Guppies Usually Hard To Keep?

[sammy86]

im having trouble with my guppies..
i have platys, barbs, danios, tetras and khulis
i got two guppies - within a week my yellow had died - he was aggressive towrads the other fish but seemed to then settle down - when i turned the light on in the morning (a week after i bought them) yellow guppy was dead and half eaten on the floor. the other fish didnt/havnt shown any aggression to the guppies atall - and the remaining guppie is very happy to school with my two platys.

i fed my fish this morning and was admiring my guppy who looked perfect and happy -
now i cannot find it! no sign whatsoever of my guppy...not even the remains

all my other fish are happy healthy perky and my water is fine! whats going onnnnn?

 

[fishcrazy55]

idk what is ur tank size cuz thats alot of fish in there...and u should have 2 female for every male*

 

[dwarfgourami]

It is hard to generalise: many guppies are weakened and inbred, but this is not to say that you cannot find a healthy guppy with a bit of hunting. But you need to inspect the lfs very carefully, guppies can be prone to parasites and bacterial infection. Look at their poo, if it is white and stringy- don't buy anything out of that tank, not even the strongest looking gup. Always go for guppies with strong healthy-looking bodies, even if this means their tails are nothing special. Try not to buy heavily pregnant females as they may abort from the stress of the move.

A couple of things can be said generally about guppies:

they do not like soft acid water

they do not tend to like strong current

they tend to react quickly to a lack of oxygen on hot days- an airstone will help

they can suffer badly from bullies and fin-nippers

because the males are highly sexed, you need to get the sex ratio right: either 2-3 females per male, or 5+ males one their own, or females only (in the latter case, numbers tend not to matter)

they benefit from a varied diet with occasional live food (frozen is fine) and vegetables

they benefit from a planted tank (artificial is fine) with enough cover for a weaker individual to get away

But it may just be that you were unlucky and got a bad batch.

 

[breezer40]

It is hard to generalise: many guppies are weakened and inbred, but this is not to say that you cannot find a healthy guppy with a bit of hunting. But you need to inspect the lfs very carefully, guppies can be prone to parasites and bacterial infection.

Very true. Guppies from my own experiences of working in the shop are normally breed in salt water by the commercial breeders. I say normally but their are exeptions. When they are suddenly changed over to straight tap water then the shock is often enough to kill them. Some just dont adapt at all and combined with the inbreeding that takes place leads to the common guppy becomming more of an annual fish rather than along term investment. Our shop actively encourages local breeders to bring in their babies (so long as they are of a saleable size) and I am sure many other retailers do the same. Tank breed guppies from enthusiasts tend to be hardier and as they have been breed in tap water already used to it. It is always a good idea to ask where the guppies have come from.

 

[sammy86]

thanks for the feedback

just a few points:

its a male guppy - all the other guppies looked fine in the tank - he said theyd be easy to look after.

my water is hard

i have a planted tank

theyre is only a slight current and the guppy didnt go over there

none of the fish had a problem with it, his fins were intact and none of the fish chased him (infact they really seemd to like him)

he was very healthy looking, no ill symptoms atall.

i have a airstone on at all times - and the heater dosnt go on except for really cold days (my bedroom is next to a boiler so it keeps the temp high)

i fed them flakes and bloodworm pellets, also cucumber, but i didnt see the guppy eat that.

ill not buy gups from said store again - - ill try somewhere else (if i do ) but more...thanks for your advice

oh...and the 2nd guppy is dead i found him this morning

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

How many gallons is the tank? Do you have any recent test results for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? What is the average temp in the tank? You should keep the heater on at all times- its purpose is to stop the tanks temp falling below the temp you set it at, so on hot days it will not effect the temp at all.

 

[Phantom Thief]

As mentioned, guppies were once the staple of the beginner's stocklist, but they have been so inbred that they are now weak and disease prone. I personally don't bother much for them any longer.

That said, if the guppy died without any prior symptoms, in points to a shock of some sort, pH, temperature, etc.

P.T.