Feeding
your beloved guppies is the easy part. I usually feed mine about twice a
day. Just before breakfast, and just after dinner. You usually only want
to feed them a little bit, as they are little fish. Maybe about a pinch.
One thing to be sure of doing, though, is NOT to give them a whole fish food
flake. Usually, you should grind it up between your fingers, due to the size
of their mouths. I have found, that unless you do this, the guppies will
just spit it out and let the flake fall to the bottom for you to fish out
when it becomes moldy.
I use NutraFin Max Complete Flake
Food. This is for all tropical fish. I have found that my guppies enjoy
it, and NutraFin is the healthiest and cheapest food on the market. It is
usually about 5 dollars for a large bottle of it. There are no chemicals
or preservatives in it, and it helps increase the vibrancy of your guppies
color. I highly recommend this fish food, but if you want you can get the
special guppy food. Unfortunately, though, the special stuff is extremely
expensive.
Tank Setup
I have a ten gallon tank. This is a good size for a beginner aquarium
lover. The usual rule for your first aquarium is, "One inch of fish per
gallon" Hence, 10" of fish for ten gallons of water. With guppies though
you can cheat a little with this rule. One thing that is absolutely essential
if you have male and female guppies, is a few clumps of plastic plants. This
is necessary, because once the guppies reach the reproduction age, the females
are going to want to be able to hide from the male guppies. Also, in case
your females become impregnated, (which will most likely happen) the babies
need a place to hide from the adults, as the bigger fish have an appetite
for little guppies.
Another thing you should have is of course a filter
and a heater. I prefer under gravel filters because they are extremely easy
to maintain, and you never have to worry about vacuuming the gravel. A heater
is necessary because the guppies, although very versatile, prefer the water
to be between 65 and 75 degrees (Fahrenheight of course). Make sure you
have a thermometer in the water too. The ones that stick on the side are
more expensive, and not very accurate. A floating thermometer usually costs
about 1 dollar.
If you are planning to try your hand at breeding guppies,
make sure that you have a mesh fish nursery. This way, the little ones will
not get eaten, especially if you find the babies in time.
A
bout the Expectant Momma and the Babies
A female guppy,
once impregnated, will continue to have new litters of fish every 3 to 4 weeks.
So, in between litters, keep a sharp lookout for the babies swimming on the
bottom. When born, the babies are less than a centimeter long. It is easiest
to look for them when you feed the big guppies, because they will come out.
In between feedings, look carefully near the bottom of the tank. Usually,
they will just float in one spot until disturbed. Do note, though, that they
are extremely fast, and due to that, very hard to catch. Make sure you have
a fish net to make the transfer to the nursery easier.
One thing about female guppies. Lots of people talk about
this complicated way to breed guppies. But in reality, all you have to do
is put a female and a male in the same tank and leave them together. The nonsense
about separating them, then putting them together, and then separating them
after the mating is non-essential. Also keep in mind, that until guppies
reach the age of 6 months, they will not be able to reproduce.
