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QT for Guppies


GoldenGardner
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I have been working on getting everything I need for a quarantine tank. 

Tank (Tub with lid and holes drilled in the lid) 

Water Heater ( I have an extra thanks to Petco's return policy.) 

Sponge Filter from Aquarium Coop

Airstone? 

Do I need a light for tank? I have been looking at people's post discussing the QT tank and the focus seems to be on the filter and there's not mention of the light. Perhaps this is because it's just assumed that any idiot would know it needs a light, but let's say this one doesn't know. Do I need a light

I have a female guppy that today is Day 21 of having her in the same tank as a male guppy. According to the interwebs she should be close to giving birth, although this may be delayed due to my tank not originally being cycled when I put them in. However she does seem to have a dark Gravid spot. I do have a breeding box I can add to my tank, but I read that I could also put the fry in a QT tank to ensure that they survive. 

I'm also wondering if I can have my QT Tank upstairs in my son's room. This would require putting the fry into a container to transport them upstairs from the maintank. Or is this a bad idea?  

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I don't think you need a light for the QT tank, unless you're putting plants in there that require it.  I have heard that high light can be more stressful for the fish, but complete darkness can be too, so ambient light from the room should be fine.   I've heard Cory recommending a night light in the room for when the lights are out.

You can get an airstone to use with your sponge filter, but I think just the sponge filter will help keep the water oxygenated enough, unless you're using medications that can impact the amount of oxygen in the water.  Medicating is when I've used an extra air stone in a QT tank.  

Is the sponge filter coming from a cycled aquarium?  That might be a bigger issue in the QT tank than light after you move the fry in there since you'll be feeding.  

I think you could move the female into the breeding box in the main tank until she gives birth and then move her back into the tank.  Then you could raise the babies in the breeding box or move them into their own tank in your son's room.  I do think anytime fish get moved or put in a new environment that can be stressful, but ppl do it all the time (esp successful breeders and hobbyists). I hope more experienced folks weigh in, but I think you can combat the stress by ensuring the environment you're moving them into is a nurturing one (stable parameters, lots of places to hide, etc).  

I recently got some new endlers (very similar to guppy), one female was pregnant when she came from the store, and she did not give birth until a week or possibly even longer than the typical gestation period.  I wonder if the stress from being put into a new environment (and the store tank she came from had tons of plant cover, while mine is planted but more exposed) extended her gestation period.  We watched closely everyday but never saw her give birth, all of a sudden one day there were two babies in the tank, then five more the next day, then even more the 3rd day.  It was fun! Endlers typically don't eat their fry so I just left them in the main tank. 

Congratulations on the upcoming babies! Post pictures when they arrive!

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The spongefilter is! I have learned that much. I bought the green filter/sponge thing from the Coop and was going to just put it in my tank to let it soak up the goodness, but then one of the neon tetra's got sucked into the filter intake of my hang on back filter, so I took the sponge, sewed up the bottom and stuck in on the intake of the hang on back filter. I also ordered some other sponge to do that with that is not so big. 

I am nervous I won't get the female scooped into the breeder box at the right moment. I hope that it's terribly obvious that she's about to give birth.

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