Advice for adding guppy to tank

Hey everyone!

I have a small problem. I recently got 3 new beautiful little guppies, and I put them in the tank with my gourami, glass catfish, guppies, kuhli loaches and spiny eel, and they seemed fine. I had to go out that night and I asked my grandma to keep an eye on them. She was saying my gourami was going after them a bit and I told her what she could do but I was a little distracted and my grandma didn't really know what she should do. I came home and 2 guppies had very unfortunately passed away but one was still fighting! I put the little survivor in a bowl (I have no quarantine tank, and I know a bowl isn't good for him but that was all I had). I added melafix to help his tail regrow back which it has luckily! My problem is, I don't know how well the guppy is doing. He doesn't seem to want to eat and doesn't swim around much anymore. I don't know if this means he's stressed or sick or if he's going to die soon.

So, I was wondering if I should add him back to my 20 gallon, and keep a close eye on him. But, I am going on a trip for about 10 days, so I won't be able to watch him except for the first two days. I was going to rearrange the tank and remove my territorial Gourami out of the tank for the meantime so that the guppy gets settled in for a few hours then put my Gourami back in - then its a new environment for everyone.

So, 1. I don't know if my guppy is doing well
2. I don't want him to stay in a fish bowl forever
3. I don't want him to be killed if I put him back in
4. I won't be here to keep an eye on him.

Does anyone know what I should do? I really don't want him to die, and it may be hard for my grandma to do a water change for him every other day. She takes care of 4 tanks already and now has another guppy to deal with ): Does anyone have any advice? I am leaving within the new few days, so a quick response would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

He may not be eating as he is in an uncomfortable environment and may still have medication in his system.

Your gourami is most likely attacking your guppy because the guppy is colorful and has large fins. This makes the guppy seem like a territory threat to the gourami. Given your gourami has already attacked them so viciously, I don’t think they are compatible, even with increased foliage. The guppy will never be able to come out of hiding and the gourami will always want to attack the guppy. Usually gourami are peaceful, but it sounds like yours is aggressive. It really depends on their personality and what type of gourami.

I would rehome the guppy. If he’s healed, you should remove the medication from the tank. Try to get him in something bigger. Even though it’s temporary, a bowl isn’t the best for him. I’m sure you have a container you use for water changes. You can keep him in there until you find a home for him. You can rehome him through Fishlore if you’d like

 

He may not be eating as he is in an uncomfortable environment and may still have medication in his system.

Your gourami is most likely attacking your guppy because the guppy is colorful and has large fins. This makes the guppy seem like a territory threat to the gourami. Given your gourami has already attacked them so viciously, I don’t think they are compatible, even with increased foliage. The guppy will never be able to come out of hiding and the gourami will always want to attack the guppy. Usually gourami are peaceful, but it sounds like yours is aggressive. It really depends on their personality and what type of gourami.

I would rehome the guppy. If he’s healed, you should remove the medication from the tank. Try to get him in something bigger. Even though it’s temporary, a bowl isn’t the best for him. I’m sure you have a container you use for water changes. You can keep him in there until you find a home for him. You can rehome him through Fishlore if you’d like

Hello,

Thank you for your advice. My Gourami is territorial and I don't think she will be less aggressive if I add the guppy. I have decided not to add the guppy to the tank, but I do want to move him to a bigger bowl at least. I have 3 other aquariums, but I don't think the guppy will be compatible with any. 1 aquarium I have has an axolotl, so I don't think my guppy could survive in such cold temperatures, and the other 2 are my sisters which both house bettas, and I don't know how aggressive her bettas are but I don't think I'm willing to risk it. I stopped adding medication, I added it for 7 days as per instructions. The thing is this bowl is just a bowl. I should have clarified it better - this bowl has no heater or filter and has a single plant in it for hiding. I know its bad for them, I completely understand, but I don't want to go and buy another tank for him that I would use probably once - or even a little betta tank. I also just won't be able to set it up within 2 days.

Re-homing him might not be so bad, but his tail isn't fully regrown - its still healing, and I don't think I will be able to re-home him in 2 days. Thanks for the suggestion though.

So, I am not sure what to do. I am looking to see if I have something bigger, or maybe a bucket? But I just wish that I could stay and see how he's doing, but I am gone for 10 days, and he's going to be looked after by my grandma. What do you think will happen to him? ):

Edit: I have now noticed one of my guppies tip of there tail is a little torn - just a small piece like she tore it on something or she fought with another fish. Do you think this is the gourami? She is resting on the bottom of the tank recovering I think. I'm a little worried about her too now ):

 

In a bowl, he would likely die of ammonia poisoning. You could do daily large water changes and maybe keep him alive, but he would be extremely stressed and weak by the time he got out of the bowl.

Since you’re leaving in 2 days, I would recommend rehoming via your LFS. You can call them and ask if they’re willing to take your guppy. You can also look at local hobby groups, maybe on Facebook. Guppies are quite popular in the hobby and I’m sure you’ll find someone to take him.

As for his tail, as long as there are no signs of infection it should heal on his own. However, he needs to get out of that bowl. In a bowl, especially because there is no filter, there’s no surface agitation to oxygenate the water. He’s also in danger of ammonia poisoning.

I’d also like to ask about the eel. He may get quite large as an adult. Do you have a plan to upgrade?

 

In a bowl, he would likely die of ammonia poisoning. You could do daily large water changes and maybe keep him alive, but he would be extremely stressed and weak by the time he got out of the bowl.

Since you’re leaving in 2 days, I would recommend rehoming via your LFS. You can call them and ask if they’re willing to take your guppy. You can also look at local hobby groups, maybe on Facebook. Guppies are quite popular in the hobby and I’m sure you’ll find someone to take him.

As for his tail, as long as there are no signs of infection it should heal on his own. However, he needs to get out of that bowl. In a bowl, especially because there is no filter, there’s no surface agitation to oxygenate the water. He’s also in danger of ammonia poisoning.

I’d also like to ask about the eel. He may get quite large as an adult. Do you have a plan to upgrade?

I completely agree. A bowl is not good for him and I am not sure if he will survive. I think I will probably call my LFS where I got him from and see if they can take him.

I missed the eel part. He is probably the most shy creature and doesn't ever really interact with the other fish. He has never ever hurt or gone for the others as he usually just ignores them. He is a barred spiny eel and at the moment quite small, but may get a bit large. I don't have any plans really on what to do if my fish get bigger and outgrow the tank; I haven't thought that far. Since I'm younger I became very attached to my fish and just want to be a good fish parent, as I would hate for them to die and not be treated well. The thought of having to re-home my guppy and think about re-homing the others in due course is difficult for me to contemplate.

 

I completely agree. A bowl is not good for him and I am not sure if he will survive. I think I will probably call my LFS where I got him from and see if they can take him.

I missed the eel part. He is probably the most shy creature and doesn't ever really interact with the other fish. He has never ever hurt or gone for the others as he usually just ignores them. He is a barred spiny eel and at the moment quite small, but may get a bit large. I don't have any plans really on what to do if my fish get bigger and outgrow the tank; I haven't thought that far. Since I'm younger I became very attached to my fish and just want to be a good fish parent, as I would hate for them to die and not be treated well. The thought of having to re-home my guppy and think about re-homing the others in due course is difficult for me to contemplate.

I’m glad that you care about your fish. That’s a very important quality to have

Your fish have awhile until adulthood and sizing up is not as difficult as it may seem. Larger tanks are more stable, thus giving more room for error and preventing parameter spikes. petco is generous enough to have a $ per gallon sale every so often as well.