GUppies

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Can anyone tell me a bit about guppies i have a 6 gal that i would like to keep a scoal of male guppies in but i have no filter would this be ok. I don't want babies so i don't want females and i do prefer the males.

[dwayne]

That's a tougie. In a 6 gallon you could probably put 10 male guppies if you had a filter and did regular water changes. I've never kept any fish other than a betta without a filter (except guppy fry who lived in a 2 gallon fishbowl for 2 months)....

I would think that as long as you did water changes (25% every week) and only had maybe 5 male guppies in there you should be OK. Perhaps you could get a small air pump for some extra airation??

[Dangerdoll]

A few years ago, I had guppies which bred out of control, therefore I was often giving the fry away to friends. My one friend kept 2 of the fry (which wound up both being females) in a 1 gallon tank and they lived for 2 years (which is long for a guppy). She did have a floating plant in there which I guess helped a bit and made weekly water changes (50%). She was also careful not to overfeed. She didn't have a filter or air being put in from a pump or anything though the guppies seemed to do quite well. I can't say that the guppies lasted as long because they were acclimated since they were very young but I do know that it has been done and both guppies did rather well. I don't know if this will work if acquiring adults and putting them in the same situation.

[Orbitorly]

Guppies are one of the most strikingly beautiful fish for the aquarium. Hardy, easy to keep and easy to breed, they have been called "swimming jewelry" due to their brilliant coloration.


The male guppies might fight with each other without any females

[PartyAnimal1UK]

This is daft but i was watching the film E.T the other day and i saw a large bowl with guppies in and that's what got me thinking do guppies really need and filter ( i know it's just a film). I don't really mind about a box filter it's just the air pump that annoys me shame we can't run a filter on fresh air. The only other problem with not having a pump is that a film builds on the surface, the only way i can think of keeping that down is to put some floating plants in there would that help.

I don't really want to keep females and males to gether for obviuos reasons, but i was a bit worried that the males would fight. Any ideas, i mean if i was to keep males and females together once the eggs were laid could i not just take them out, oh hang on a minute are they livebearers might have a bit of trouble if they are lol, any ideas. Thanks

[Orbitorly]

Yes they are livebreeders not egglayers.

To be truthfull I have no idea, you could raise them and then give them to you LFS. Or put a tank devider but that would make the tank look terrible

[swany]

You can keep male guppies together without females. They will not fight. I currently have about 40 males together with no females. All very healthy and not a nipped fin between them. (Although they do try to mate with each other)

I agree with you that an air pump is irritating. May I suggest a Fluval 1 internal filter. The noise is minimal and there are no air bubbles either. After the filter has a good colony of bacteria, you could stock as many as 8 guppies.

[Orbitorly]

You can keep male guppies together without females. They will not fight. I currently have about 40 males together with no females. All very healthy and not a nipped fin between them


You sure you don't see most of the fish over and over again. :D

[goldfries]

LOL just get a few guppies, they'll be fine.

don't like the babies, feed them to other fish.

guppies can live really well outdoors without water cleaning and aeration. of course, this has to be done in an acceptable volume of water or else they'll be burned.

then of course, you could put a shade on the containment tank.

but then this is just my view on how hardy they can be outdoors just in case you want to rear them outdoors.

[Faramir]

In malaysia, maybe! In most of the USA, or in Europe, they'd not survive.

[Faramir]

Anyway, back to the subject.

Yes, you can. If - and only if - you have the tank planted. (yes, it's my current fad, but hear me out)

To go totally filterless, however, I think you need to have the plants established and growing first. Your big problem is that IIRC the water in Leicester is like liquid rock. Plants don't like that. But it's only six gallons, so bottled water is a possibility.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

SO if i was to take say 1/2 the 6 gal capicty of water from a bottled source then the other 1/2 from a cycled tank would that work, coz i was going to take the whole of the water from a cycled tank to fill it up coz i can't really cycle a tank with guppies can i .

So if i did that, then got some plants-what would you recomend not very good on plants never kept live ones, so could you explain to me what to do and how to look after them.

So how long after the plants have been in can i put the guppies in, i know i'm impatient.

Oh would floating plants be ok i've used them before ( also what exaclty is the reason for plants, does it areate the water).
besides i would get some floating lant just to break up the film you get on the surface of the water without the flow of a pump.

By the wasy thanks.

[OrionGirl]

Not sure if they are available overseas, but they make very small filters (brand name is shark). They are basically a powerhead with a small area for media (comes with carbon--I cut a sponge to fit). It works very well for my newts, and is quiet.

Other option--get a small pond pump. I have one in a tank with an african frog. It has a sponge around a small powerhead, with extensions that break the surface and forms a water bell (fountain). Provides media for bacteria, moves water, and aerates all in one. For such a small tank, you could do the same thing with a small powerhead. Very cheap.

As for plants--you could easily go with low light plants (anubias, crypts, duckweed, etc). They plants will need about 2 weeks to get established, and you'll want to fertilize lightly about 3-5 days after putting them in.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

Thankyou al for your replies, i will have a look at the fluval 1 i do like the fluvals i have one on my other tank, I just wasn't sure it would be worth paying so much for a tank as small as that. If i was to get a filter would i be able to keep more guppies in the tank as a posed to not having a filter. I'm defianlty going to g with the guppies i think there so pretty. It's just the filter/no filter that's a problem and just weather i need to use cycled water. May i point out that my parents quite a few years ago kept a fish tank with plants and they survived. Anyway would the floating plants do the same and does it matter what substrate i have in i am going to have the plants, for the tank i have tiny black substarte like quartz.
THanks!!

[OrionGirl]

The water in a tank isn't 'cycled'. The media within a tank contains bacteria populations, but very few of these colonies are free floating. Using a scoop of the gravel would be better than using the water.

[Rocketman]

Hey. The guppies will eat most of their own young if you dont feed them (adults) too much.
You could also but the males under a strong xray - that would sterilize them...

[goldfries]

Originally posted by Faramir
In malaysia, maybe! In most of the USA, or in Europe, they'd not survive.

Yeah, due to the weather.

however, the easiest way to curb guppy babies is to have no hiding place for them.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

So if i was to not get a filter, i should use something such as gravel in clean water to help cycle the tank and then make regualr water changes, would a couple of plants work in the same way as gravel.

If i am going to get a filter, would i be able to use the media and put it in the new filter and just use clean gravel and clean water

How many guppies would you recommned with the filter and then without

[goldfries]

5- 10 guppies should be ok. depending on filtration i guess.

weekly - bi.weekly water changes should be fine.