guppies

aquariumhobyist

aquariumhobyist

AC Members
Sep 11, 2005
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i was wondering if guppies need salt water to live. i was reading up on a site and was saying they need salt water. then i asked a dude at the fish store and he says they dont. so now my question is here and i hope you can clear this up for me.
thanks.
 
I had guppies before and no they don't need salt water. They are freshwater fishy :fairy:
 
I think he means do they need aquarium salt added to the tank.

And, no they don't but there's a huge debate over if it's better for them to have a bit of salt in their water or not. Some say yes, some say no. But, don't ask me which is better. I'm staying out of this debate this time!
 
I've never added salt (unless ich breaks out - which my guppies seem pretty immune to). Just keep the water clean - and you should be fine.
 
i have found that heat and a small amount of salt tends to increase the births in my guppy tank, whether it be due to stress or because its soothing i do not know! ..but generlly as a rule, they don't need salt, they are a fresh water fish!
 
I do not breed my guppies with salt, I do normal weekly water changes and I have had no problems where I live.

but where I live, I have hard water, and that is one of the main ingredients for having live bearers. Mpls Mn has naturally hard water so its pretty easy breeding guppies and mollies. :) Now if you do not have hard water, that is fine, your guppies can and will do fine for you. One of the misconceptions about them is that they are a hardy fish and can live through anything. Well that is true to some point. But we hear stories on these boards about people buying guppies and then they all of a sudden die on them. That has happened to me more than a number of times. I believe it due to living in poor water conditions. Guppies and all fish need and love CLEAN water. IF you do regular water changes, trust me on this, your fish will breed very well for you, more so than not doing any.

so actually no salt but more water changes, about 10-25% a week.
 
Hey no problem, that is what we are here for.

I also want to say this about Salt and guppies. Guppies will live in Salt water, i have seen it with my own eyes and in my own tanks. It was before I really knew anything about lion fish but that is another story. I kept a nice Lion Fish when I first started the SW hobby about 20 years ago. I fed him Guppies and sometimes they would get away. Some would survive in the tank for few weeks before becoming a meal. I have also seen this at fish stores as well but the problem with this is yes, they will survive but eventually the salt will cause stress on their organs and they will sooner or later have a shortened life span.

If you treat any ailments with salt, after the treatments is done, do water changes but do not replenish the salt, but do it slowly so not to place your fish into shock.
 
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