Guppies Keep Dying On Me :(

[alwyzchanging]

Got a 10 gal tank with 5 baby guppies (some about..almost 1 month old, some about couple weeks old). Just 3 died the other day so Im down to 2
I have a regular filter in there with a sponge around it so they wont get sucked in. Current temperature is 72.5. Water reading is as follows:
ammonia .5
nitrate0
nitrite0
hardness75
chlorine0
alkalinity120-180ish
ph7.2
Just finished putting in some bacteria supp. to help with the ammonia spike. Would the fact the the ammonia is at .5 the cause of death of my guppies?? Any help would be appreciated.
BTW Im feeding them crushed flakes 2-3/day

 

[KittyKat]

You guppies are dying because your filter is not cycled. Do a 75% water change immediately and then keep doing water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25 and as close to 0 as possible. Reduce feeding to the smallest amount once per day.

 

[roadmaster]

Ammonia in a cycled tank should read zero each day.
Would also submit that guppies need basic alkaline water with pH between 7.5 and 8.0.
As your tank mature's, I would expect the pH and hardness to continue to drift lower to possibly a pH value closer to 7.0 which combined with the 72 degree Temp is better suited for tetra species as opposed to livebearer's such as the guppies.molly's.platy's or swordtails.

 

[alwyzchanging]

Ammonia in a cycled tank should read zero each day.
Would also submit that guppies need basic alkaline water with pH between 7.5 and 8.0.
As your tank mature's, I would expect the pH and hardness to continue to drift lower to possibly a pH value closer to 7.0 which combined with the 72 degree Temp is better suited for tetra species as opposed to livebearer's such as the guppies.molly's.platy's or swordtails.

How much of a water change should I be doing/day? Also, at the alkaline that its at, is it okay for live-bearers? And how would I get the PH up & have it stay up?

 

[the biffster]

don't worry about pH and stuff
just get your ammonia down guppies
can live quite happily be tween pH 7
and up over

 

[roadmaster]

Ammonia in a cycled tank should read zero each day.
Would also submit that guppies need basic alkaline water with pH between 7.5 and 8.0.
As your tank mature's, I would expect the pH and hardness to continue to drift lower to possibly a pH value closer to 7.0 which combined with the 72 degree Temp is better suited for tetra species as opposed to livebearer's such as the guppies.molly's.platy's or swordtails.

How much of a water change should I be doing/day? Also, at the alkaline that its at, is it okay for live-bearers? And how would I get the PH up & have it stay up?

Were it me,I would change a couple gallons to three gallons now.Then would test for ammonia which should be closer to zero with no more fish than you have in ten gallon.
After this, I would change half the water once each week with dechlorinator such as PRIME for new water while making sure new water was not too cold or too warm.
Guppies would appreciate temp around 78 degrees F
For hardness, I might consider product such as SEACHEM'S EQUILIBRIUM with a bit added to the new water each week.

 

[KittyKat]

How much of a water change should I be doing/day? Also, at the alkaline that its at, is it okay for live-bearers? And how would I get the PH up & have it stay up?

A good starting point would be 50%, but you might need to do more to make sure ammonia and nitrite are always under 0.25ppm.

In my experience, most livebearers do best in hard alkaline water with a pH above 7.0. Personally, I wouldn't worry about pH for the moment and concentrate on the ammonia.