Guppies in a 10gal

[BambooShark]

Hi,

If you couldn't already tell, I am new. I am ordering my first aquarium, which is a 10 gallon aqueon. I am planning to put some guppies in there, because my uncle (He is a marine biologist) said that would be a good starting point. I was wondering how many guppies would be good for a 10 gallon tank. I have heard 1 gal per fish (applying to small fish only) , meaning that there would only be room for 10 guppies. I am happy with this, but highly value this and am wondering if this will be crammed, or will to much space.

Thanks,
Bamboo

 

[tanker]

!) You will need to "cycle" the tank.
2) 10 Guppys maybe psuhing it, but can be done.
3) Do you plan on having any females, or an all male tank?
4) Will there be any "Live Plants"?

 

[Brian Feeder of Fish]

!) You will need to "cycle" the tank.

Regarding cycling your tank, if you don't already know how:

Fill your tank with dechlorinated water, but don't add or buy any fish yet. Allow the tank to sit for several weeks to a month. You must allow the populations of beneficial bacteria to build up. These bacteria convert ammonia from waste, which is toxic to fish, into nitrite. Nitrite is also still toxic to fish, but another form of bacteria convert it into nitrate, which can be tolerated to an extent by fish, usually around 30-40 parts per million max, depending on the fish. You will need to remove several gallons of water per week, around 25% of the tank, to keep nitrates to acceptable levels, but changing too much water at once can disrupt the bacteria populations. Although I have never kept them, my understanding is that guppies are fairly hardy, and could allow some leeway in the area of nitrate levels. These bacteria will colonize the tank automatically in the presence of ammonia, which will form in the tank naturally over time. I have also heard of ways but never tried to stimulate ammonia build up by either carefully dosing pure ammonia or adding a small amount of fish food to the empty tank. If you want to go that route, I would suggest seeking the advice of others.

Good luck,
Brian

 

[Tifftastic]

Brian, your information is mostly right. However, just letting the tank sit for a month doing water changes will not allow for the BB (beneficial bacteria) to grow. You have to add a source of waste. Be that the ammonia or food you listed, but it HAS to be added to the tank to get growth.

Additionally, you will want a test kit to to monitor the levels to know when it is safe to add your fish.

 

[Brian Feeder of Fish]

Brian, your information is mostly right. However, just letting the tank sit for a month doing water changes will not allow for the BB (beneficial bacteria) to grow. You have to add a source of waste. Be that the ammonia or food you listed, but it HAS to be added to the tank to get growth.

Additionally, you will want a test kit to to monitor the levels to know when it is safe to add your fish.

Yeah, meant to mention the test kit, but didn't think the waste was absolutely necessary. I've been able to cycle tanks without it, but I suppose you would know better than me.
Brian

 

[FreshyFresh]

And a 25% per week water change may not be enough. It depends on your specific bio load and nitrate creep. Ideally, you keep nitrates <20ppm with your weekly w/c.

 

[tanker]

Hello Bamboo?? Where is the original poster?

 

[BambooShark]

!) You will need to "cycle" the tank.
2) 10 Guppys maybe psuhing it, but can be done.
3) Do you plan on having any females, or an all male tank?
4) Will there be any "Live Plants"?

I'm going for 1 to 1 gender ratio. (5 of each gender if i'm going for 10)
No live plants. I plan to just get some glow-in-the-dark gravel and some small fake plants.

(sorry for not replying, the notifications did not show up)

 

[Duckie]

1:1 for female:male ratio is a bad idea, IMO. You will have the males constantly harrassing the females.

As for notifications - you have to manually enable "watch thread". AC does not automatically watch a thread you start or post in.

 

[sumthin fishy]

As a general rule, it's recommended 3 females per male. That gets a bit boring since the females are bland, and the males look all fancy. Plus they breed like rabbits. If you intend to breed them, make sure you have somewhere that will take them. Though a lot of the fry will get eaten, even if you don't try to save them a few will survive. You will be overstocked before you know it Their breeding behavior is not all that interesting, you might consider males only.