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Do livebearers need companions?


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Do guppies and sword tails need buddy’s?  I have 1 of each in a community tank along with 8 rummy nose tetras, 4 julii corydoras, 4 honey gouramis, 1 bristle nose pleco.  It’s a 24 gallon tank (sump is built in so I lose approx 2-3 gallons of swim space). 

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If you have a pair of any livebearer they'll make their own buddies. Lots and lots of their own buddies. So many you won't know what to do with all of them. Will they be somewhat more stressed out on their own? Yes. Will you be less stressed out not trying to figure out what to do with 5,000 fry if they don't have a "buddy?" Probably. So it largely comes down to who you want more stressed, you or the livebearer? I'd suggest keeping your own stress lower by keeping just one of each.

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1 hour ago, gardenman said:

If you have a pair of any livebearer they'll make their own buddies. Lots and lots of their own buddies. So many you won't know what to do with all of them. Will they be somewhat more stressed out on their own? Yes. Will you be less stressed out not trying to figure out what to do with 5,000 fry if they don't have a "buddy?" Probably. So it largely comes down to who you want more stressed, you or the livebearer? I'd suggest keeping your own stress lower by keeping just one of each.

What about keeping more males?

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7 hours ago, Geoff kuiken said:

What about keeping more males?

Males can get a bit feisty with one another. You can try it, but expect one to try and become the dominant male. If you go with males, many is better than two. It spreads the aggression. Three is better than two. Five is better than three. More males tends to reduce issues.

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11 minutes ago, gardenman said:

Males can get a bit feisty with one another. You can try it, but expect one to try and become the dominant male. If you go with males, many is better than two. It spreads the aggression. Three is better than two. Five is better than three. More males tends to reduce issues.

Sounds good. Thank you for the stocking advice.   

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