Looking for good Guppy care pearls of wisdom (all males)

[HakuSpirit]

I have a 10 G with 4 male guppies one large Nerite snail with two tiny tag along snails (I realize snails may be an issue later ) .. tank is well cycled, pH 7.5
(0-0-10/20) temp always about 78, partial changes every week.. hang on back filter I clean out with tank water monthly.. I siphon about once a month. I’ve got some plants that seem to be doing well (Dwarf Crypto, Dwarf Sag, some sort of red sword and some floating Water Spangles) Anyways… the guppies seem pretty happy so far… they’re swimming together, active, colors have really popped since getting from LFS)
My question is: What should I be on the look out for problem wise? I’m not well versed with early signs of diseases. Or any other helpful tips for keeping guppies as I find them very pretty and interesting.

thanks!

 

[Silverleaf209]

I have a 10 G with 4 male guppies one large Nerite snail with two tiny tag along snails (I realize snails may be an issue later ) .. tank is well cycled, pH 7.5
(0-0-10/20) temp always about 78, partial changes every week.. hang on back filter I clean out with tank water monthly.. I siphon about once a month. I’ve got some plants that seem to be doing well (Dwarf Crypto, Dwarf Sag, some sort of red sword and some floating Water Spangles) Anyways… the guppies seem pretty happy so far… they’re swimming together, active, colors have really popped since getting from LFS)
My question is: What should I be on the look out for problem wise? I’m not well versed with early signs of diseases. Or any other helpful tips for keeping guppies as I find them very pretty and interesting.

thanks!

Welcome to Fishlore! I tend to have noticed that guppies tend to get parasites easily, I think it comes from the issue that most mutt/common guppy varieties are mass bred, and tend to spend most of their lives poor water. I have had issues with Callamus worms, an easy way to tell if your guppy has these is to look below their Analfins and if you see small pointy little red things, those would be the worms, there are a few different methods to getting rid of them, such as medicated food, or dosing the tank with powder. I have also noticed, heard and noticed guppies tend to have less strength in fighting off infections when their fins get cut, which leads to fungus or Fin rot, there are certain meds that can help heal those wounds, but as I was told by someone on Fishlore, methylene blue is the easiest way to get rid of those fungus issues, just gently hold the fish out of water, and apply a bit of methylene blue to the spots that appear to have fungus, if the methylene blue doesn't stick to the patch, it might be something other than fungus, you can continue the treatment daily until the issues have gone away.

 

[HakuSpirit]

Welcome to Fishlore! I tend to have noticed that guppies tend to get parasites easily, I think it comes from the issue that most mutt/common guppy varieties are mass bred, and tend to spend most of their lives poor water. I have had issues with Callamus worms, an easy way to tell if your guppy has these is to look below their Analfins and if you see small pointy little red things, those would be the worms, there are a few different methods to getting rid of them, such as medicated food, or dosing the tank with powder. I have also noticed, heard and noticed guppies tend to have less strength in fighting off infections when their fins get cut, which leads to fungus or Fin rot, there are certain meds that can help heal those wounds, but as I was told by someone on Fishlore, methylene blue is the easiest way to get rid of those fungus issues, just gently hold the fish out of water, and apply a bit of methylene blue to the spots that appear to have fungus, if the methylene blue doesn't stick to the patch, it might be something other than fungus, you can continue the treatment daily until the issues have gone away.

Thank you that was very helpful!
Any experience using Indian Almond Leaves? I know Bettas like them, but I also read it might not be great to use with Guppies if it ends up changing e pH? I’ve read they can help fight some types of diseases… probably not that worm thing though I’ve not heard of that I’m definitely gonna keep a look out.

 

[kansas]

Guppies have been inbred to the point where they are delicate, so I'd suggest a 50% water change once a week. This is a good idea for any fish, clean water keeps them healthy.

 

[ProudPapa]

I have a 10 G with 4 male guppies one large Nerite snail with two tiny tag along snails (I realize snails may be an issue later )

Snails are rarely an issue if you don't over feed. They're part of a healthy ecosystem, so I'm glad you aren't freaking out about them.

Thank you that was very helpful!
Any experience using Indian Almond Leaves? I know Bettas like them, but I also read it might not be great to use with Guppies if it ends up changing e pH? I’ve read they can help fight some types of diseases… probably not that worm thing though I’ve not heard of that I’m definitely gonna keep a look out.

Adding leaves to your tank will only alter the pH a significant amount if your kH is low (usually associated with soft water). While I don't use almond leaves, I have cottonwood, sycamore, oak, and/or magnolia leaves in all my tanks. The pH never budges.

 

[HupGupp]

Take the heater out if you have one. Guppies are healthier at room temperature.

For an all male tank, try to get ones that are of similar size, speed and even fin type. A sleek, small & fast male can make life miserable for a big & slow long-fined male.
I'll just add the size and speed thing becomes less of an issue in a large group of males in a bigger tank (30G+)

 

[emeraldking]

I tend to have noticed that guppies tend to get parasites easily,

This happens with a lot of farm bred guppies from Asia.

This is a good idea for any fish, clean water keeps them healthy.

Well, there are also fish that won't do well in clean water, tbh. But I do get your point....

 

[HakuSpirit]

Take the heater out if you have one. Guppies are healthier at room temperature.

For an all male tank, try to get ones that are of similar size, speed and even fin type. A sleek, small & fast male can make life miserable for a big & slow long-fined male.
I'll just add the size and speed thing becomes less of an issue in a large group of males in a bigger tank (30G+)

Wow I didn’t know about the heater… what about in winter? Or from your experience they do just fine? The size thing makes a lot of sense… that explains what happened with the first death I had, he was bigger and ended up being bullied.. I noticed him hiding by the flow outlet and then he died that day. The 4 in there now seem to be of a more similar size and are definitely functioning as a group.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Wow I didn’t know about the heater… what about in winter? Or from your experience they do just fine? The size thing makes a lot of sense… that explains what happened with the first death I had, he was bigger and ended up being bullied.. I noticed him hiding by the flow outlet and then he died that day. The 4 in there now seem to be of a more similar size and are definitely functioning as a group.

They can be fairly hardy. I keep Endlers outdoors part of the season. I know emeraldking does a lot of summer tubbing too, often much earlier and later than I do lol

 

[Fishfur]

Wow I didn’t know about the heater… what about in winter? Or from your experience they do just fine? The size thing makes a lot of sense… that explains what happened with the first death I had, he was bigger and ended up being bullied.. I noticed him hiding by the flow outlet and then he died that day. The 4 in there now seem to be of a more similar size and are definitely functioning as a group.

According to Seriouslyfish.com, their temperature range is from 17-28C. So room temps are not going to be too chilly unless you keep the rooms at less than 17C - which is 62.6F.

 

[HakuSpirit]

Well that’s good to know as I just thrifted some other tanks so maybe I could use the heater for the 20G I was hoping to start up. My house is pretty warm in summer, no central air lol, but winter it should be fine too. Thanks for the tips!!

 

[Silverleaf209]

This happens with a lot of farm bred guppies from Asia.

I can only speak for this part of the US, but it is sad to hear of similar things happening over there!

Thank you that was very helpful!
Any experience using Indian Almond Leaves? I know Bettas like them, but I also read it might not be great to use with Guppies if it ends up changing e pH? I’ve read they can help fight some types of diseases… probably not that worm thing though I’ve not heard of that I’m definitely gonna keep a look out.

Glad to help! I do keep almond leaves with my Guppies, I haven't noticed a change in PH, but I tend to add only a few leaves at a time, I agree with the part about help fighting diseases, almond leaves have tannins which are healthy for the fish, wood also has tannins. Yes, I don't think they would help with the worms.