# 10 gallon planted Guppy raising tank



## automatic-hydromatic

A female Guppy in my 30 gallon gave birth a couple weeks back, and I've had this 10 gallon sitting around ever since I got out of it and into the 30 gallon. So I decided today to make use of it and set it up to put the Guppy juveniles in  They'll stay in the tank for a while until they grow and mature and I can take them in to the LFS and trade them in for store credit. There's about 20 of them that will be going in the tank. They're not in the tank yet; I just set the tank up today, so I'm going to run it for a day, maybe two, before I put them in.

Since the peat moss, play sand, gravel substrate is working so well in the 30 gallon, I decided to do the same in this 10 gallon  Should help out the Amazon Swords and Argentine Swords I put in the tank.

The Amazon Swords I pulled out of the 30 gallon because the Bristlenose Plecos have been munching on them... They're not in the best of shape, but I'm hoping to turn them around. I also wedged some Java Fern and Lace Java Fern sprouts pulled from the 30 gallon into crevices in the wood.

After a week or two, I'll probably put a pair of Ghost Shrimp in the tank for a bottom clean up crew as well.


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## danilykins

It looks good  I have all my mom to be's in my 10gallon so that can be the birthing/baby tank and in a pinch if there is no occupants in there it can be a QT tank


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## automatic-hydromatic

Did a base water test today. 7.2 PH, 1 for ammonia, and 0 for both nitrite and nitrate 

I didn't seed it with anything from the 30 gallon when setting it up accept for the Amazon Swords. But even still, the 30 gallon has a constant 0 for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The 30 gallon also started out like this, reading a little ammonia and a PH around 7.2, and never did go threw an obvious "cycle" because of the plants. The PH gradually settled at 6.6, and the ammonia disappeared within a week with no signs of nitrites or nitrates. All that may be because of the canister filter, but it may also be due to the large number of plants in it. Or it may have something to do with the substrate setup. I really don't know, lol. But I'm hoping this tank will do the same. If the ammonia doesn't climb over the next week and the nitrites and nitrates stay non-extant, then I guess I can expect the same thing with this tank  I've been feeding the tank lightly as well to provide some sort of decay for something for the plants to feed a little on.

Today I also added in two small sprouts that came off some Apongetons in my 30 gallon tank, and a small vine of Anacharis, also from the 30 gallon.


The water has clouded up a little, but it's more than likely from the wood. I rinsed it, but I didn't boil it or anything since it's store bought. It should clear up in a day or two I'm hoping. If not then I'll see how some large water changes (50%) will help.


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## M1ster Stanl3y

I love the wood...


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## automatic-hydromatic

Petco, $10! 

I went in there to buy the gravel for the tank and was like OH, MUST HAVE!

probably should have gotten a smaller piece though...


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## automatic-hydromatic

water test today showed .5 ammonia, 0 nitrites and nitrates

it's on the same path as the 30 gallon 

I did a 25% water change after the test to try and clear up some of the yellow hue that's coming from the wood. It cleared up a good bit, but it's going to take a few more PWC's before it's as clear as the 30 gallon


for comparison, here's the water I took out of it... barf...













compare that to the freshly treated water going back in


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## J-Pond

Looks very nice, love the center piece.


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## jrman83

If that is the heater I think it is, may want to look at this:
RECALL-Marineland Stealth PRO heater


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## automatic-hydromatic

jrman83 said:


> If that is the heater I think it is, may want to look at this:
> RECALL-Marineland Stealth PRO heater


mine's only a 50 watt model, not covered under the recall  but I'll definitely ask about it next time I go in there

mine's been working perfectly fine; keeps the temp right at about 81. I bought it before when I had the 10 gallon set up the first time and it worked fine then too, and it ran in that tank for about 2 months before taking the tank down and moving everything into the 30 gallon


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## Kibblemania1414

i love it! just the peat will make the water crappy. did it do that after that time? i am thinking about that. could you give your plans? just like what plans for substrate (e.g. 1 inch of peat, 1 inch of sand ect. ect.)


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## automatic-hydromatic

I dropped about 1/8th of an algae wafer in for the ghost shrimp

apparently after it softens up, the Guppies like to go mad on them too, lol


YouTube - Guppy juvenile swarm


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

From my own fry rearing experience, Id empty the tank out and just use a sponge filter, they need fresh water daily to grow out correctly. Decor only stunts the fish and if you want fin growth you NEED all the open space you can get.
Fins=$


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## automatic-hydromatic

well they're not really show Gup's; neither one of their parents were, so I don't expect them to grow long flowing fins anyhow


and they get daily 25% water changes, so with that, the live plants, and the substrate setup, the water stays pretty "fresh"


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

You would be suprised at how nice you can grow a guppy from less then quality parents. Time,fresh water, premium foods(i suggest frozen rotifers, they aid tons in growth and coloration)


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## tscott

Looks great, just so you know those logs from petco seap that nasty color into the tank for a long time. I believe you are supposed to soak it in a bucket for a while. I took mine out and replaced it with a different type. I still have it and probably should just throw it in a bucket of water for a few weeks. My 25 gal cube was a dark haze for two weeks before I decided to just remove the wood.


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## automatic-hydromatic

yeah it's still leaching the nasty color into the water...

doesn't seem to bother the fish, it's just an eyesore to look at

with every water change, it get's a little more clear


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## jrman83

I would guess it comes from the peat also - tannins.


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## automatic-hydromatic

jrman83 said:


> I would guess it comes from the peat also - tannins.


one would think

but my 30 gallon with the same exact substrate setup has stayed crystal clear from day one


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## automatic-hydromatic

the water is really beginning to clear up 

it's still got a tint to it, but not like it did at first, and it's still getting better with each water change











YouTube - 10 Gallon Planted Guppy Raising Tank - 2/27/2011


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## majerah1

Nice!Ya know,I aim for that tea color in my fry tanks,lol.


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## automatic-hydromatic

oh and even with all these little fish, the ammonia is steady dropping  it's just below .5 now from the 1 that I started with, and there still hasn't been the first sign of nitrites or nitrates, so the plants and substrate seem to be doing the same thing for the water as it is doing my my 30 gallon

hopefully by next week the majority of them will be ready to be turned in for a little store credit at the LFS


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## automatic-hydromatic

I forgot about this thread 


the tank got hit with some sort of disease... the fish started to get a random white lump on them, then about 2 days after noticing the lump, they'd be found floating belly up... didn't look like ich, but rather some sort of parasite, at least I think so. either way, it took the population down to about 10... but I'm pretty sure I've stopped it, because there haven't been any more cases of it in the past 2 weeks or so

I made a divider to keep the males away from the females as they mature, and doing that I had to pull the log out. No problem though, I just put it in my 30 gallon.

the tank has become more of a plant nursery than a Guppy nursery now though, lol. all the little newly sprouted plantlets from my 30 gallon get placed in the 10 gallon to mature


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## automatic-hydromatic

well the inhabitants were getting large enough, so I decided to move some to the 30 gallon 

I pulled all the males out and put them in the 30 gallon, and now this 10 gallon only holds females. This allowed me to pull out the divider net and rearrange the tank a little!














Got the planted side/corner












Complete with Westeria bush











Argentine Swords in the back












A few newly budded Apongetons (from the 30 gallon) with 2 small Amazon Swords behind them












A hole MESS of Java and Lace Java Fern plantlets, just bunched up, some of them holding onto gravel with there roots which is weighting the mass down












A little bunch of Anacharis












And the full grown Apongeton in the far back corner













I also put in a little fake log thingy that I had laying around... I don't care too much for fake ornaments, but the shrimp likes it apparently 























I'm moving in 2 weeks, at which point this tank will be getting torn down, all the plants will find their way into the 30 gallon, and the female Guppies will be traded into the LFS... I'm not going to be able to maintain both tanks during the move, so I'm cutting back to just the one 30 gallon... for now...


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## Mrmike

I agree with WhiteGlove..... I raise all my fry in bare bottom tanks with sponge filters..... and if you expect the LFS to give you anything above wholesale feeder price for guppy pairs you need the best finnage possible. I have been disappointed with the offers made for trading my babies in for store credit...... rarely is it what *I* think they are worth!


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## automatic-hydromatic

oh I don't expect much. I might just end up giving them to him to take them off my hands


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## automatic-hydromatic

well, this tank is no more 

took it down this afternoon, gathered a bunch of other supplies (basically enough to make it a complete aquarium kit) and listed it on craigslist about an hour ago

just trying to cut back on the amount of things I have to move. this will be one less thing I have to worry about breaking, so long as it sells before next Monday, lol. it's already going to be an ordeal to move the 30 gallon...


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