Besides its beauty the guppy has other great attributes.  Hardly any other tropical fish species combines so many great points in such degree.  It is a live bearer, extremely fertile and dependable breeder.  It is a very active fish keeping the gaze of many a viewer transfixed on the guppies aquarium.  It thrives in close confinement, can stand fairly foul water, and handles a larger range of temperature than other tropical fish.  It pretty much eats any kind of food, does not fight, is not timid, and matures rapidly.  It is subject to very few diseases, making it great for a novice to learn aquarium principles. Add to the fact that you can pick these fish up for a very reasonable price anyone can afford, even kids, makes it the ideal choice for a beginning aquarist.   

The female of this fish species is larger than the male as usual with a live bearer, and if pregnant will show a darkened area near the anal fin (circled below in red).  The bulging line of the belly indicates that delivery is near, especially when the sharp fullness extends to the forward part of the body just behind the head of the fish. 

The tail fins of Guppies often appear to be oddly shaped or sometimes partially clipped.  This is usually due to the opaque color markings being placed on fins, which are so transparent that it is almost impossible to see them.  When selecting a guppy or two when starting an aquarium, don’t worry about the tail, it is probably all there you just can’t see it. 

A great starter tank would be a 10 gallon aquarium filled with a mating pair of guppies.  In a while the aquarium will be teaming with more of them especially if you choose a pregnant guppy right from the aquarium store.

There are some algaecides available on the market, usually in some liquid or tablet form. While they may rid you of algae in the short term, they could end up doing more damage to your aquarium. This is because all the algae that get killed by the algaecide will end up floating in the water decaying and releasing ammonia, phosphates, and other harmful chemicals. This sudden change could adversely affect the long term habitability of your aquarium’s water, eventually forcing you to start over with fresh water.  If you only have a slight problem on a glass wall surface then an algae eating fish from the shark family can take care of that problem.

algae eating shark

 The best way to manage fish tank algae growth is through thorough and regular aquarium maintenance.

aquatic plants

 However, certain species of fish, such as cichlids, may end up devouring the entire plant. Plastic plants may be substituted if this is the case. Real aquatic plants, however, have the additional benefit of serving as a natural way to regulate the environment and habitability of fish tank aquariums. They help reduce ammonia levels, extract dissolved toxins from the water, and keep the water oxygenated. However, dead and decaying plant debris does contribute to the pollution of the tank as well, but overall the benefits outweigh the costs.  Before anyone seriously considers adding a plant to their aquariums, there are certain factors that they must keep in mind.

            First of all, the plants have to be able to survive in the same natural habitat as the resident fish. Some cursory research should reveal whether or not this is so by finding out what the species of fish you are keeping prefers.  Secondly, the presence of plants will influence what kind of filtration system should be installed and what type of substrate should be used. For example, it would be unwise to use and under gravel filtration system, as the substrate would not provide a stable medium for the plant to grow on, and the required substrate would effectively choke off the filtration system.

            While aquarium plants, take most of their food from the water and substrate in the tank, they do have their own set of unique nutrition requirements that must be provided in order for them to grow properly. This requires occasionally adding trace elements such as iron, copper, and zinc. Thankfully, this plant food should be readily available at your nearest pet or fish store. Healthy, well fed plants will become more effective in clearing the water of ammonia, phosphates, and other toxic contaminants.

            Everyone knows that plants need both light and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in order to develop properly.  Plants in fish tank aquariums need about 3-5 Watts of lighting power for every 4.5 liters of water. Aquatic plants need to be exposed to such lighting for at least 12 hours a day, though tropical plants may end up needing less. Some research will be required to figure out the best lighting conditions for you’re the specific plant you choose. Providing sufficient amounts of carbon dioxide will require purchasing a bottle of CO₂ and a regulator. Anywhere between 5-12 mg/Liter of CO₂ should be fine. Raising the levels beyond this range could result in liver damage for your fish.

            Because of their impact on the environment, it is strongly advised to add the plants before the fish in order to see beforehand their impact on the habitability of the water. It will also help jumpstart the nitrogen cycle within the tank, speeding up the growth of essential nitrogen fixing bacteria. For this reason, it is recommended that aquatic plants be included in the “breaking in” period of the tank, when it is run without fish for 48 hours to allow the environment to stabilize.

            If the required additional care, cost, and maintenance of real aquatic plants should sound too daunting or tedious, aquarists can always turn to plastic aquarium plants to provide the same aesthetic value. While they may not have most of the habitability and biological filtering advantages of natural plants, they still provide additional surface area for good bacteria to live on, and are virtually maintenance and hassle free.

     Ichthyophthirius (Ick) is the most common disease to be concerned about for a novice fish keeper. 

Ick on fins of fish

Ick for short is actually a parasitic protozoan that causes the trouble.  Sometimes it’s called the pepper and salt disease because the advanced stages with small white spots all over the fins and body resemble seasoning.  The parasite starts out with a few spots but will rapidly take over the whole body unless medication added to the water is introduced as soon as possible.  If not dealt with the spots will multiply and a fungus follows, with death soon after that.

Ick is nearly always caused by chill.  Chill works doubly against a fish.  The fish’s resistance is weakened, while the vitality of the parasite is increased in cooler water.

Sudden temperature changes are dangerous for an aquarium even in the warmer tank ranges of 78 degrees going down to 72 degrees.  The organism causing the trouble is one of the lower life forms being a single cell covered with swimming hairs.  It borrows its way below the outer skin of the fish with the irritation causing a tiny pimple.  The parasite eats the tissues and fluids of the fish where it borrows.  Fish can be seen attempting to scratch themselves against rocks and other items in the tank.  In a few days it will grow to full size of one millimetre and let go of the fish dropping to the bottom of the tank.  It forms a cyst and breaks up into anywhere from 500 to over 2000 young.  Many of the young will succeed in finding another host and the process repeats.  There are a few things you can do to get rid of Ick.  For a mild case raise the temperature of the water to 83 degrees and keep it there for two weeks. Vacuum the bottom of your tank and side walls 3 or 4 times daily.  Pay special attention to vacuuming the side walls of acrylic aquariums as Ick seems to be able to stick there more easily than glass surfaces.  Keep a close eye out for more ick.  If you don’t see any more then you’ve managed to get rid of it.  For more developed cases you will need to get medication from the local aquatic store and introduce it to the water.  Follow the instructions carefully.  You will need to remove the active charcoal in your filtering system for a time.  Remove any plants and aquarium ornaments to a holding tank before adding medication or they may become stained.  Rinse the plants and decor off first with water around 100 degrees and then in room temperature water of 70 degrees to shock the Ick and kill them.

Medication such as malachite green or victoria green is proven medications.  You will need to make a large water changes near 80 % before adding medication.  Let your tank sit for 48 hours each time you add medication and then change out the water and repeat 3 times in total.

After 6 days you should be in the clear.  You will have to keep an eye on your tank to get it back to a balanced state again over time just as you would in an original set up of a fishtank aquarium.

What you are essentially doing is allowing time for ammonia and NO2 nitrates to run their course and get them down to trace levels.  You need to be exchanging old water for new fresh treated water (just tap water with conditioner) in the range of approximately 15% every couple of days.  After a week or so your ammonia levels will most likely be high so don’t worry.  Just keep changing out water and it should dissipate in a few more weeks.  Meanwhile the fish are doing their thing eating and excreting.  After approx. eight weeks you should have N03 bacteria (good thing) and trace amounts of ammonia and NO2 bacteria (bad stuff).  Once you’ve achieved this you can add more fish and go through the same process if you want.  Simply put exchange water when you add more fish and go through the cycle process.  When you are just maintaining the fish you have you only need to top up the evaporated water.

With a properly set up aquarium you will keep maintenance to a minimum.  Your aquarium will be a closed environment that is balanced.  It is not hard to achieve if you follow the principles explained on another page in this website.  Having said this, you are on a learning curve if you are a novice, and will run into some maintenance issues and fish problems no doubt.  Aquarium maintenance is a very important part of keeping your fish healthy as well as the general look of the aquarium.  You don’t want to have it overrun with algae or have a bunch of dead plants rotting in the water.  It all impacts on the look so a good maintenance plan is the key, and much of the information given here should become habit.

Feeding being one of the core principles should be done based on water temperature.

The morning is preferred if possible. 

Aquarium lighting should be turned on in the morning and shut off after the desired amount has been given to the plants if you have some.

Monitoring the water temperature is of course always important along with Aeration and the filtering system.  Make sure what ever filter system you purchase you read over the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and maintain your system following their guidelines.

When you see a growth of fish tank algae starting up you can do three possible things.  Cut back on the amount of light per day, or use a scraper or sponge and clean it off.  Vacuum up the debris that settles on the bottom of the aquarium so it doesn’t fester.  You could also purchase algae eating fish from the shark family.  These are not sharks as you know of the flesh eating type that will bite you.  These fish eat fish tank algae off the side of the glass by sucking onto the glass.  I call them nature’s algae vacuum. 

Test the water with your testing kit periodically and this will confirm to you that your aquarium is in a balanced state and you will sleep better at night. 

If you have a fish tank aquarium set up and would like to show it off, send me some pictures and a write up.  I’d be glad to put it on this website.  …. Thomas