Care of Guppies
Guppies are one of the most popular fish kept by fish hobbyists in the world today. This is largely due to the fact that they are simple to take care of, prolific breeders and striking in appearance. Here is some advice to keep your fish in top condition.
Water conditions
The water in which you keep your guppy should be changed about once a week. This involves siphoning about 25% of the water from the tank using a vacuum tube, the vacuum tube allows you to also remove any debris from within the gravel. Guppies prefer a hard water aquarium with a pH of 6.8 to 7.4, kits to test both pH and hardness can be purchased from your local aquarium or pet store.
Feeding
Like all fish it is important to feed guppies a varied diet. As well as standard fish flakes you should also include brine shrimp, brine eggs and worms into their diet. Feed your fish small amounts three times a day. It is important to not overfeed your fish as the uneaten food will rot and effect the quality of your water. If you have young fry a diet high in protein is important, extra protein can be introduced to their diet by boiling an egg yolk and slicing it finely.
Diseases
Ichthyophthirius: A parasitical disease that appears on the fishes body as small white spots. You may notice the fish rubbing up against objects in the tank in an attempt to remove the parasite. There are numerous commercial treatment avaible for treating Ichthyophthirius.
Fin Rot: Fin rot is a bacterial infection that generally occurs on the guppies large tail fin. The disease is often started when a guppies fins are nipped by another fish, leading to infection. If you are having problems with fin rot try to locate any fish that are nippy and remove them to another tank. Speak to your local fish shop expert to find a commercial treatment for fin rot.
Hemorrhagic Septicemia: A bacterial infection that can be identified by red streaks on the fins of your fish or red dots on the body. This disease is caused by excess levels of nitrate and ammonia in your tanks water, you should perform daily water changes with conditioned to get these levels under control. Fish infected can be treated with an antibacterial solution to reduce the symptoms.
Ammonia poisoning: Fish suffering from ammonia poisoning can be seen gasping at the surface of the water and their gills will appear red and inflamed. Ammonia poisoning is common in new tank setups, water should be replace with conditioned water and additional aeration should be provided.