Water Flow

[Ardvark]

Today is the first day I've introduced Guppies into my tank. Four of them. A few questions if I may? 
 
1) The flow of the water coming from the pump/filter, does it mater how strong it is? I wouldn't  want to much of a current in the tank that will harm the fish.
 
2) Atm they are swimming together on the surface of the tank, is this normal to a new environment? ie safety in numbers.
 
3) I fed them just a small pinch of flaked food and they ate it straight away. I'll feed them again later this evening but I also have some dried Bloodworms, would these be in place of a pinch of flakes or an addition?
 
As always any tips or suggestions will be gratefully received.
 
                                                                                       Al

 

[Mamashack]

 to TFF, Ardvark!
Fish generally speaking don't need feeding more than once a day unless they are breeding or growing.
Dried bloodworms aren't really recommended - defrosted frozen ones seems to be the best choice for offering b/w, but only once a week as a treat as too much protein can be constipating. 
It's also a good idea to let them forage one day a week by withholding food for a day. Some people only feed their fish 2-3 times a week.
You'll get into a routine with yours.
Can you give us some more information about the tank they are in? Size, filtration, heating, etc.
Did you cycle the tank before adding the guppies? Have you got any water test kits? Good idea to check your water quality regularly after adding fish so that you can see how they are faring. Lots of questions, I know, but in truth the answers help us to give you the best advice depending on your individual set-up.

 

[Ardvark]

Hi Ros,
           Thanks for your reply. The setup I have atm is a 2 foot Interpet 64 litre fish pod tank, 150 watt heater and a PF2 filter. As for the bloodworms I'll get rid of them. How's about live daphnia as a treat say once a month? I've see frozen ones in cubes, after defrosting how many cubes would you give at a time? The game plan atm is to see how the 4 guppies go then add another 4 next week and if ok another 4 a week after that until I have 16 altogether. I think that is the most Guppies I can have in my sized tank. Please correct me if I'm wrong.  

 

[Mamashack]

There's mixed opinion about live foods unless you've produced them yourself as they can introduce parasites into the tank so personally I wouldn't give live food. As for the amount of frozen food once you know that a fish's stomach is about as big as its eye that will give you a clue. If the cubes you have are the same size as the ones I have you'll only need to cut off a tiny slice to defrost (again as a treat maybe once a week).
Did you cycle your tank before adding the guppies? If not, I definitely wouldn't add any more for a few months as you'll be doing a fish-in cycle which is not really recommended.
Have a look at the topics under Cycle your tank in this forum if you're not sure what I'm talking about.
Do you have any water test kits? If not you'll need to get some liquid ones. Don't get the test strips are they are totally inaccurate. The main ones you'll need are ammonia, nitrite, pH and possibly nitrates (less toxic that the first 2). Many members on here have the API master test kit which is probably the cheapest way to purchase them. They are usually cheaper on eBay or similar than in your local LFS.