Looking for a hard water fish ideas in 13 gal

[triss]

Hello everyone! 🙂 I'm looking for ideas for a fishtank. I was hoping maybe you could advise me freshwater fish that aren't prone to dissease and can live in conditions like this: 
- PH 7,6
- GH 18
- 13 US gallons (50 l)

I was keeping guppies for over a year, but only one of them is with me from the beggining. The rest of them died after 2-3 months...

I think my tank conditions are good. I clean it regularly, if I see any dead leaf, I take it out, they have stable temperature, PH, I do 30% water changes every week and test water. My guppies were from different fish store breeders. No ammonia, nitrite, low ammount of nitrate, no chlorine.
I've treated them several times for parasites, bacterial disease. I was keeping 5-6 males in 13 gallons.

So I was thinking, maybe it's the guppies? They seem to be prone to disseases and maybe they're not that easy fish.

I love guppies, they are so cheerful, sociable and have lots of energy. But I hate seeing them suffer.

[Tony s]

It's the guppies. depending on the source, of course. some kinds are too intensively line bred and have become weak.

bettas or honey gourami make good centerpiece. rasboras for schooling, any type. but not too small.

shrimp with chili rasbora, or green kubotai for schooling.

panda cories on bottom with dwarf gourami on top

Try getting guppies from dan's fish. hopefully better sourced. 

hard water most likely not the issue. 

[Tony s]

you could also go in an african direction.

small julidichromus

neolamprologus multifaciata- small shell dwellers

kribensis

 

 

[Tony s]

also small species of rainbow fish

[jwcarlson]

Have you kept any cherry shrimp yet?  Otherwise, if it's got to be a fish... celestial pearl danios are pretty neat if there's enough plants to make them feel secure.  And I breed them in far harder/higher pH water than you have.  You might even get some passive breeding with them.

Edited February 24 by jwcarlson

[Scapexghost]

If you want to have more success with guppues, the best way is to breed them yourself. Guppies born in your water will be more healthy snd haply than the highest wuality guppies from the most respected breeders.

[mynameisnobody]

I’ll always vote shellie, they’re insanely entertaining. 

[reefhugger]

My  local water is also hard.  I eventually got guppies to thrive after giving up on local big box stores and buying from on line sources.   I also have platies, loaches corys  and a variety of tetras that do well, but I'm careful to get tank-bred fish from reputable sources.  These seem to be better able to thrive in tank conditions.

[Guppysnail]

There is a large array of hard water fish not usually listed in internet articles. 
 

Any livebearer.  Most are not overbred like guppies so do not come with the same genetic weakness.  They are mostly hobbyist bred so care before you purchase is often much better than store bought.

Dans fish purchases from hobbyists so often has quite a few choices  

https://dansfish.com/product.detail/5914/Tiger-Teddy-Livebearer,-Pair-(1M1F)-(Neoheterandria-elegans)

Limia nigrofasciata is one I’m working with right now. Same endearing curiousity as guppies. 

Heterandria formosa

Neoheterandria elegans (tiger teddies) Phallichthys amates (Merry Widow), some goodeids stay small enough.  
The list is very long of fish not typically in pet shops and not overbred.  

[Lennie]

If you get guppies imported or raised in very sterile or brackish conditions, they are not used to (freshwater) pathogens so they do very bad. In this case it is usually about getting fry and raising them on your own tank. You likely lose majority of the adults if not all of them. 7 guppy tanks here, same issue with all imported parents. Fry are super healthy👍🏻

Being line bred genetically makes them weak in general, but the problem I usually faced was not exactly caused by genetics issue if they are the imported ones, more likely them not being able to handle the pathogens and end up dying due to being used to very sterile or different environment
 

I would advice, if you want guppies, source them from a good hobbyist or place that breeds their own, preferably within your country or for better, around your near location

[Schuyler]

If you want to try sharing a little different and you have a lid on your tank, then you could try killifish in the Nothobranchius genus.

They appreciate hard water, they're brightly colored, and they're not shy at all.

These are my Nothobranchius Eggersi:

[triss]

Thank you so much for your response! Also thanks for sharing photos of your beautiful fishes! 

On 2/23/2024 at 11:28 PM, Tony s said:

bettas or honey gourami make good centerpiece. rasboras for schooling, any type. but not too small.

shrimp with chili rasbora, or green kubotai for schooling.

panda cories on bottom with dwarf gourami on top

I was also thinking about rasboras (chilli, galaxy) or cories. 

On 2/24/2024 at 5:23 AM, Scapexghost said:

If you want to have more success with guppues, the best way is to breed them yourself. Guppies born in your water will be more healthy snd haply than the highest wuality guppies from the most respected breeders.

I've read about it once, but haven't thought it would make any difference. Maybe that's what I should do... The only thing I'm afraid of is that they multiply fast 😄 And my tank is pretty small

On 2/24/2024 at 12:28 PM, Lennie said:

If you get guppies imported or raised in very sterile or brackish conditions, they are not used to (freshwater) pathogens so they do very bad. In this case it is usually about getting fry and raising them on your own tank. You likely lose majority of the adults if not all of them. 7 guppy tanks here, same issue with all imported parents. Fry are super healthy👍🏻

I would advice, if you want guppies, source them from a good hobbyist or place that breeds their own, preferably within your country or for better, around your near location

Some of my guppies were from import, but most of them were from local fish shops that breeds them. The only one who stayed alive for more than 3 months is my first one/ He's now 1 year old, from import and he seems super healthy. His friends from the shop didn't make it. I keep them in brackish water, they do the best if I add a little bit of salt. 

On 2/24/2024 at 11:56 AM, Guppysnail said:

Limia nigrofasciata is one I’m working with right now. Same endearing curiousity as guppies.

That's what I like about guppies 🙂 They are curious of everything and not affraid of anything. 😄