Ideal guppy tank?

[TheGuppyGirl]

I'm in the process of saving up for a new tank for my guppies (not looking to breed) and I was wondering what environment they prefer. I already have a small heater that can handle a 10 gallon tank and it's preset to an average of 78 degrees F. I've read that guppies should be kept in a 20 gallon tank but is all that space really necessary if I only have 5-7? Also, would it be alright to have plastic plants in the tank? I know some fish can injure themselves on pokey plastic plants. Last but not least I'm not sure if I should stick with a gravel substrate or switch to sand.
Any advice is appreciated. :3

 

[TotallyCoral]

10 gallon should be fine in my opinion. All males correct? Sand will also be easier to clean than gravel because everything (food, waste, etc) just settles on top. All you gotta do is just hover over the top with your siphon and that's pretty much it.

 

[Mrc8858]

Welcome to AA and yes your plan should be just fine as long as its all males just make sure you cycle the tank and if upgrading transfer over as much media and decor as possible

 

[TheGuppyGirl]

That brings up another concern. I know cycling the tank will overall help prevent my fish from getting diseases and such but I'm not sure how long it should wait. Some say a few months and others say a few weeks. Also, I live in the country with well-water that is free of ammonia, should I still treat the water for the right pH and nitrate levels?

 

[Mrc8858]

Cycling a a tank means you've established a healthy colony of biobacteria by introducing ammonia which it feeds off creating nitrites as a biproduct then a new bacteria eats those nitrites to convert them to the less harmful nitrates. Once your tank has a healthy colony of BB (biobacteria) you can begin adding fish.

 

[TheGuppyGirl]

So it's a matter of "wait and see". What kind of water test should I use to determine the right amount of BB? And should I use a BB starter while still letting the cycling process take its course?

 

[Mrc8858]

To know if your cycled (after adding an ammo source (fish/food/pure ammonia)) you test for ammonia then once it hits zero you test your nitrites. When that hits zero it should be converted to nitrates. At that point you have established a BB colony which you'll want to make sure it can convert from 2-4 ppm of ammo to nitrates in 24 hours for the best start.instead of bottle bacteria try and get used filter cartridge or even a bag of substrate to jump start the cycle cutting the time down majorly

 

[Samzter]

Ten is great but a 20 means you could have more! I prefer sand to gravel as it gives a much more natural effect.

 

[TheGuppyGirl]

Thanks :3

Hopefully I can get started soon. I'm looking to expand my fish family but I don't want to overcrowd my 2.5 gallon tank.

 

[Samzter]

Yes, I'm going to make my 30 gallon into a guppy tank with Cories and dwarf Gouramis as well.

 

[TheGuppyGirl]

My sister had a cory fish for a little while but I think he died of loneliness. I thought about getting a couple myself but my tank floor is so small they would probably disturb my African Dwarf Frog too much. I decided to get a Kuhli Loach instead and it's like they're best buds.