Feeding Otos.

[Essjay]

The hardness is 4.7mg/l

Sorry if I'm being a bit pedantic, but we need more info about the unit.
mg/l could be mg/l calcium, mg/l calcium oxide or mg/l calcium carbonate. But with all these units 4.7 is very very soft. Are you sure it is not dH or German degrees - or even Clark degrees or French degrees? And some American water companies use grains per gallon.

There are just so many different units that we need to be absolutely sure which one it is.

 

[garytodd]

I had it wrong.
47 mg/l as Calcium
112 mg/l as HC03
Clarke 9
German 8
French 13

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[Essjay]

That's better, thank you.

The two units used in fishkeeping are German degrees, also called dH, and ppm, which is also called mg/l CaCO3.

The values you need are dH 8 (from your list) and 143 ppm (calculated from your dH).

That hardness is right at the bottom edge of guppies' hardness range, which is 143 to 538 ppm. I would prefer to see them in harder water than this. You may find they suffer from lack of hardness. If this happens, I would look for fish that have your hardness towards the middle of their range; their are plenty of fish that would suit. The best place to research a fish's needs is Seriously Fish.

 

[garytodd]

Thanks essjay. Do shops usualy take fish back? Are they not risking contaminating their water?

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[garytodd]

Would it not be less stressful for the fish on this occasion to keep these guppies and then try something different the next time round?

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[Essjay]

It would be better if you returned the guppies, I wasn't sure if you'd be willing to do that. A lot of shops will take fish, and not just ones they have recently sold. What they are prepared to accept varies from shop to shop. If a shop will take them, the best you'll get is store credit, but you can use this against the purchase of more suitable fish.

I would do some research on Seriously Fish before deciding on replacements. You need to check is a fish is suitable for your tank size, and that your hardness falls within its hardness range.

 

[garytodd]

I'm thinking of returning the Oto's and 2 guppies i don't want any money for them. If I have less than 4 guppies the kids will lose interest as they have named them individually believe it or not. I need to get them into it so that I can have the help to possibly upgrade the tank in the future. I'll do weekly water changes ans tests. If the reading come back negative I will then change my set up.
Thanks for your help.

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[thrujenseyes]

I'm thinking of returning the Oto's and 2 guppies i don't want any money for them. If I have less than 4 guppies the kids will lose interest as they have named them individually believe it or not. I need to get them into it so that I can have the help to possibly upgrade the tank in the future. I'll do weekly water changes ans tests. If the reading come back negative I will then change my set up.
Thanks for your help.

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Hello
I'd definitely return the ottos and as Byron said, if you and or the kids are attached to the guppies...it can work with very regular maintenance (they are messy eaters and big poopers, quite a bioload for a small fish).
But as pointed out your water may be a little too soft for their liking.
I've had this issue in the past trying to keep them as well and they didn't do well until I added a bit of crushed Aragonite (tiny little mesh bag with about a 1/4 cup) inside the filter.
This brought my levels up to where the fish needed and also my Nerite was happier as well.
***and I absolutely recommend a Nerite snail! Best little cleaner and so very pretty! And no babies, which for me was important as I keep a tiny little 6 gallon fluval edge.

I do now keep fish that do well in my water parameters (ember tetra) but at the time I wanted to keep the livebearers that I already had happy.

Good Luck!!

 

[garytodd]

Thanks for that. Would 1 Snail be OK?

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[Byron]

Now that we have the GH at 8 dGH, and the pH previously given as mid 7's, and considering the tank size (30 liters, close to a 10 gallon)...I would stay with the guppies you have. I think you will find the youngsters more interested in these than in what you might have difficulty finding as replacements. Many small fish species have quite fussy parameter needs.

 

[garytodd]

Thanks Byron. Thats what I'll do.

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[Essjay]

Thanks for that. Would 1 Snail be OK?

One nerite snail would be fine in your tank. They come in various sizes, colours and patterns.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Thanks for that. Would 1 Snail be OK?

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heck yes! I've had mine for over two years and he's grown so much! He's gorgeous and very active. I adore him!
And as mentioned, they come in really amazing colors and patterns!