Need Info

[balapickerel]

hi everyone, i'm new to this forum and fairly new to the keeping of fish tanks, i have a 20 gallon tank and have succsesfully kept two large goldfish in it for the last two months, but i have grown bored of them and wish to get guppies as well, i have done some research and know my facts pretty well but i would also like some more opinions, i know that guppies prefer temperature in the 72-76 degrees range and so i will be giving my golfish to my friend.

before i get guppies i would just like to know what tank conditions they thrive in, substrate or no subtrate, plants or no plants etc.

thanks in advance for any help givin

 

[rdd1952]

Guppies are about as adaptable as any fish we keep and can thrive in just about any water parameters (speaking pH, GH & KH, not bad water from ammonia or nitrite). They are mostly fine if any pH from mid 5s to the 8s. Substrate really doesn't matter as they aren't bottom dwellers so that's really just personal preference. All fish like some type cover so plants, fake or real are always nice. Personally, I prefer live plants but once again that's just up to you as to which you would rather have.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi and welcome!

A very good thing to rehome the goldies, the first goldfish needs a minimum 30 gallons and each additional one needs an added 10 or 20, something like that if you're going to keep them for very long at all!

Guppies used to be among the hardiest of fish when I bred them in the 50's but they have since become quite in-bred worldwide and often show much weaker resistance to disease these days. Nonetheless they remain extremely popular and certainly could probably care less about the things you mention. Yes they are tropicals and your new heater will be the right thing. Substrate and plants wouldn't matter to them either way, but of course most people always go for a nice substrate and live plants in this hobby, although that's up to you. Having a stable water hardness/pH is more important than the actual pH. There are guppy hobbyists down in the species-specific forums here, so you might find even more detailed info if you want it.

Study up on the Nitrogen Cycle prior to re-homing the goldies if you haven't already as you'd be smart to handle the transition so as to save your beneficial bacteria, which are feeding on the ammonia from the current fish and will be fine also for the tropicals. A knowledge of how to use the right type of test kit and how to use good water change techniques is essential to this hobby if you aren't already familiar.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[balapickerel]

i allready know all about the nitrogen cycle, and by large golfish, i meant large for a begginer, they're only about five inches long and are very healthy!(something i can't say for my first two goldfish, i made the mistake of putting the water that they came in into the tank and they caught a disease )