Firstfish
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
This message ended up being longer that I though it would need to be. I'll pose an abreviated version of my question first, and then leave the whole background for more information below for those that want to read more:
My question is: is there a way to keep danios and guppies together in one tank? I have 1 guppy, 2 leopard danios and 2 zebra danios and a 15gal tank. Currently the guppy is in a separate container because it can't swim fast enough to get food before the danios zoom in and eat it all. The container is not an appropriate living space for the guppy, and I would appreciate suggestions/advice on how make it work having all fish in the one tank.
Here is more history about my aquarium and fish experience:
First some background on my aquarium. It's 15 gal and I set it up about 5+ year ago, first just having gravel, water and the filter running for a few weeks. Next I added plants and left it like that for a couple months. From research I did, it looked like danios were the best bet for a first time fish owner, hardy and forgiving, and added them to the tank.
Within a week I noticed that some of the danios had quite red gills and seemed stessed, although otherwise active and eating well. Concerned, I posted here and took a water sample to the pet store (a good pet store with knowledgeable and helpful staff). Turns out there was some shells in with the bulk gravel I bought causing high pH (around 8.4!). I bought test kits to monitor pH, amonia, nitrites, nitrates and KH and GH. All were within normal parameters except the pH. I tried everything to keep the pH down, daily PWC, using "pH down" chemicals (which only helps for a few hours). In the end I used peat moss in a mesh bag in the filter and decided to not worry so much about it and let the fish adjust. The pH continues to be a little on the high side, in the 7.6 to 7.8 range, but of the 8 orignial danios, the weakest of the lot died in about 6 months, the rest lived on average for 4 years, with the final 2 only dying recently, so obviously they adapted and lived well.
Once we were down to 2 danios left, my daughter asked if she could get more fish. A neighbouring friend has started breeding danios and getting other fish, and she was invited to go to the pet store with them. She asked if she could buy more fish. I told her fine, she has to use her own allowance money, and to ONLY get danios. I should have known better, that's like sending a kid to a candy store and telling them to only get "healthy" treats.
She came home with 2 leopard danios and 2 fancy guppies. She said that the people at the pet store said they can be kept together (yeah right, pet store people will say *anything* to get you to buy more). The fish at least came with a 7 day guarantee. I aclimized the new fish to the tank and let them loose. I was imeediately concerned about the male guppy, it was small (about half the size of the danios) and had a very large tail and was a very slow swimmer compared to the danios. My main concern is that it was not able to get at any food before the bigger fish swooped in and ate it all.
It survived OK for the first couple weeks, after about 3 weeks is started to look thin and weak, and at about one month I found it dead on the bottom of the tank one morning. I chalked it up to being a weaker fish out of the batch and just too small to keep up with the bigger fish.
Somewhere in that time frame the last 2 danios from the original 8 died (not surprising, they were *very* old fish and looking on their last legs before the new fish arrived). The neighbour kid gave her 2 of his baby zebra danios (they swim like torpedos!) I've watched the fish interact quite abit, and there is no "harrassing" going on, the small male guppy was fully intact when it died (no fin or tail tears or anything).
But now the remaining guppy, once fat and fast enough to get some food before the danios gobbled it all up, started getting thin and not able to keep up. It's been in the tank about about 2 or 3 months now, and a few days ago I found it on the bottom, trying but not able to swim up to get food. I think it's main problem is that it just can't get any food before the danios. I could add more food to the tank, but the danios are such pigs, I'm worried they'll eat themselves to death (probably would) and the guppy still won't get anything to eat.
I moved the guppy to a separate container, and once it was able to eat some food, seemed to have much more energy and after a day or two was swimming normally and eating fine. My initial thought is that I would fatten it back up again and put it back in the tank with the danios. However it's be close to a week now, it's not looking particularly fat (I try feeding it a few times per day, it only eats a bit and leaves the rest). The container it is in is far from idea (no filtration, no way to maintain proper temprature, and I'm doing PWC several times a day to keep the water at least livable).
I've done some research, and as I suspected guppies are not listed as being compatible with danios, although some sites say you "may" be able to keep them together. I'm not enough of an aquarium enthusiast to buy a separate aquarium for guppies. I'm looking for advice on what to do. At this point I doubt the store will take the fish back as it looks quite anorexic, and probably has lost some of it's colour. If there is a way I can keep both together, I'd love to hear what the greater aquarium community has to offer.
Thanks in advance!
My question is: is there a way to keep danios and guppies together in one tank? I have 1 guppy, 2 leopard danios and 2 zebra danios and a 15gal tank. Currently the guppy is in a separate container because it can't swim fast enough to get food before the danios zoom in and eat it all. The container is not an appropriate living space for the guppy, and I would appreciate suggestions/advice on how make it work having all fish in the one tank.
Here is more history about my aquarium and fish experience:
First some background on my aquarium. It's 15 gal and I set it up about 5+ year ago, first just having gravel, water and the filter running for a few weeks. Next I added plants and left it like that for a couple months. From research I did, it looked like danios were the best bet for a first time fish owner, hardy and forgiving, and added them to the tank.
Within a week I noticed that some of the danios had quite red gills and seemed stessed, although otherwise active and eating well. Concerned, I posted here and took a water sample to the pet store (a good pet store with knowledgeable and helpful staff). Turns out there was some shells in with the bulk gravel I bought causing high pH (around 8.4!). I bought test kits to monitor pH, amonia, nitrites, nitrates and KH and GH. All were within normal parameters except the pH. I tried everything to keep the pH down, daily PWC, using "pH down" chemicals (which only helps for a few hours). In the end I used peat moss in a mesh bag in the filter and decided to not worry so much about it and let the fish adjust. The pH continues to be a little on the high side, in the 7.6 to 7.8 range, but of the 8 orignial danios, the weakest of the lot died in about 6 months, the rest lived on average for 4 years, with the final 2 only dying recently, so obviously they adapted and lived well.
Once we were down to 2 danios left, my daughter asked if she could get more fish. A neighbouring friend has started breeding danios and getting other fish, and she was invited to go to the pet store with them. She asked if she could buy more fish. I told her fine, she has to use her own allowance money, and to ONLY get danios. I should have known better, that's like sending a kid to a candy store and telling them to only get "healthy" treats.
She came home with 2 leopard danios and 2 fancy guppies. She said that the people at the pet store said they can be kept together (yeah right, pet store people will say *anything* to get you to buy more). The fish at least came with a 7 day guarantee. I aclimized the new fish to the tank and let them loose. I was imeediately concerned about the male guppy, it was small (about half the size of the danios) and had a very large tail and was a very slow swimmer compared to the danios. My main concern is that it was not able to get at any food before the bigger fish swooped in and ate it all.
It survived OK for the first couple weeks, after about 3 weeks is started to look thin and weak, and at about one month I found it dead on the bottom of the tank one morning. I chalked it up to being a weaker fish out of the batch and just too small to keep up with the bigger fish.
Somewhere in that time frame the last 2 danios from the original 8 died (not surprising, they were *very* old fish and looking on their last legs before the new fish arrived). The neighbour kid gave her 2 of his baby zebra danios (they swim like torpedos!) I've watched the fish interact quite abit, and there is no "harrassing" going on, the small male guppy was fully intact when it died (no fin or tail tears or anything).
But now the remaining guppy, once fat and fast enough to get some food before the danios gobbled it all up, started getting thin and not able to keep up. It's been in the tank about about 2 or 3 months now, and a few days ago I found it on the bottom, trying but not able to swim up to get food. I think it's main problem is that it just can't get any food before the danios. I could add more food to the tank, but the danios are such pigs, I'm worried they'll eat themselves to death (probably would) and the guppy still won't get anything to eat.
I moved the guppy to a separate container, and once it was able to eat some food, seemed to have much more energy and after a day or two was swimming normally and eating fine. My initial thought is that I would fatten it back up again and put it back in the tank with the danios. However it's be close to a week now, it's not looking particularly fat (I try feeding it a few times per day, it only eats a bit and leaves the rest). The container it is in is far from idea (no filtration, no way to maintain proper temprature, and I'm doing PWC several times a day to keep the water at least livable).
I've done some research, and as I suspected guppies are not listed as being compatible with danios, although some sites say you "may" be able to keep them together. I'm not enough of an aquarium enthusiast to buy a separate aquarium for guppies. I'm looking for advice on what to do. At this point I doubt the store will take the fish back as it looks quite anorexic, and probably has lost some of it's colour. If there is a way I can keep both together, I'd love to hear what the greater aquarium community has to offer.
Thanks in advance!
