It will take a little work to set up the best habitat for your new pets.If you want to have a school of fish, you need a tank big enough to hold them.The tank should be filled with gravel and decorated with rocks, plants and ornaments.If you want to create the healthiest habitat, you need to condition your aquarium for a few weeks.Setting up suitable water conditions will help keep your pets happy and healthy.
Step 1: A ten gallon tank is what you should choose.
Guppies should not be kept alone or in a small fishbowl.The rule of thumb is to give a gallon of water for every inch of fish.You would want to provide ten gallons for five guppies.This isn't set in stone and is a general guideline.You will have to put more effort into tank maintenance if you keep more than five guppies in a ten gallon tank.
Step 2: If you are a beginner, use an external power filter.
First-time tank owners should use power filters.The hood should be pre-cut on the back of the tank.Plants and other decorations should be kept away from the filter.For your tank size, choose a filter that is powerful.If you have a 10 gallon tank, you want a filter that circulates 50 gallons per hour.You will need to vacuum clean the gravel frequently, as undergravel filters require a little more maintenance.
Step 3: Add two inches of gravel to the bottom.
Before adding aquarium gravel to the tank, rinse it thoroughly without soap, and purchase it from your local pet store.The tank should be covered with two to three inches of gravel.Don't use sand or gravel in your backyard.It is possible to introduce harmfulbacteria and parasites to the habitat.Before purchasing gravel, check the label to make sure it can support plants.
Step 4: Add decorations when you fill the tank halfway.
It will be easier to position your plants, rocks, and other decorations if you fill the tank with water halfway.These will allow your guppies to hide, which will decrease their stress.Live aquarium plants, which you can purchase at the pet store, are great for the habitat, as they filter toxins and add oxygen to the water.Rocks should be firmly set in the gravel.You don't want them to fall over and hurt your fish.
Step 5: An air pump can be placed in a tank.
An air pump circulates water in the tank.An air pump can be used to add an interesting feature to your aquarium.Check your filter's label if it requires an air pump in order to work.
Step 6: You can add the tank heating.
Puppies thrive in water with a temperature between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.The aquarium heater has a thermostat that can be adjusted by attaching it to the glass with cups.After you have filled the tank with water, turn it on.
Step 7: A light with a timer can be used.
Guppies need light and dark periods in order to grow.Set the aquarium light to shut off for eight hours.guppies can't rest properly without an eight hour dark period.They are prone to developing deformities if they don't have enough light.
Step 8: The water should be put into the tank.
After placing your equipment and decorations, fill the tank with water.Instead of filling it up to the brim, leave some space at the top.If you have to reach for something inside, you don't want the water to spill over.
Step 9: The air pump, the filter, and the heater need to be turned on.
Turn on your equipment when the tank is full.Give them two or three hours and make sure to check for bubbles and water.Double check that the heater is working by using a thermometer.
Step 10: The water should be dechlorinated.
Inexpensive chemicals called dechlorinators remove chlorine and chloramine from water.All tap water has small levels of these that are harmful for fish.There is a dechlorinator at the pet store.Depending on the product, you can add a drop or two of dechlorinator per gallon of water.
Step 11: They cycle.
If you want to add guppies, you need to develop the beneficialbacteria that help maintain water quality.Add a few drops of pure ammonia or ammonia labeled for cycling to the tank.You want to see ammonia levels at three parts per million if you wait two days.If necessary, add more ammonia to the water.If you start testing for nitrites after a week, you will see thatbacteria are starting to grow and consume ammonia.nitrate levels should rise and fall within a few more days.You have completed your first nitrogen cycle.The best way to prevent ammonia exposure is to do a fishless cycle.
Step 12: A quarter of the bag water should be replaced with your tank water.
Bring your guppies home from the store because oxygen levels will decrease in the bag.Take a quarter of the water from the bag and put it in your tank.Equalizing will help your fish adapt to their new home.
Step 13: The bag is in your tank.
float the bag from the store in your tank is the most common method of acclimating.Every ten minutes, take a cup of water from the bag and put it in your tank.Your guppies will be released into their new home after an hour.Water from the bag should not be put into the tank.It is possible to introduce unwanted contaminants from the pet store.Lift the bag out of the tank and use a scoop or cup to remove the water.Tie or seal it.
Step 14: An extra precautionary measure is to use a bucket or Quarantine tank.
The more cautious method is floating the bag in a bucket or quasar tank filled with your tank water.There is a risk of spilling water from the bag into the main tank.If you use a bucket, use the same procedure as floating the bag in your aquarium tank.For an hour, replace a cup of water every ten minutes.
Step 15: The fish should be in the tank at a time.
A net can be used to transfer a puppy from the bag to the tank.Wait 20 to 30 minutes to add two or three.Taking things slowly will allow your new pets to adapt to their new environment and give the tank time to adjust to having extra waste.You can get water from the bag into the tank with the fish.
Step 16: Make sure your tank is in good shape.
Making sure the environment stays clean is part of getting your guppies acclimatized to a new tank.Guppy tanks need to be cleaned regularly.Make sure to use fresh, dechlorinated water to top off your tank each time you clean it.You can remove 15% of your tank's water by draining it into a bucket.To treat fresh water, use a chlorine removal.The fresh water should be the same temperature as the water in your tank.The fresh water will leave room between the top of the water and the tank.Every time you change the water, you should scrub your tank.Be sure to check your filters frequently.