Temp to keep guppies at???

[I nEEd mEnTAl HeLP]

What temperature should guppies be at? I think the best range is 76-82, but I believe they tolerate 68-84 degrees. I'm asking this because someone somewhere else said that guppies shouldn't be kept at 80 degrees or so and therefore shouldn't be kept with bettas. I disagree though and this is why I am asking. If it is harmful to keep them at this temperature(which I don't believe it is), can you please state why? The only "negative" thing I can think of is that it shortens their lifespan. Thanks.

 

[Crispii]

I would keep guppies at around 76-78° F. Keeping fish at a high temperature will increase their metabolism, which will shorten their lifespan. Keeping fish in colder temperatures will cause lethargic behaviors in fish and possibly illness.

I've also seen and heard people keeping guppies and Bettas together with no issues.

 

[CassCats]

Best is to choose their middle range.
Few reasons for this:

1) keeping them at the extreme ends of their range stresses their systems out and makes their immune system weaker, which makes them more prone to health problems and disease.

2) the stress from reason #1 shortens their lifespan.

4) naturally, their habitat doesnt stay at the extreme ends of their temperature range. It changes regularly. Staying constantly at the extreme ends wouldn't make them very comfortable.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Guppies do best in the middle range. If kept long term at high temps their life span will be shortened. It is acceptable for short periods of time to treat diseases such as ich.

Guppies should not be kept with bettas. Guppies need hard water and bettas need soft. Depending on what you have, one or the other will suffer and eventually suffer a long early death. Guppies are designed to take the minerals out of the hard water, in soft water they are unable to do this. It is like starving. Bettas have the opposite problem if kept in hard water, they cant handle the hardness.

In addition to this bettas should not be kept with other fish for other reasons, some people report success but they have not way of knowing for sure. Bettas are aggressive territorial fish. If there is another fish in its territory, even if it doesn't physically attack, it will produce pheromones and allomones into the water, stressing the other fish and itself, making all fish involved more prone to disease.

This may be able to be done in an extremely large tank, it should only be done with fish requiring the same water softness and PH levels, so not guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails, rainbowfish, etc

 

[Colin_T]

18-30C (24-26C is optimum).

Fish kept in cooler water will normally live longer. My tanks used to hit 30C+ in summer but I had my heaters set on 18C for winter so the fish had a 12C+ variation throughout the year. The cooler winter temperatures helped counter the heat of summer.

You don't keep guppies with Bettas because the male Bettas can get stroppy when they see another fish with a big fancy tail, and they attack the guppy because they consider it an intruder into their territory.

 

[JuiceBox52]

@Byron

 

[I nEEd mEnTAl HeLP]

18-30C (24-26C is optimum).

Fish kept in cooler water will normally live longer. My tanks used to hit 30C+ in summer but I had my heaters set on 18C for winter so the fish had a 12C+ variation throughout the year. The cooler winter temperatures helped counter the heat of summer.

You don't keep guppies with Bettas because the male Bettas can get stroppy when they see another fish with a big fancy tail, and they attack the guppy because they consider it an intruder into their territory.

Yeah, I know. Some people do have success with keeping both together, but I've heard LOTS of stories where everything is going perfectly one day and the next morning, the betta has killed the other fish.

 

[Byron]

I concur with Colin. A range of 18-28C (64-82F) but long-term the mid-range (24-26C/75-78F) is best (what Colin termed optimum). I also agree that as male Betta should not be housed with guppies--or anything else for that matter; to do so is not being humane to the Betta or the other fish, or both.

Temperature is crucial for fish because they are ectotherms. Their metabolism is driven by temperature, and since they cannot generate their own, they are forced into using that of the water in which they live. Even a couple degrees can be critical for a fish. A shorter lifespan is a serious consequence because it is proof that something has been so detrimental to the fish it has been unable to properly carry out the normal daily life-essential functions. None of us should consider that acceptable [I'm not saying anyone is, just making the statement] for any animal including fish.

 

[fish48]

guppies do well when kept between 68f and 74f usually stronger long-lived and less acceptable to diseases,