i am planning on getting some guppies only a few but i am told they breed uncontrollably, how many will fit before there are to many? (i am hoping some babies will not make it i don’t have room for any more tanks) also i plan on having a pleco in there to so my algae is not crazy.
and are guppies dirty fish?
Guppies are not particularly dirty. They will breed pretty much constantly but if you don’t move the babies into another tank, most of them will be eaten by the other fish. I wouldn’t keep more than 15 in a 30-gallon. Also, remember that you will need to feed the pleco (sinking algae wafers or similar) unless you have a really bad algae problem, which you shouldn’t unless you overfeed.
Guppies are not particularly dirty. They will breed pretty much constantly but if you don’t move the babies into another tank, most of them will be eaten by the other fish. I wouldn’t keep more than 15 in a 30-gallon. Also, remember that you will need to feed the pleco (sinking algae wafers or similar) unless you have a really bad algae problem, which you shouldn’t unless you overfeed.
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No more than 15 unless you have superior filtration. For a pleco don’t get anything bigger than a bristlenose. A few otocinclus would be ideal.
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If you don’t want babies just get all male guppies? You could easily fit 15 males in that. If you insist on getting boys and girls make sure the girls outnumber the boys at least 2:1. Meaning, 10 girls and 5 boys. But really, nothing wrong in keeping boys only.
By the way, guppies are relatively messy for small fish when you compare them to other fish like Rasboras or Danios. They are not low waste. They actually have a relatively high bioload for their size, so make sure you’ve got a good filter.
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Guppies are prolific live bearers and do breed like crazy. Unless you want a completely overrun tank in a matter of a month or two, I would STRONGLY urge you to only keep 1 male and about 3 females for a total of 4 guppies. Males are competitive and may fight for breeding rights on the choice female (usually the largest female). You should always keep at least twice as many females as males. Guppies can have babies every month or so and have about 30 babies at a time. These babies reach sexual maturity at about 3-4 months of age. DO NOT GET 15 unless you want hundreds of fry in your tank!!!
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http://guppyplace.tripod.com/FAQS.html