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Dive,Dive,Dive
By Jaws from the Jaws department, Section Ask Guppylog Posted on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 12:32:10 PM PST Tags: (all tags)

New to the whole guppy thing. I looked on the site but didn't find the answer I was looking for. I bought four guppies today and all of them are swimming at the top of the tank. Is something wrong? Also, I have 5 tetras ( 3 silver and 2 orange with black fins) and I've noticed the orange tetras like chasing around the single blue guppy more than the orange guppies. Could this be because of the difference in color? Jaws

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Dive,Dive,Dive | 19 comments (15 topical, 4 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Dive,Dive,Dive (none / 0) (#19)
by love my fishies on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 11:10:32 PM PST

do you have an airstone?or another type of oxygen circulation they could be gasping for oxygen at the top because there isnt enough available in the tank hope it helps

Re: Dive,Dive,Dive (none / 0) (#2)
by Alisa on Sun May 07, 2006 at 11:09:32 PM PST

Hi there Jaws. It's pretty common for new fish to be shocked and bewildered in a new environment and stay at either the top or the bottom of the tank, sometimes dashing up and down. They are very stressed and depending on where you got them from, they might not survive very long due to the stress (and the parasites that might have hitchhiked along with them.)
Hopefully you used a cycled tank...
Also, any questions you might have are most likely in the Immediate Help up at the very top, look for the smiley with the blowhorn ;)

The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 1) (#5)
by unclescott on Mon May 08, 2006 at 04:54:11 AM PST

the water is oxygen poor and there is more O2 there. (How many days/weeks did you have water in there before adding fish? Did you try a fishless cycle? What treatment did you have to apply to your water?) Are there places the guppies could hide?

It could also be because they are afraid of the tetras. What kind of tetras are those? That is really important.

For instance the silvertip tetras, Hasemania nana has a reputation of being peaceful among tetras, but I have found that they seem to enjoy chasing and nipping guppies. Different fish behave differently with different companions.

That association of orange and more or less leaving the orange guppies alone is a real interesting observation. In behavioral studies on wild guppies, Dr. Anne Houde reported that orange and orange with a black contrast played a significant role in the response of female tp male guppies.

So whatever tetra your orange tetra is, might [lay a role in leaving in the orange guppies alone.

Of course, the blue one might just taste good.

You may be able to drop by your LFS (Live Fish Shop) and get the names of those tetras. Will they trade back?

Speaking of the shop, did they quarantine the fish? Do they do a treatment for internal parasites? If not, you might...

Or do a Google image search for Tetra (that will be a while). The host of this site is also quite a tetra enthusiast. Maybe see http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/characins1/l/blthumbchar.htm

Miskairal asked for a run down on your tank parameters (size, temperature, filter. etc, etc.). That would be useful if you would please provide that.

All the best!
uncle scott

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#7)
by Jaws on Mon May 08, 2006 at 02:45:23 PM PST

2nd day with the new guppies and there still at the top of the tank. I have a 25 gallon tank with a unfiltered pump on one side and a filtered pump on the other. I also have a heater keeping the water at a 70 degree temp.I have had my tetras for almost 2 months (I've had the tank for 2 1/2 months)and they have done fine. For the most part the guppies seem fine other than being at the top of the tank. They are eating and behaving normal. I have cleaned my tank (10 percent of the water) every week for two months now but I have read that after two months you can let it go a little longer. I have never had any kind of algea problems or anything of that nature. The only problem I have had was when i first set my tank up. two weeks later i brought my first fish home(tetras). One of the tetras eyes got real cloudy and it died. I'm not an expert fish keeper but I do want to learn. Sorry for any "stupid" questions. I will try to search the site better before asking any more questions.

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#10)
by Jaws on Mon May 08, 2006 at 06:17:09 PM PST

I was trying to figure out the identification of a couple of fish in my tank. They are about a inch long, orange in color but kind see through. They have blck fin on top and one just below the tail and a black stripe on their sides. I thought they were tetras but now I'm not sure. I hve some jpegs of them but am not sure how to get them so you can see them online.

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#12)
by aurorahorse on Wed May 10, 2006 at 01:10:39 AM PST

Sounds like a serpae tetra...one of my favorite tetras. Check this out:

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gserpae.html

Is that it? They can be quite nippy but rarely any real harm...I forgot how many you said you had, but you need at least 6...that helps cut down on the nippiness...or at least they'll be more likely to keep it to their breed.:)

Dawn

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#13)
by aurorahorse on Wed May 10, 2006 at 01:12:58 AM PST

Ok, I read only 2 of the silver ones (like this? http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile40.html) and 3 of the orange...you need six of EACH kind of tetra for them to cut down on the nipping. Try that.

Dawn

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#14)
by aurorahorse on Wed May 10, 2006 at 01:16:28 AM PST

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/tetras/tetras_bigger.htm#top2

There is a page about tetras in general. It says they aren't good mates for the guppies (if I guessed right on the breeds).

Dawn

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#17)
by miskairal on Thu May 11, 2006 at 02:34:45 AM PST

aurora you sure like to give back don't you. Thanks for you info, that was very interesting.
--
Repeat after me,
I will read the Immediate Help
[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#18)
by aurorahorse on Thu May 11, 2006 at 05:32:37 AM PST

Welcome...I was just happy I could actually contribute something for once.;)

Dawn

[ Parent ]

That is a good point about the mini-schools. (none / 1) (#15)
by unclescott on Wed May 10, 2006 at 05:53:54 AM PST

Thank you for bringing it to our attention. When they have more company of their own kind, they may pay attention to the school more than to other fish. Also, if they are a little nippy, they may be less aggressive because they are watching their comrades to make sure they don't get nipped. ;)

This sort of trick also works for people working with mbuna, some of the popular cichlids from Lake Malawi and with barbs, up to a point. It may work with like sized annual killies too.

All the best!
uncle scott

[ Parent ]

Re: That is a good point about the mini-schools. (none / 0) (#16)
by Jaws on Wed May 10, 2006 at 02:28:51 PM PST

Thanks for all the advice. I'll research some and let you know how it goes.

[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 1) (#11)
by miskairal on Tue May 09, 2006 at 02:06:34 AM PST

Guppylog itself doesn't have room for everyone's pics but there are a few free places that allow you to host photos and then you can provide us with a link. I'd offer for you to email them to me but I won't know what they are anyway :)
I think I'm about the only one here still on dialup so be kind and keep the images to less than 100kb if you can.

Some freebie photo hosting places are:

photobucket
1 GB of space, login/registration required

Sony imagestation
Can't tell you anything about this unless I log out and if I do that I might never login again b/c I've forgotten my password :) I do know that this one requires you to sign up and then proceeds to send you emails occasionally. For others to view your photos they have to sign up too (which is why I've got an account with them).

ImageShack
I've heard of it and seen it used. It appears that there is no signing up or logging in required but if you register it will keep track of your photos for you. "You can upload as many images as you want, as long as each one adheres to the Terms of Service."

esnips
1 GB of space, login/registration required

--
Repeat after me,
I will read the Immediate Help
[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 1) (#8)
by miskairal on Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:36:24 PM PST

Thanks for the extra info Jaws. Sorry if we sound a little snappy but we've had lots of people through here who ask a question and we waste time answering b/c they never return.

It certainly doesn't sound like anything to do with tank cycling (the most common cause of problems we see here). I think you will find that the guppies will settle down in the next day or two unless, like unclescott says, those tetras are a problem to them. Did you acclimate the new guppies to your water and not just the water temperature? That is, not just float the bag but add your tank water to it slowly too?

Keep us posted on how it goes and if this post gets lost/voted out then start a new diary entry about it so we know how it's all going.

Cheerio
miskairal
--
Repeat after me,
I will read the Immediate Help
[ Parent ]

Re: The guppies could be at the top, because (none / 0) (#9)
by Jaws on Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:40:24 PM PST

I did not acclimate my guppies and that may be the problem. I should have thought of that because I did it for my tetras. Thankyou very much and I already have this site in my favorites. Great job on the site. Very informative.

[ Parent ]

Dive,Dive,Dive | 19 comments (15 topical, 4 editorial, 0 hidden)

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