Starter aquarium for guppies...

[zaskar]

My nephew wants some Guppies for xmas. I want to get him a 'starter' kit which would have everything needed to comfortably hold, say, 6-8 guppies. He wants both males (for the colours) and females (poss. to breed from). I know nothing about this subject: is it ok to have more than one male? will two or more fight over any females? What equipment does he actually need... tank (minimum size?), lid, heater, thermosat(?), gravel? Any advice greatfully received! Thanks

[andyjevs]

Ok, Guppies are wonderful little fish and can breed so quickly that they have a second name of the millions fish. They are tropical fish native to central america and a few caribbean islands.
Due to the nature of their large flowing tails, they are best kept in a tank of their own with maybe a trio of corydorus catfish just to keep the tank clean. This will stop their tails being ripped to shreds by other fin nippers such as barbs and tetras.

A tank of around 24" x 12" x 15" is a good starter point. A lid can be used to make the tank look better and house a small triton flourescent tube. You will also need a started unit for the tube.

You will need a 100 watt combined heater/thermostat and this should be set to around 78 degrees F.

You will also need a filter of some kind. I prefer a small internal filter such as the fluval 2. This will keep the water clean and provide movement.

Lastly you'll need decor. Gravel or washed silver sand (it's personal preferance), rocks, real or artificial plants, bogwood, or any of the ornaments you like from a fish shop (personally i hate them preferring the natural look).

A decent food (aquarian trop fish flake), thermometer, something to clean the algea off the front glass and a bucket/jug/length of hose for water changes (10% of the tank volume per week)

[andyjevs]

......cont from above. The set up i've mentioned will safely hold 7 or 8 pairs of guppies and will allow for their family to grow.
Get plenty of shelter for the babies such as dense thickets of plants and the babies shouldn't get eaten.

Lastly, come and join us at http://www.uk-aquarist.com/ . I'm a moderator (jevs) on there and everyone will bend over backwards to help you and help if you get any problems in future.

Hope this helps and good luck

[HAnn521]

zaskar... i've had a bowl with two male guppies, just so you know, they did seem to fight... or as andy says they "fin-nipped"...

the one with the prettiest tail and fin now has a scratchy, mangeled fin...sad