Temperate water for guppies?

Hi, I have a question about keeping guppies in a temperate water tank, I've looked around the internet and advice varies a lot! There are lots of sites that say that room temperature is fine but these are websites originating from places like Australia where the temperature is much warmer anyway.
We have a 80litre tank with 2 axolotls inhabiting it. They lived happily with 4 zebra danios for a little while (mainly because the danios bullied the platies in the tropical tank) and had no interest in eating them. After giving the danios to my younger sister to start her tank, we looked at some live bearers to go in our tank and found variegated platies. Within an hour or so we noticed they really nipped at the axies gills and ironically began to endanger them! So we took them out and they are happily populating a tropical tank downstairs. So now the research has began again and we are thinking about guppies since they don't fin nip like platies... Well only eachother so it seems.
My question is do you think they will survive and breed in our cold water tank? I say cold water but the temperature stays above 22 the majority of the time, mostly between 22 and 24. We had a male guppy from a garden centre about 3 months ago, he's in a tropical tank at 26 degrees at the minute but would like to go get a few females and move them to the 80litre.
I know this will probably be a trial an error sort of thing but just looking for an opinion from someone with experience.
If you don't think the guppies are suited then are there any other live bearers you would recommend? We've tried platies and I'm worried that mollies, as big as they can get, might become brave enough to fin nip the axies...
lm not sure what else I should mention, at present there are just two 6 inch axolotls living in the tank happily, one black one gold, I believe they are both females. The tank is cycled, no live plants. A fluval 2 sponge filter and some fast growing snails have appeared out of no where... Tiny gravel substrate, tanks been running since elate march.
Anyway thank you for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
Sarah.

 

As long as your temperature doesn't get below 20 they should be fine.
Male guppies can be fin nippers so keep an eye on them, I definitely wouldn't recommend Mollies as they can be very feisty, tbh axolotl's are best kept in a species only tank

 

Firstly thanks for your reply so quickly
Yes I deffinately think the male will nip fins, but they tend to nip eachother. I'm thinking since they don't get very big and there's lots of room in that tank they won't swim down to the axies. It's strange when you read about other axies they gobble up fish like they've never been fed! Ours have never been interested in fish? Weird. Maybe it's because we feed them earthworms?
Anyway I think this is going to be a trial and error thing :/ maybe il put the male in the cooler tank and see how he gos. I'm off work this week for half term so il be able to intervene if he gets brave n bites the axies!
Maybe I should by a heater to keep the water stable at 22?

 

HI Sarah,
my experience is that guppy's nip at everything when looking for food, plants, decor, internal parts of the filter (without visible algae on these). They even nipped at my larger Apple Snails. They never harmed them thought (tentacles or siphon).
It wouldn't surprise me that they also would nip the gills, not sure if they would damage them though.

 

HI and welcome.
I have a pair of axolotl in a species only tank. It is 36 gallons and they are very content. I believe that your tank converts to about 21 gallons and is a very nice size for two axolotl.
Sarah, I would not take a chance on their gills being nipped. I would think most fish would be attracted to the axolotls gills and would nip at them, at least that is my thought. If you do add fish, let me know how it works out for you.

 

Thanks for your replies all
Claire the zebra danios live with them just fine! Too fast for the axolotls and not quite brave enough to nip them!
however..... After much reading I decided the only way to see if the guppy was gunna play nice with the axies was to put him in, so I did. Suppose it would have been to early to watch for reactions to temperature... But I won't get a chance now. Pirate (black axolotl with a front leg that has never grown back) has gobbled him! Shocked! He's never eaten or even showed any interest in a fish!
well that solves that lol I was wrong to think he was an exception to nature is it legal in England to breed fish for feeding to other intentionally? I was thinking of breeding the guppies in the downstairs tank then taking offspring upstairs for the axies if they like them so much!

 

In England it isn't illegal to feed live fish but it probably comes under the animal welfare act where it could be considered to be causing unnecessary suffering

 

Eek... Not quite sure how to feel a about that :S
weve not had the axolotls through the winter yet and I'm wondering how I'm gunna vary their diet enough in the winter when the worms get low where we can't find them

 

Pirate (black axolotl with a front leg that has never grown back) has gobbled him! Shocked! He's never eaten or even showed any interest in a fish!

An unexpected answer (in your case), I guess you don't have to worry about the answer on your original question. I'm sorry for you he got eaten...

 

That's ok, suppose if I was worried about losing him I would have never put him in there anyway. And I was planning on using his offspring for some other creatures lunch! Il find another way.... evil girl!