loopy danios v's horrified guppies

[tan.b]

no major concern, but got my danios yesterday to join my guppies and the chart says they should be compatible. well, they dont fight or anything , but the poor guppies were in shock when the danios entered, they just grouped togther in a huddle in the corner while the danios went mad exploring their new residence at lightning speed. anyway, kept lights out hoping they might settle down (a little at least?!) and allow the guppies to get used to their new tank mates. anyway, today the guppies are quite subdued again hiding in the plants and keeping together in their own little gang while the danios go mad (do the danios ever get tired?!!). do you think the guppies just need time to get used to their new lively tankmates? is it just because they've had the tank to themselves for a while and got used to that, or just that danios are so boisterous they're just not used to it yet? do danios ever hurt other fish? i dont they'd mean to as they havent made contact with another fish - not chasing to nip, just follow each other VERY fast, but they're SO fast it seems a matter of time before the guppies get bulldozed over. i dont think the guppies are too pleased with me for choosing such tankmates!!!

also i'm being vigilant at feeding time as the danios go mad then too and try and eat it all before the guppies come out of hiding!

also, while i'm here, are all danios so tame, or just mine? put test tube in water earlier for water test and they all came up touching my fingers and trying to get in the tube!!! then at the water change the guppies always used to retire to a corner and let me get on with it. the danios however find it very exciting and come and see whats going on and nearly end up in the bucket!!

what different personalities! talk about chalk and cheese!!!

 

[jri4]

Ha! I hope mine turn out like yours! They sound quite normal, if not energetic. I just hope the guppies get used to them... Maybe they'll begin to ignore the Danios as an older brother would a little kid, and continue normally. Let us know!

 

[tan.b]

Ha! I hope mine turn out like yours!  They sound quite normal, if not energetic.  I just hope the guppies get used to them... Maybe they'll begin to ignore the Danios as an older brother would a little kid, and continue normally.  Let us know!

oh i'd forgotten this post! it seems like forever ago!! well here's a quick update....the danios settled down a little and the guppies livened up a little so they get along great now. also i moved the danios and guppies into a bigger tank (15 gal to a 45 gal which leaked then into a 28 gal - thye didnt mind the moves at all ;D) so there's more space for the danios to dash about. sometimes one of the guppies will try and school with the danios only to discover its just not fast enough to keep up :!! i'd certainly recommend danios for any tank!! they certainly make all the fish more active and interesting and are completely harmless. i'll get some for my other 28 gal i think as the rasboras just swim back and forth along the back of the tank doing relay races, where-as i think the danios would mix it up a bit and show the rasboras theres a whole tank to play in!! danios are like 3 yr old boys.....charge around, not meaning any harm, but dont really think about what they're doing...they just want to play and want everyone else to play with them!!! the guppies are also more tame too and they all come to the front of the tank when they see the food tub, and all dash to the water surface when the tank lid is opened and all get a fair share of food and all try and swim into the test tubes when i sample the water! i can see why the danios are called dither fish. they certainly make the other fish more confident. oh and the chasing gets worse when my randy leopard tries to chase 4 zebras going in opposite directions.....that does make me laugh!! ha ha, sounds quite apt....leopards chasing zebras (are they even from the same country though...i digress-sorry!)
so do you have danios too then? are they with any other fish? what do you think of them? what type of danios have you got and how many?
tan

 

[jri4]

I have 5 Zebras (Danio Rerio) as of now all alone in a 10 gallon tank. They are much better than I expected, although I like fish with some color! They are swimming all over now, but for some reason they like to pop the bubles that are at the top of my water. I hope they are just playing and not stressing or something... I fed them this morning and they ate a little, which is good. Will feed again tonight around 7:00 pm ET, as well as test the water.

No one told me that the hood I put on would retain heat! I woke up this morning to an 82 degree tank, whereas last night it was a comfortable 77 degrees. Now I need to adjust my heater a little bit...

 

[tan.b]

they'll do well i'm sure. they're meant to be fairly hardy. just popping bubbles at the top is fine. mine come to the surface when its feed time. if however they are gasping at the surface it could be a sign of lack of oxygen. if temp too high the water holds less oxygen, or if the gills are damaged they need more oxygen. temp of 82 isnt alarmingly high as thus is what we use to treat ich, but fluctations in temp can upset fish. try to keep it quite stable, and not more than a degree an hour. easier said than done i know! my tanks are in a south facing room with lots of windows, so the sunshine (when it does shine!) makes the room really hot. nothing i do cools it down, but the heater thermostat should keep the heater off when the room heats up. am i making sense??!! w
the danios add movement to your tank and are great fun to watch. tetras and guppies and platies etc give the colour, so i'm sure you'll find some fish to add colour. i have a tank at the moment lacking in colour (the scissor tails are practically transparent and the plecs are black, so i'll be adding platies probably. they're meant to be easy to keep (and breed)! what were you thinking of adding to the tank to join your danios?
tan

 

[jri4]

Ideally, I would want a Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami and 2 different types of Corys (One being a Panda for sure, and then another being either a Julii or spotted). But I can't find anything but Albino Corys around me, and my local LFS is out of Gouramis. Plus it would overcrowd the tank, so I don't know. We'll see in a month or so.... What do you think about these choices?

 

[tan.b]

sounds good to me! gouramis are lovely, i'd love one or 2! so long as you stick to the dwarfs, cos the others get quite big. cories are good. they're meant to be good algae eaters and stay small. i want to get some for my 15gal. i've read they school as well if you have a few too! good luck tan

 

[chatony]

. They are much better than I expected, although I like fish with some color!

You can get the glofish zebra danios you know? http://www.glofish.com/default.asp

 

[tan.b]

chatony, sorry to go off topic guys, but are you aware how over stocked your tank is? your bristlenose alone needs 5 gals, and your other fish 1-2 gals each. you need one gal per inch of adult fish you have, so you really need to consider upgrading to a bigger tank or selling/trading your bn. there's an article about this on the freshwater beginners boards. i'm not having a go, i just guessed you maybe didnt realise and so i thought i'd better mention it. also a bn needs at least a 15 gal to give them enough room to move about in.

 

[Cody]

awwww poor guysss