New Guppy

sakda702 · New member Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Posts: 13

i had brought a pair of guppy, but they are not active. i was wondering why? because they just stay on the top or in the corner. i just have 2 guppy right now.

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

How big is the tank and what else is in it? What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, and temperature? Do you have an air stone?

-Chelle

sakda702 · New member Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Posts: 13

there are 2 guppy in my 60 gal tank and 2o babies. 1 pleco, 2 scavenger catfish and 2 small chinese algae eater. my temp is 78f and the ph is 7. all the other test is all good. i have a rena xp3 filter running and there is lots of plant in my tank. I dont have an air stone in it. My fish is just not active, it tend to float in one spot for long periods of time and they seem to be hiding between plant and they dont seem to want to mate. i use to have guppy in the same tank 2 days ago, i had them over 6 months. They was very heathly and super active, but i got rid of them to mate my new japan blue guppy. And i also did a 25% water change before i put them in.

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

They may have just not been healthy when you got them. Could you give me the actual numbers from your tests?

-Chelle

Hooben · Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2004 4:03 pm Post subject:

I think the scavenger catfish may be the reason they are hiding. The catfish may be chasing them around and trying to eat them. The fact that they are hiding and in the corner says a lot. About the only thing I keep with guppies are small algea eaters, my 6 inch algea eater would not be compatable, and ghost shrimp.
Guppies tend to skim the surface. (They swim quickly along the surface looking for food). In no way should they just be floating there.

Good luck! Mr. Green

tina1 · Senior Member Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 651

I have a guppy that will float along the surface when she gets very stressed. She tends to be chased by all four of my males (they're not interested in the other females) and will hide out at the surface right above a big bushy plant I have. Do your males chase this guppy often? Or as Hooben suggested, could it be being chased by your catfish? Either will be very stressful for the guppy and it's probably trying to hide from the chaser.

sakda702 · New member Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Posts: 13

the catfish are very peaceful and they dont even bother with my guppy. The female seam to be swimming more but the male is still the same. the male tend to rest the whole body on the plant, i think its tail is tooo big. i mean it really big. They both eat when i feed them. do u think they are lonely? they are called japan bule...have any hear of it before? i trying to breed them. i was thinking about getting a couple more female what would happen if i get a female that is not the same kind.would my baby be ugly??? and would my male(father) become mix because he is a pure breed.or do i need to get the same kind? they do cost kind of expensive. a pair for $40

Hooben · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 4:07 am Post subject:

I wouldn't mix them up, if they cost 40 dollars a pair. My daughter does enjoy mixing the colors on fancy guppies. We have gotten all types of cool mixes of colors. The difference is that she only pays like 5 dollars a pair!

kristisanchez · Member Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 132 Location: California

Hooben I am just woundering. how long did it take your fry to show their colors? (you have had fry correct?)

My fry are about 4&1/2 weeks old now. I only have black showing so far on a few. When will the other colors start to show?

Hooben · Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 3:25 pm Post subject:

You're right, they only show a little color in the tail at first. It can be a month or two before the males will have their full colors all through the body of the fish. Growth rates can vary according to feeding and water changes. You will find that even some of the females will develop a little color on the caudal fin or tail. When your fry are the size of a full grown adult guppy, then they should have all their colors. Be patient and congrats!

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

If it helps any, here's some pics of my male guppy.

About 4 weeks old (tiny bit of black)

About 6 weeks old (faint colors)

About 8 weeks old (full colors)

I've noticed that females take a lot longer to get their colors. These 2 females are the same age as the male.

-Chelle