What do you think about guppies and water hardness?

Question

I've kept tropical fish (easy species) for years, and had healthy fish without worrying about hardness (I do control pH.) I'm in Sydney, Australia. Some sites ( http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Poecilia&species=reticulata&id=96 ) suggest that guppies like much harder water (much harder than any of the other species I have), although they are supposed to be easy to keep. I got two recently, and while they are healthy, I'm a bit worried about them.

Answer 1

I think guppies are fairly easy fish to keep, although it is true that guppies and other livebearers perfer hard, brackish water. They will also do better at different pH to most other tropical fish.

They do tollerate regular community tropical fish tanks and live in them ok, but they are alot happier and healthier when they are kept in the right conditions. You can buy special livebearer salts which add everything that helps to make a livebearer tank perfect and should help it get to the rigt pH balance and hardness.

However this wouldnt be suitable for a community fishtank. I keep a tank just for my dalmatian mollies- and there are heaps of people out there who just have tanks dedicated to livebearers.

But if you dont want to set up another tank as an option, I wouldnt put all your other fish at risk by changing the water conditions to keep the guppies happy.

Answer 2

i'm not really sure on what you are talkin about but i do know that we've got fish and in one tank we got guppies  when i change there water and clean the tank i use tap water and de -coler to get the chrolie out they been in there for over a year and there is no problems. good luck

Answer 3

Perfect confitions for guppies if medium hard water with a trace of salt.

But they are very adaptable little fish and can live in almost any sensible water conditions.

The ones you have were probably bred in your local tap water anyway, and will be perfectly happy living in it.

Just leave the pH and hardness alone and the will be fine.

Ian