An update on my betta/guppy tank.

Now, in retrospect, I'm fairly sure it had a lot to do with what I've realized is not very ideal water.  I simply can not get it strictly up to par.  Luckily, I've realized that guppies who are born and raised in said water are absolutely flawless, health-wise.

Now, all of the adults I had have died by now.  I'm not kidding, I'm not that bad a fish-keeper.. this water just doesn't like guppies.  But of the fry that survived, three have reached adulthood.  Two males, and a female.  I know, I know, it's a no-no, but I'm so very hesitant to put another female or two in and watch them react badly.  Maybe by now something has equalized.. I'm not sure.

In this tank, I also have a pleco.  He's been there the whole while, and is holding up surprisingly well for a delicate thing as I've noticed them to be.  He's quite the character, and loves to spread the ball of java moss aaaaall over the tank every time I change it.

The most notable thing about the tank, however, is that along with my two orangey-red male guppies (One clearly having Endlers in his genes, and both being very vivid) I have a fully-grown orangey-blonde male betta.

Now before I see newbies out there dumping guppies with bettas, lemme explain this... a ten gallon is a mite small to have this setup, I think.  The reason I believe it worked is that I started the betta in there when the fry were quite small.  Just bigger than bite-size.  They've grown up together (or in the betta's case, grown old) and they have actually gotten along quite well!  The guppy males' tails aren't perfect.. they always look a little ragged.  I'm not sure if that's because they bicker amongst themselves, or if the betta is the culprit, though.  I see him charge them once or twice a day, but all that ever happens is a bit of flaring.  They all eat peaceably together, and no one ever shows signs of stress.  I feel like the presence of a quasi-predator keeps the guppies lively. :)

I will own up and admit that one of the males did get a sizeable piece of his tail chomped on once long ago.  I think I'm mostly to blaim for having waited a day or two between feedings, and that hasn't happened since.  I quarantined and medicated him, and it's all grown back and hasn't happened since.

The one phenomenon with questionably good or bad implications is that I have seen zero fry for the entire adulthood of the guppies.  The female certainly goes through pregnant and non-pregnant stages, but I never see the babies.  This may be because I had so much drama with the originals and I'm not searching for them like I used to, and sequestering them off.  Or perhaps it's the betta.  All in all, I don't mind much.  I kinda want to slow it down on the guppy breeding, because I bought three show-quality pure white crowntail bettas quite a while ago, and my attentions are all on them.  As I hear it, betta breeding is arduous. :)