Gestaltgal Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 I'm going to be getting a few nicely bred guppies for a 20 gallon tank. I've never had guppies before (aside from that one terrible experiment in 7th grade where the science teacher had us keep sooooo many in a 2 liter coke bottle!). I would like to give them some nice aquascaping, but I haven't ever worked with live plants. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 id try to keep to the simple plants as a first timer. guppies do well with pretty much any plant, they do like to pick micro-organisms off of them, and hide in them. i would suggest anubias, java ferns, and guppy grass and any moss they can hide in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy's Fish Den Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 If you are wanting to breed the guppies and produce as much fry as possible, you'll want a bunch of plants that the babies can hide in to not be eater by the adults. Guppy grass is good, hornwort, anacharis, ludwigia. If you aren't worried about breeding and just want to keep the guppies in a nicely aquascaped tank, as mentioned above, anubias, java ferns, crypts are good. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Playz Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 I like Hornwort but get a couple bundles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gestaltgal Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 4 hours ago, Andy's Fish Den said: If you are wanting to breed the guppies and produce as much fry as possible, you'll want a bunch of plants that the babies can hide in to not be eater by the adults. Guppy grass is good, hornwort, anacharis, ludwigia. If you aren't worried about breeding and just want to keep the guppies in a nicely aquascaped tank, as mentioned above, anubias, java ferns, crypts are good. Great! I'm thinking I'll start with focusing on keeping the adults happy. When I have some stability, I really do like the idea of breeding with some focus! We have a great LFS, and I would love to be a provider for them. Thanks everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyThoughts Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 As mentioned, guppies will work with pretty much any plant. So that’s more of deciding what you like and feel comfortable growing. I would suggest some fast grows to help with nitrates. Since they’ll reproduce whether you setup for it now or not, and can cause those nitrates to jump up. And I’m still kind of testing it myself. But there’s been some research showing that higher temp and ph will contribute to more male guppies and short gestation periods. I had a 20gal cube setup with guppies, ph around 7.8 but temp at 72 degrees. I wasn’t keeping exact counts, but there was more females to males. I’ve recently moved them to a 75gal and bumped the temp to 75 degrees. Hoping at that temp I start getting more males. That’s pretty much all the LFS wants, since customers tend to only want males. That study was going a good amount higher in temp and ph, but they were also getting into the parameters that were reducing their lifespan as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gestaltgal Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 12 hours ago, FishyThoughts said: And I’m still kind of testing it myself. But there’s been some research showing that higher temp and ph will contribute to more male guppies and short gestation periods. I had a 20gal cube setup with guppies, ph around 7.8 but temp at 72 degrees. I wasn’t keeping exact counts, but there was more females to males. I’ve recently moved them to a 75gal and bumped the temp to 75 degrees. Hoping at that temp I start getting more males. That’s pretty much all the LFS wants, since customers tend to only want males. That study was going a good amount higher in temp and ph, but they were also getting into the parameters that were reducing their lifespan as well. Interesting! I'll keep that in mind for later. I have been reading that lower temperatures mean less overall breeding in general. Has that been your experience at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 if they are constantly down in the 60's, it may slow 'em down some, but anywhere in the 70's its business as usual. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 @lefty o speaks the truth! According to the Manual for the Commercial Production of Swordtails file I just uploaded, Livebearer reproduction doesn't cease apparently until 51°F which just goes to show you how much cold they can tolerate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyThoughts Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 4 hours ago, Gestaltgal said: I have been reading that lower temperatures mean less overall breeding in general. The study I read stated that at lower temperatures the females will hold the fry longer. Which correlates to less breeding and more stress on the females as well. I’m not being that serious with their breeding. So haven’t monitored their gestation periods, with mine it was more just noticing that most seemed to be females. @Daniel thank you for that information. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonske Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 On 12/30/2020 at 11:38 PM, Gestaltgal said: I would like to give them some nice aquascaping, but I haven't ever worked with live plants. Suggestions? I found mossy carpet to be a very efficient hiding place for guppy babies. Java moss, Christmas tree moss, any fluffy moss which is happy in your water will be great for them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared0401 Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 One plant that has seemed to flourish with the guppies in my sons 20GAL long has been pogostemon stellatus octopus. I have enjoyed learning the hobby with this plant. Easy to propagate and looks nice. This also provides some nice cover in the corners. Java fern is also another one that has done well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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