I have two guppies, Ember and Apollo, and I keep them in an unheated, unfiltered 2.5 gallon tank. I figured the one inch of fish per gallon rule applied, but after reading a little more, I fear I messed up big time. I have an empty 10 gallon tank, all set up and ready, but I had other plans for it. I do NOT want to mistreat my fish, and I will drop my plans and fix the tank into a guppy tank, but CAN they live ok in this tank? i do compulsive 100% water changes on it, and feed them a great, varied diet. If I heated it and put an airstone in it, would this suffice?
I did not do my research on guppies
- Thread starter OrkyBetta
- Start date
IovaykInD
Fish Herder
I don't know, but I would love if it did suffice. I would say it wouldn't suffice, but if you do 100% water changes, then it might survive. However, it wouldn't have a happy life.
Hmm, well I was planning on dividing the 10 gallon into two 5 gallons, and having my female guppy on one side, and a new male betta on the other, but would the two guppies be ok in a five gallon heated filtered tank? That idea just came to me.
IovaykInD
Fish Herder
You could divide the tank in half and put both guppies into the 5 gallon half. But you should always have double the amount of females to males, because the males harass females. Just get one more female, and you could put them all in half of the 10 gallon.
pica_nuttalli
don't be a twit
really the only fish that should be kept in an unfiltered container are the anabatoids. even in that group of fish, it is only perfectly safe to keep a betta that way.
guppies and other livebearers simply are not physically design to live in such low oxygen levels--at least an airstone should be in use. beyond the lack of labryinth organs, most guppies are also not hardy enough to withstand frequent high-percentage water changes; prolonged exposure will weaken their immune systems.
what you have to remember is that bettas have been line-bred and hybridized for the last 2000 years to be kept in small, unfiltered containers. the common VT betta is a remarkably hardy fish considering the horrors it is typically subjected to in the trade. on the other hand, guppies are more inbred than line-bred and have only been "domesticated" in the last 100 years or so. the common guppy simply is not equipped to deal with the same minimal conditions as the common betta can handle.
basically, guppies aren't bettas and can't handle betta-appropriate conditions in the long term.
guppies and other livebearers simply are not physically design to live in such low oxygen levels--at least an airstone should be in use. beyond the lack of labryinth organs, most guppies are also not hardy enough to withstand frequent high-percentage water changes; prolonged exposure will weaken their immune systems.
what you have to remember is that bettas have been line-bred and hybridized for the last 2000 years to be kept in small, unfiltered containers. the common VT betta is a remarkably hardy fish considering the horrors it is typically subjected to in the trade. on the other hand, guppies are more inbred than line-bred and have only been "domesticated" in the last 100 years or so. the common guppy simply is not equipped to deal with the same minimal conditions as the common betta can handle.
basically, guppies aren't bettas and can't handle betta-appropriate conditions in the long term.
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
The guppys will do well in a 10gallon it will be far better for them than the 2.5gallon but you will still need a filter and heater, even if you live in a warm area the heater will help prevent fluctuations in temperature which guppys do not fair well from- the ideal temp for adult guppys is 24-25degrees, if they are long tailed fancy ones set the filter on a weak current but if they are ordinary standard ones keep the filter on a normal to strong current. If you have a male and female guppy you need to add an extra 1-2females to the group as a single female will get too harrassed by the male.
You realy need all these things to keep guppys healthy and help them live long otherwise they may not last a year, but i am sure you will do whats best for them
You realy need all these things to keep guppys healthy and help them live long otherwise they may not last a year, but i am sure you will do whats best for them
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
24-25 deggrees?! 
ur using celcious right?
ur using celcious right?
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=95817
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
???oppositearmor said:24-25 deggrees?!
I.e between 76 and 77 farenheit(sp?).
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
few, okay, i thought u ment that in farenthiet, if it was that cold, they'd be fish sicles!
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