Did something crazy today!

[RaygunK]

I think since my husband is out of town, I went out & got crazy with a Craigslist deal! I picked up a 20g tank & stand, penguin 150 filter, heater, air stone w/pump, tons of gravel, & my pick of as many guppies as I wanted for $20!

So, I've set everything up & I'm wondering about it starting a new cycle. Will the guppies survive it? Also what other fish play well with guppies? And should I immediately start planning on fry & what to do with them? Also, I know that some of the guppies are blue Moscow, but what are the other types?

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[dotswithchemicals]

Those blue guppies are stunning!

As for the cycling process, guppies may be at risk dying more since they breed like crazy and have not so great genetics because they like to have too much fun creating fry. ;3 But as long as you keep up with the water changes and watch your tank closely, they should be fine.

Since guppies are community, any community fish will work great as long as the other fish aren't big enough to put the guppies in their mouth. My tank has guppies, mollies, platys, german blue rams, 2 bettas (female and male), and even a red tail shark; but my tank is 55 gallons, so I have the room. I even have small Angels in my tank that may endanger my guppies when they reach full size, but so far they barely pay attention to them.

All fish have different personalities, so I'm sure it may just depend on that.

 

[Chronos313]

I think if you monitor your water parameters and do daily pwc's I think the guppies will do fine. As for compatible fishies, could do tetras such as rummynoses, cardinals, since they aren't fin nippers. I would suggest getting a bristlenose pleco, some driftwood and a few other things that will be happy while not overstocking.

 

[RaygunK]

Thanks! I know i was picking and choosing the prettiest ones, i felt bad for the rest, not sure what there destiny was :/.

How much water should i take out for PWC's?

OH, and i'm pretty sure that i got a pregnant too. I'll have to put up a pic for opinions. Also, i'm thinking that my ratio of male/female is way off, or maybe it doesn't matter, i got 5 males & 2 females. Is that going to be a problem?

Also tested the water, and it was ph 7.4, Amm. 0, Nitrites 0, and Nitrates 0. I'm guessing the nitrates have a lot to do with cycling (sorry, still learning).

 

[Chronos313]

Ya your nitrates will come in due time. If you want fry ratio should be 1m:3f. As for how much water I would say about 25% but I'm hoping someone else can clarify for me

 

[dotswithchemicals]

But I would be careful of putting too much females since guppies reproduce a lot.. may want to separate the females so they don't get bred to the males 24/7.

 

[dotswithchemicals]

Usually, and depending on your ammonia and nitrite, people do 50% water changes every few days because the spikes in a cycling tank can be large.

 

[RaygunK]

Here is the one I think may be pregnant.

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[Chronos313]

Ya she's carrying for sure. Right now I would rehome your females if you want to keep the fry. and dots is right larger water changes will be needed until the tank is cycled. If you have seeded media you can use that to speed up the cycle

 

[phoenixkiller]

Ya she's carrying for sure. Right now I would rehome your females if you want to keep the fry. and dots is right larger water changes will be needed until the tank is cycled. If you have seeded media you can use that to speed up the cycle

+1. If you've got another peaceful tank, put the gravid (pregnant) guppies in the other tank. I would also highly recommend a breeding trap. This is one of my favorites:

Marina Multi-Breeder - Breeding Tanks
Good luck!!

 

[RaygunK]

I just have my 29g tank w/the platys, mollies and tetras. Should i put her in there? I also have a 10g that isn't set up yet. Should i set it up just for her? Is there any way to know when she'll drop? Oh, do i need to move the other female over too? She is kind of a baby, but probably big enough to breed.

Also i just ordered that exact breeding trap from Amazon! I should have it by the end of the week, but my half a milk jug with holes works quit well (clipped onto the side of tank). I'm just putting the fry in the breeding thing, right? Or, the mom too? So confused on this stuff!

 

[heathers_hounds]

what a great deal! Those guppies are very nice! Males constantly chase the females around

 

[Jill]

I'm so jealous! You're pretty close to me.....I wouldn't mind driving to pick up some blue moscow guppies up if you think the ones that were left need homes.

 

[RaygunK]

You're in Nashville, yes, so close! She lived in Hermitage. I could email her and see if she still has them, but i'm thinking she killed off the rest of them. But it seems i'm getting ready to have some more, so maybe you can have some of mine! She has a whole tank of free angel fish too, like a huge 75g tank!

So fun to meet a local fish nerd on here! Yay!

 

[Jill]

OMG....did you meet Hannah??

 

[RaygunK]

Yes!! Do you know her? Maybe we should pm!

 

[Jill]

PMing you....lol.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I just have my 29g tank w/the platys, mollies and tetras. Should i put her in there? I also have a 10g that isn't set up yet. Should i set it up just for her? Is there any way to know when she'll drop? Oh, do i need to move the other female over too? She is kind of a baby, but probably big enough to breed.

Also i just ordered that exact breeding trap from Amazon! I should have it by the end of the week, but my half a milk jug with holes works quit well (clipped onto the side of tank). I'm just putting the fry in the breeding thing, right? Or, the mom too? So confused on this stuff!

Alright, I'll try to answer your questions.
1. Yep, your 29 gallon should be fine for the female(s)
2. SEE ABOVE
3. Well, I would say when she is pregnant for a month, or when she looks like if she got any bigger, she would explode.
4. Put the mom in the trap BEFORE she gives birth. As often as you can, check on the pregnant mom. When she gives birth, get her out of there ASAP! She will try to eat her offspring! I really hope you can get a real breeding trap before any of the guppies gives birth.

 

[RaygunK]

Ok, now i'm thinking that the other little female is pregnant too! i'm uploading a pic in a sec from my phone, to see what you think. do you think the preggo guppy(s) will bring any funky stuff to my, finally, healthy tank? it seems every time i add new fish someone else dies!

yeah, i hope my breeding trap gets here asap! oh, for clarification, am i adding the preggo's to the breeding trap (well, what i have) now in my 29g or just put her in the tank with everyone until i think she looks explosive, then add her to the trap?

 

[RaygunK]

Here is the much smaller female that may be pregnant....what do u think? The one pic has both of them (female) in it.

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