Want To Add Fish And Heater To Cold Water Guppy Tank

[grace26]

Hey,
So I don't know too much about this but I currently have 3 cold water guppies in a 45 litre (11gallon) tank with a filter which makes bubbles, plants and snails which are doing really well. The guppies also had babies, I gave some to my sister and kept 2 to put into the tank when they are old enough making it 5 guppies. I got the fish from a breeder and he said in the warmer months the temp should be fine(I live in New Zealand), but now its getting colder I am thinking about getting a heater. I read that the water needs to be gradually warmed up is that true? Also once the heater has warmed the tank can i make it tropical? If so can I add other small fish such as more guppies, or some minnows, or dannios or maybe a beta fish or bottom dweller? What combinations could I put with my guppies and how many will live happily in my tank?

Thanks

 

[Randi]

What is your current water temperature? I wouldn't raise the temp more than a couple degrees a day with a goal of around 78 degrees (25-26 C). Get a heater that is adjustable and set it for 2 degrees higher than the current temp, let it sit at that temp for at least a day before raising it again. Your guppies will be happier in warm water and you can add other tropical fish. Stay away from a betta, they tend to attack other fish with flowing fins. BTW, guppies are prolific breeders. You will probably end up with a lot more than 5 before too long.

 

[grace26]

What is your current water temperature? I wouldn't raise the temp more than a couple degrees a day with a goal of around 78 degrees (25-26 C). Get a heater that is adjustable and set it for 2 degrees higher than the current temp, let it sit at that temp for at least a day before raising it again. Your guppies will be happier in warm water and you can add other tropical fish. Stay away from a betta, they tend to attack other fish with flowing fins. BTW, guppies are prolific breeders. You will probably end up with a lot more than 5 before too long.

ok thanks thats a great help, it's about 18C at the moment, when i get it to that temp what other fish and how many I be able to add to the tank?

 

[Randi]

A general guideline is one inch of fish for every gallon of water. Also, you will want to have two females for every male guppy or you can do as I do and only keep male guppies which eliminates the baby problem. Any smaller non-aggressive species should do well with guppies, but considering that they are mid to top swimmers I would look at bottom dwellers. Some pygmy or dwarf corydora catfish would be nice if you have sand as a substrate. If not you could get some otocinclus. If you would like a larger fish (not a bottom dweller) a single dwarf gourami would do well. One last thing, do not add more than 2 fish at a time or your ammonia levels could spike.