New and With Guppies!

E

Ed-Luvs-Meds

Guest
#1
#1

Yo my fish-finatic friends! *PEACE!*
I am and have always loved fish, their just too interesting, but only now haveI pestered mother enough to allow me to get my own tank. :p So! I want to make this the best thing as possible!! X3 I'm very exicted about it, I've gone through and read through as many "Aquarium Fish Magazine" 's as possible, and I have finally decided some what on what I want to do with this tank:
First off, its a ten gallon, I wanted a 30 but I couldn't afford it. -.-; It's a starter tank, all glass, with black trim, and a pump/filter/lid and with lights. Its very nice, really nice!
Second, here is my first question, I want a planted tank, but can the plants grow in gravel? My friend told me not to get sand because thats got salt in it, and she says I can't handle a brackish nor marine. XD;;; Of course, the marine part I agree with...
Third, for my fish, well... Guppies spike my interest, by far. And from all that I've read about them so far, their hardy little buggers who can with stand me, myself, and I. =D But do they have to be kept in large numbers? I really only wanted about three... Because I was wondering... Is there something more than a guppies I can keep with them? I was thinking Zebra Danios... 9.9;;; But I want something sorta'... Prettier? Flowier..? Something that doesn't look so dim next to a male guppy! XD;;; And please, don't say neon tetras.. I honestly don't think their cute, lol. Sorry... And I was also wondering about two other fish; My mother recently came home with a jar, and in the jar was a black moor goldfish-thing. Its cute, and she said her friend at work was moving and didn't know what to do with it, and so she took, and thought I would want it... Can they be in the same tank with such small fish like guppies!? I doubt it, but thats why I need YOU. XD;;; And the other fish is one that caught my eye, and its very cute; An Upside down catfish! They were babies I think... But how big do they get, average? And can they be with the others too?
And don't worry, I know about the whole cycling bit, I intend to give my fish only the best, so I'm going to set this up right! X3;;;
By the way, I'm going to put my baby, a betta, in there with the gups; Thats okay, right? I've heard many a people do that, but only take him out when guppie fry arrive!
Sorry for such a loooooooong post!!! X.x;;;
 

PlecoCollector

PlecoCollector

Superstar Fish
#2
Aug 21, 2005
1,430
0
0
34
Clinton, NY
#2
Welcome to the tank! :D

Okay, I'm going to try and respond to your questions the best that I can! ~.^
- Yes, plants can and will grow in gravel. I find it very hard to grow plants in sand, since it doesn't hold it down.
- Guppies will be okay in a small group. Maybe 3-5? For other colorful fish, I personally recommend Red Zebra Danio (AKA. Glofish). I find them beautiful :)
- It's usually not to mix Tropical Fish with Goldfish because Goldies require cold water, while tropicals prefer warm water.
- Upsidedown Catfish will grow to about 4 inches long. I have one which I "adopted", and he spends all his time hiding. >.< They are community fish, but I think you'd get more enjoyment out of a couple or trio of Cory Cats :)
- I'm not sure how well a Betta and a Guppy would do. Usually Bettas don't like anything that's colorful and they will eat the fry. I think a Betta would be happier alone, but I'm sure others can share first hand experience with you on that =3

Hope that helps you some :)
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#3
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
39
Cape Cod
#3
Welcome to MFT :D.

Guppies don't need to be in groups, 3 will be fine in a 10g. If you want to have all males (they tend to be the prettier ones), they'll all be fine together without any females. Plus you won't have to worry about baby guppies that way. Otherwise, you'd want 1 male and 2 females, because a single female will usually get pestered by a male... the second female gives the first a break sometimes.

Sand doesn't have salt in it, but it isn't good for plants because it doesn't have much for nutrients and doesn't let the water flow around the plant roots. Most plants can grow in gravel, make sure to get ones that take low light unless you've got a good (meaning non-standard) light/hood on the tank.

It depends a little on the betta whether they'll get along with guppies... more aggressive bettas will see the long fancy tail of a guppy as another male betta and attack it. You can always try him and see, just be prepared to remove him again if he goes after the guppy tails.

Suggestions for fish... A dwarf gourami would be fine with guppies, he'll also eat some of the fry so he'll help control overpopulation if you get females. Not a good choice if you decide to put the betta in there, gouramis and bettas are related and usually fight. Cory catfish are also good tankmates, esp. if you get small ones like pygmies or pandas. Kuhli loaches would also work. Cories and loaches are both bottom dwellers, and are insanely peaceful scavengers. They both need to be kept in groups, about 3 in a 10g, so you would only be able to get one or the other.

The black moor... how big is it? Goldfish can get decent sized and messy, and usually require cooler temperatures than tropical fish like guppies, cories, tetras, etc. That being said, fancy goldfish like moors can take higher temperatures than the normal comet goldfish, so they can be kept together if the tank is around 75F (low end of tropical, high end of goldfish). If you put the goldfish in there, I'd limit the tank population to guppies and the goldfish, and maybe cories or loaches (if you add bottom feeders too, make sure to keep up on the water changes). Assuming he's not big enough to physically eat the guppies, he should be fine with them. Goldfish and guppies aren't aggressive, neither should attack each other. I honestly don't know about goldfish and bettas, again you could try and see if there is attacking going on.

Hope that helped with your questions. Again, welcome!
 

nobody

nobody

Large Fish
#4
Sep 26, 2005
565
0
0
Utah
#4
I have 3 upside down catfish in my tank and I love them. Mine don't spend all their time hiding, i guess it just depends on the fish and it's company. So, don't let the issue of hiding scare you away. The ones you saw in the petstore should be somewhere over the age of 2 months old. I read that they swim rightside up til that age (just if you wanted to know that). This is Bozo



Welcome to MFT and I hope your fishie days are grand.
 

E

Ed-Luvs-Meds

Guest
#5
#5

You people freakin' rock! X3 Ahkays, I think then, I'll just keep my betta in his seperate one gallon... Cause hes VERY aggresive, he attacks ME when I do water changes. And he killed the female I got him last year... o.o;;;
I'm going with gravel definately, and planting the tank.
My black moor, hes about the size of a betta, their next to each other (in seperate one gallons, I didn't have anything else for him! X.x) and look about the same size. I think the moor is still a juvenile though, sorta maybe a bit smaller then the betta. I might put him in with the gups, because I REALLY don't want to get rid of him, and I can't afford another tank at the time... So I'll have to get a heater and keep it at 75F,lol. So... Let's see..
I think I'll end up with:
3 Guppies, one male two females
1 dwarf gourami
1 moor
1upside down catfish (Sorry, I can't help myself! XD their just to much!!!)
3 albino coricats
And I'm thinking if its not TOO much, I want 2-3 danios...
To many? And believe me, I'll keep up with water changes! My betta has got his own mini tank, I do 2 percent changes, but I do a complete water change and gravel/tank scrub ever 3 weeks, and his filter gets swapped atleast once every month and a half. ^-^;;;;

~Thank you thank you to all of ya'. X3
 

FishiesGallore

FishiesGallore

Medium Fish
#6
Feb 19, 2006
96
0
0
42
I live in San Diego, California
#6
Well it sounds like you got everything under way!!!!

I just wanted to add that I have my 3 guppies and my beta in the same tank and they get along great! But then again it does depend on the temperment of your Beta. If you say he is majorly agressive then I think it is better to keep him seperate. I'd add some plants in the tank with the lone beta to help him feel more comfortable. I know there is a lot of talk about betas perfering to be solitary but I've had bettas for years and every one I've had has been absolutely miserable and non-active without some kind of company. I've had a beta in a 1 gal hex with some dwarf frogs. The beta was very happy until the dwarf frogs got to about the size of a quater and started to nip at the beta's fins. The best companions I have found for the bettas are guppies and platties and tetras. they seem to really get along the best.

lets us know how it comes out!
 

E

Ed-Luvs-Meds

Guest
#7
#7

My betta, well, hes in a mini tank. A better version of this: http://www.oscarent.com/productspages/plahousecurv.html
So a plant... I err... Is there a small enough one? Plus he has a thermometer in there, and a pump too. Both tiny, but still... And he's got about an inch high bottom of gravel, and three rocks that are smooth but about as big as him... I'm worried I'll crowd him, and I wanted to get him either a male guppy friend, or one of those huge female ones, but soon I was hoping to find more on this fish I found at the pet store, I believe it was called a butterfly Pleco, but it was the size of a penny and it looked like a horseshoe crab! She said it was a good cleaner, and I think I want to get it for the Betta's tank! X3
 

PlecoCollector

PlecoCollector

Superstar Fish
#8
Aug 21, 2005
1,430
0
0
34
Clinton, NY
#8
What you saw listed as "Butterfly Pleco" is actually a Hillstream Loach, also known as a Hong Kong Loach. Did it look the ones on this page? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillstream_loach

If so- I don't find mine to be a particulary good cleaner. They need and enjoy colder waters with a strong current, so mind spends his days attached to the glass closest to the water flow. I'm sure he does some cleaning, but not close to enough to keep a tank's glass clear. And if there is any hiding spot in your tank, he'll find it! x3
 

E

Ed-Luvs-Meds

Guest
#11
#11

Those plecos are cute, but sadly, thats not what I saw. These were literally round and moved all flowy like... I only got to see them for a few minutes though, but this was recently. I think I was given the wrong name, because I have looked them up and found NOTHING. As for the Cories and the UD Catfish... I'll have to think on it, majorly, becsause their both adorable. XD
 

G

guppygirl121

Small Fish
#12
Mar 1, 2006
19
0
0
auburn, georgia
www.freewebs.com
#12
i have just gotten some guppies too, maia and shorty. maia is having some fry so hopefully by then i will be ready to take care of them.... if u have any suggestions talk to me on yahoo messenger! ed-luvs-meds, i really would like to talk to you sumtime bout guppies....lol and about fish u can put into the tank, tiger barbs are good, actually rosy barbs are too, but they will probably eat the fry ........ XP that wouldnt b good either......
 

Timbo

Timbo

Large Fish
#14
Jun 21, 2005
129
0
0
71
Nottingham UK
#14
I use sand in 2 of my tanks which are both planted and have no probs (While the sand has very few nutrients in it to start, your fish will help that along as time pases) Also if you put catfish in the tank the sand is softer on their "Whiskers" and they also like to sift it through their mouths, It comes out of their gills which not only looks cute but helps dislodge anything which is sticking there... Aquatic plants tend to get nutrient out of the water through their leaves and just use roots to anchor themselves with. Childrens play sand is really cheap and does a really good job. Bettas are not a good thing to have with guppies, However you may be lucky if the one you have is quite docile.
With a 10 gal tank I would steer well clear of large fish. eg. upside down cats (Large will suffer in a smaller tank and if they survive they will eat gupies when big enough.)... Keep with the Guppies , and Danios etc. Male Guppies are fine on their own But if you want a female then a MINIMUM of 2 females to a male... Better 3 or 4.
Corries are lovely little fish and will amuse you for hours (I have 7 in my tank and they go around in a group). Take it slow, make sure your tank is cycled (Less likly to kill off fish that way). build up slowly (One fish a week may sound boreing but will pay off in the long run). And above all enjoy....
LOADS of people who have nothing better to do, and Y E A R S of experience are sittng here awaiting your every question, and enjoying helping out..Some times people will have different experiences but then you just have to take a flyer and hope...
 

Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.