are 2 more babies that have wedged themselves between the walls and the gravel - - I don't want to risk trying to dig through the gravel after them for fear that I will crush them in the process. They still seem to be able to move around, so I hope they swim into open tank so I can get them into the nursery. I did wake this morning to find "Ricky", one of my males, dead - - I guess the ammonia toxicity is building. I have another femail whose gravid spot seems to have gotten much larger and red around the edges. I moved her into the delivery room part of the nursery in the event she goes into labor. I am going to a aquarium store to see what I can find to help with the ammonia problem. sfguppy



Welcome back to guppies sf! (none / 0) (#1)
by unclescott on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 04:44:27 AM PST

Sometimes I think keeping certain fish is a little like catching malaria. It is always in your blood and manefests itself from time to time. ;)

How big is your tank, what kind of filtration does it have and are you able to keep it at 75 degrees F/ 24 C. ?

For starters don't get any more fish until things are "conditioned. :)

I would get some Amquel, Start Right or Ammolock and add one of those according to manufacturer's instructions so fish waste doesn't "fry" your fish's gills.

If you can, go buy (beg, borrow, steal) a bunch of hornwort, Najas or water sprite and add that to your tank as an ammonia sponge. (There are expensive resines and/or Polyfilter which can be used to actually remove the highly toxic ammonia which fish naturally release. They are a good fix in an emergency, but don't really help develop the nitrogen cycle in your tank.

I don't mean to be too lazy (just back from a long weekend at a fish show and a three hour drive, have been adjusting new fish to the water from an established tank which is in three quarrentine tanks and has been put in the fish's holding jars gradually over the last couple of hours and am racing the light timers to get everybody settled down.) Please see also my comments to hash51 in "Advice".

If you know an aquarist who can give you some gravel, plants or filter media from an established tank, why don't you look him/her up and ask for help. If the sf in your monniker means you are from the San Francisco area you have a bunch of terrific fish clubs in your area - and maybe you could check with them.

Please see http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/greatercity/links1.htm

Good luck! Let us know how things work out.



Will post online for some "starter" bact (none / 0) (#2)
by sfguppy on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 05:16:05 AM PST

Uncle Scott, We have a wonderful posting board in San Francisco: craigslist.com. I will post on there to see if anyone has some starter bacteria to help me get it going. I will try to get by a pet store tomorrow to see if I can get some of the products you suggested. Oh, the size of my tank - only 2.5g to start - - wanted to get the hang of it before I invested more money and possibly killed fish unnecessarily. I have a Whisper charcoal filter thingy - - one the side of the tank, runs water over a charcoal filled bag. As far a heater, I bought one, have gotten the temperature stabilized at a little over 75F thanks, Joey

[ Parent ]


There are some commercial bacteria (none / 0) (#5)
by unclescott on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 09:10:58 PM PST

starters. However they may cost mucho dinero and several people (I have no experience here) worry about the "freshness date" factor - that those products may have stayed on the shelf at the wholesaler and retailer too long to be as effective as they initially would be.

I suppose it would be fairest to contact a manufacturer and ask them.

In the meantime, the gravel, "slightly driven" filter floss or water from an established, healthy tank might be easier to come by. Somewhere in this world I have about 7 three gallon carboys. One is at home. The others were filled with starter water or R.O. water which I sent home with friends. In time I know they will be returned - maybe when more water is needed. ;)

That does me a service too in that by giving away water from that tank, I have to change in some more clean water. :)

It is almost impossible to do a partial water change too many days.

The activated charcoal is good for a few days to two weeks as an "Adsorber" of ammonia. As surface area gets taken up, it become ineffective for that purpose. The charcoal could help by providing surface as a biological filter or as drainage at the bottom of a flowerpot.

I'm a bad influence in that I keep suggesting ways for people to spend more of their time and money. (Ya shoulda see me at this auction yesterday.)

But a 10 gallon (really a little over 8.5 gallons or a little over 30 liter) tank or (even better) a "20" gallon tank are better starter tanks. They are much more stable and less likely to get polluted, chilled, too acidic, or otherwise out of control compared to a 2.5.

The smaller the container, the easier it is to kill fish.

I still have about a dozen 2.5s in service, but my fish are much healthier in larger tanks. They are less aggressive in larger tanks. Their movement in larger tanks verges upon the poetic. Plants grow better in larger tanks. And many more fry survive and grow proportionately larger, more quickly in those larger tanks.

And here is the really startling part: because of supply and demand in most American markets, a 10 gallon tank costs about the same or even less than a 2.5 or a 5.5!

[ Parent ]



Another item I suggest... (none / 0) (#3)
by guppygirl on Mon Oct 13, 2003 at 11:15:15 AM PST

is a water test kit.  Something that tests for nitrite, ammonia, and pH, at least. This will help you watch the nitrite cycle develop, and help you in the future.

Actually, the smaller tanks are harder to maintain, water chemistry wise, I find. But once they are established, they are as good as any.

I am mostly worried about the amount of the ammonia building in such a small tank though.
You will need to ack quickly to quell that.

A friend of mine puts ammo-chips in her bags of fish when she ships them.  It maybe worth a shot to add some in a net bag, or piece of cheesecloth to help for a week or so.

Best of luck,
and welcome to Guppylog!!!
:-)

[ Parent ]



First Guppy tank in 30 years | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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