Male Guppy tank

[Cape Town John]

Good Day from Cape Town
This is my first post and I hope there is someone out there with some advice. I am an experienced tropical fish keeper, once owning a pet shop with the largest selection of tropical fish in Cape Town. For the first time I decided to set up a male only guppy tank. Despite all the water parameters being correct, I have experienced a much higher rate of deaths than normal. The tank is 200 litre (55 US gallons) and contains only male guppies and some danios. Temperature is 25 degrees (77 degrees for the US). There are two sponge filters plus a power head with 3 external filter compartments. Water changes approx 25% are done weekly. Not one danio has died but there has been a steady stream of guppy fatalities. Has anyone else experienced a higher that normal death rate when keeping only male guppies?
Thank you for help.
John, Cape Town

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Male guppies are notoriously territorial and nippy with one another. Unfortunately one of my guppies was literally bullied to death by his tankmates a month or so back. Another's tail has been ripped to shreds by the other guppies, and there are noticeable chunks taken out of another few.
Really wouldn't recommend keeping male guppies together as a long term thing.

 

[Cape Town John]

Male guppies are notoriously territorial and nippy with one another. Unfortunately one of my guppies was literally bullied to death by his tankmates a month or so back. Another's tail has been ripped to shreds by the other guppies, and there are noticeable chunks taken out of another few.
Really wouldn't recommend keeping male guppies together as a long term thing.

Thanks for your reply. I am already beginning to think that you are right. Perhaps I should get some females for them.

 

[Colin_T]

Any chance of pictures and video of the fish?
If the video is too big for this website, post it on YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube. If you are using a mobile phone to take the video, have the phone horizontal so the video takes up the entire screen. If you have the phone vertical, you get video in the middle and black on either side.

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What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

 

[emeraldking]

An all male guppy tank doesn't have to become a slaughter house. But yes, dominance can occur for sure in certain cases.
This is an all male guppy tank of mine (there's also a female swordtails and juveniles in there). But they live in perfect harmony.

 

[Naughts]

Have you noticed aggression? Can you remove the worst bully/ies? My previous guppies (mixed) and current endlers (male) are not aggressive - no nipping or territorial behaviour - but they do display and dart to establish a hierarchy.
Does the tank have plants/decor to break up the line of sight.

A different scenario is if you're water is too soft as well as weak guppy stock. Let Colin know your GH etc. and maybe try a different supplier.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

An all male guppy tank doesn't have to become a slaughter house. But yes, dominance can occur for sure in certain cases.
This is an all male guppy tank of mine (there's also a female swordtails and juveniles in there). But they live in perfect harmony.

Wow, beautiful. Especially love those blue ones mixed in.

 

[emeraldking]

Wow, beautiful. Especially love those blue ones mixed in.

Those blues were in there because they didn't show the zebrinus pattern too well on the flanks. So, I didn't use them for further breeding.