It’s very exiting to set up your first aquarium or fish tank. One has to learn how to setup fish tank before to bring your guppies to tank.

Lets get hand on some information. To begin with here is list of items you should have to setup new aquarium.

Recommended aquarium supplies

• Appropriate size aquarium
• Aquarium cover
• Decor
• Aquarium light
• Water conditioner
• Water test kit
• Thermometer
• Heater
• Filter
• Net
• Airstone
• Air Pump
• Substrate
• Aquarium salt
• Flake Food
• Blood worm
• Brine shrimp
• Book about freshwater Aquariums like Tropical Fish Secrete, katys Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide
• Optional : breeding tank
  

Once you are done with this list, you are ready to go set up your guppy tank. Fancy guppies requires less space than other fish i.e. almost 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. (there are various methods to calculate no of fish per tank) Means you can have more guppies in less space. But my suggestion is to give more space to your fancy guppy keeps it happy and hence colorful. Guppies like a little barkish water so add some salt to your tank. You do not need salinity as much as scat or mono fish, but a little salt will keep your fancy guppies happy.

Beginner’s setup

Rinse substate well then add it tank. (if you have puchaseed ready to add then no problem) Befoe you pour water in tank keep all decor you have. Then add water by tube or watering pipe. Add water conditioners. This will soften water and remove clorine from water. Let water set there for a day or two. Insert airiating tube and heater to tank. Install filter and heater. Now you are ready to put your beloved Fancy Guppy in to your aquarium.

Compatibility

Fancy Guppies are suitable in many community aquariums. Keep them away from fin nippers barbs and gourami. They are friendy with most of tetras, (some tetra will trouble them), other live bearers,  catfish, rainbow fish. Even you can add Barbs to this tank provided you add more than 6 barbs.  them barbs are busy in chassing each other and don’t nip fins. Mostly all guppies are peaceful but they might turn territorial. to keep good peace in tank you should keep 2 females guppies per 1 male guppy.

Environment

Fancy guppies are peace loving schooling fish. Suggested number is 5 or more. Guppy like little barkish water, hence maintain proper salinity level in your tank. They like hard water and salinity upto 150% of normal sea water. They can not sustain sudden change in temperatures. But can live in wide range of temrature 23 °C to 30 °C or 73 °F to 86 °F and prefer 27 °C or 82 °F. They can inhabitant in all levels of aquarium. Plants and caves for hideout is great advantage. Newly born guppy fry get advantage of plantations and caves in aquarium.

Feeding

Guppies can eat variety of food. They like both live and frozen food. They can eat tubifix bloodworm, baby brine shrimps (live or frozen), tropical flakes, floating food or sinking food.As far as feeding is concern do not worry as they can eat lot of variety food. Feed your fancy guppies 2 / 3 times a day varying each time. e.g. give live food in morning and flake in noon and bits in night.

Maintenance

Check temperature, filter, other equipments daily. Change about 15% water every week or 2 weeks. Check water condition at least once in a week. Add or remove new fishes to guppy tank gradually.

Diseases

Guppies mainly suffer from following diseases. but there are many other diseases and will be discussed later in detail.

Fin Rot :- Fins appear opaque

Ich :- Fish rubs against hard surface

Fungus :- bacterial growth on fish body

White spot :- white colored spots on body

When you observe your Fancy guppy is ill, immediately take it out from main tank and put it in separate tank. Raise water temprature to 30 °C to 32 °C or 86 °F to 90 °F, add some addtinal salt, add appropriate medicine brought from fish store, add 1 capsule teramicine (or equivalent) 200mg per 50 liters.

This is very primary level information about starting your Fancy Guppy aquarium. Keep exprimenting as you gain more and more exprence. Do take care of all your guppies

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This tiny beutiful fish is native of Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, Venezuela. Since very much useful in mosquito control, these guppies are now found on all coninets except Antartica. Baby guppies fry like to eat mosquito larva.

Scientific classification

Kingdom:      Animalia
Phylum:        Chordata
Class:           Actinopterygii
Order:           Cyprinodontiformes
Family:         Poeciliidae
Genus:          Poecilia
Species:        P. reticulata

Guppy male and female are easily distinguishable.  Female are grey in body color while males are colorful. Female are usually grow upto 4.5 – 6 cm while male are short and grow upto 2-3.5 cm in size.

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I will be posting some tips, information about fancy guppies in this blog. You will find many useful articles on guppy breeding, fry hatching, feeding baby guppy, taking care of guppies etc.

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