New 25 Gallon Tank

[CMartino]

Thanks for your time,

I currently have a perfect setup of a 28L AquaOne 320 but after one of my guppies giving birth to nine young I decided I should upgrade now before I encounter an overstocking issue.

I have purchased a 25 Gallon tank you can see below:

http/i49.tinypic.com/5cj37s.jpg

I would like the advice of the seasoned tropical fish keepers on the best method of "running it in" before transferring the fish, at best I see myself having about two weeks or so before the fry would be of a size to need to be removed from the breading tank.

So I would like some information from the seasoned keepers here on how to cycle the tank ready for my fish.

Things I have:

* 200W Heater
* High power filter
* Air stone (larger one)


I would also like to have the following questions answered please:

* Do I need to add Sea salt to my aquarium as I've read on the internet it's beneficial to my guppies.
* How many hours per day should the aquarium light be on for my guppies.
* At what temperature is optimum for guppies? I currently have my tank set at around 25-28C.

Some other notes:

* I will only be stocking my aquarium with guppies so I would like it tailored to their needs and habitat requirements.


Thank you for your time,
Christopher

 

[KrystaK]

That's a fair upgrade. I like it

I prefer using mature media from the filter of my old tanks to jump start cycles in new tanks. I have never started a full cycle from scratch so I'll leave that to someone who has....

By high power filter do you mean a filter that can handle a bigger tank than the tank you have? My 30 Gallon tank currently has a filter that is designed for 30-45 gallons. Which means it can handle my tank no problem.

Air stones aren't necessary in most tanks, but they never hurt to have around, they put more oxygen in the water, which is always a plus.


As far as sea salt (Or Aquarium salt) It isn't necessary to add. I would recommend not adding any, that way (Not saying this will happen but anything is possible) If your fish contract something like Ick you can use the Aquarium Salt to treat it and it will be more effective, rather than having a strain of Ick that the salt has no effect on. Guppies can handle salt no problem but it is by no means necessary for their survival.

The general rule of thumb is leave the light on for as many hours of light there is in a normal day. So 7-9 hours depending on where you live, I leave mine on longer, but I want to promote some algae growth so my cherry shrimp and BNP have something to munch on. I would recommend 7-8 hours max, otherwise you will start to see algae growth, and if you are strictly guppies you won;t have anything to control the algae.

74-79 is a good range, which is about 23 to 26 is good. The higher the temperature the more quick the metabolism of the fish (So the warmer it is the faster your fry will grow)


Also, a good thing to keep in mind is 2 or 3 female guppies for every one male guppy. I know it will mean more fry but it will also mean that any males you have won't bully a single female to death because they want to mate.

 

[snazy]

* Do I need to add Sea salt to my aquarium as I've read on the internet it's beneficial to my guppies.
No, you don't need salt with them. and my current ones are completely fresh water. I have kept guppies with a bit of salt and also without at all when in community tanks and I can't tell if it made a difference but I certainly used to keep them with a bit of salt the first 3 weeks after purchase, not sure if that's the reason I never got a sick one but it was probably just a coincidence.
* How many hours per day should the aquarium light be on for my guppies.
That depends if you have plants or not. Most tanks and fish are fine with no more than 8 hours a day. Guppies are day fish and you've probably noticed they go to sleep after the lights are out so make sure they've got sleep and day period.
* At what temperature is optimum for guppies? I currently have my tank set at around 25-28C.
If raising fry, you can go 26-28 degrees but with adults I would keep them 24-26 max.

 

[CMartino]

Thank you for such detailed replies!

KrystaK, I would think that using the filter media from the old filter would be a great idea but unfortunately I don't think they are compatible size wise. Thanks for your suggestion on the salt too - I don't think I'm going to add any then if this is the case if they're quite happy without it!

I am going to run the tack around 25C since this appears to be optimum temperature for them like you say Snazy it seems best around that temperature and creates a happy medium for mother and fry.

 

[fluttermoth]

KrystaK, I would think that using the filter media from the old filter would be a great idea but unfortunately I don't think they are compatible size wise.

That doesn't matter. Fold them, or cut them up, or you'll have to do a fishless cycle, which will take somewhere around six to eight weeks, or a fish-in cycle, which could harm, or even kill, your fish.

 

[the_lock_man]

+1 to Krysta and Fluttermoth. By far the best way for your situation.