Measurements - 20” x 10” x 12.5” (L x W x H)
How many guppies recommended for 10 gallon fish tank
- Thread starter Guppylover3x
- Start date
What is the general hardness (GH) and pH of the water?
Do you want male or female guppies, or both?
Assuming the GH and pH are suitable for livebearers (GH above 200ppm, pH above 7.0), you could have about 8 male guppies in the tank. The filters would need to be established before adding that many fish and you would have to do a water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
If you want female guppies you could have the same number (8) but you would have to remove the fry (baby fish) when they appear so the tank does not become over crowded.
If you want males and females then get 1 male and 6 or 7 females and remove fry when they appear.
Do you want male or female guppies, or both?
Assuming the GH and pH are suitable for livebearers (GH above 200ppm, pH above 7.0), you could have about 8 male guppies in the tank. The filters would need to be established before adding that many fish and you would have to do a water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
If you want female guppies you could have the same number (8) but you would have to remove the fry (baby fish) when they appear so the tank does not become over crowded.
If you want males and females then get 1 male and 6 or 7 females and remove fry when they appear.
OP
OP
Many thanks for your response Colin. I am currently looking to upgrade my fish tank so the tank is not set up currently. I want to do a direct transfer from my 5 gallon to a 10.5 gallon that I have seen online. I currently have 3 guppies all male and I want to continue with males so I don’t have breeding problems. If doing a direct transfer how would you advice to carry this out? My local fish store advice to transfer half the water or all of the old water and top it up. After this they advice the fish can be added straight away. If I was to do it this way the filter would not be stabilised. Thank you again.
Can you get a 20 gallon tank instead of a 10 gallon?
I only ask because the bigger the tank, the more water it has and the more fish and more variety of fish you can keep in it. Also 20 gallon tanks don't take up my more room than a 10 gallon, and the prices between them don't vary much either.
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If you have an established tank and are simply moving the fish into the new tank, you rinse the new tank out and put it wherever it is going to go. Add gravel and ornaments. Then use the water from the old tank to fill up the new tank as far as it will go. Move the fish and live plants into the new tank. Add the old filter to the new tank. Fill the new tank up with dechlorinated water. Turn the filters and heaters on and let it run.
The old established filter will continue keeping the water clean and over the next month the new filter will develop beneficial filter bacteria too. During this time you simply monitor the water quality for ammonia and nitrite and do regular water changes and gravel cleans.
I only ask because the bigger the tank, the more water it has and the more fish and more variety of fish you can keep in it. Also 20 gallon tanks don't take up my more room than a 10 gallon, and the prices between them don't vary much either.
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If you have an established tank and are simply moving the fish into the new tank, you rinse the new tank out and put it wherever it is going to go. Add gravel and ornaments. Then use the water from the old tank to fill up the new tank as far as it will go. Move the fish and live plants into the new tank. Add the old filter to the new tank. Fill the new tank up with dechlorinated water. Turn the filters and heaters on and let it run.
The old established filter will continue keeping the water clean and over the next month the new filter will develop beneficial filter bacteria too. During this time you simply monitor the water quality for ammonia and nitrite and do regular water changes and gravel cleans.
OP
OP
Unfortunatley due to space I wouldn’t be able to get a 20g at the moment. If I did choose this option I’d have to go for a tank that’s taller rather than wider, and I’m not sure if this would be suitable. I have a filter designed specifically for my tank at the moment, it has a seperate compartment designed for the filtration system. I’m not sure if I would be able to move this over. Many thanks for your advice.
In this case, move the old filter media into the new filter and fill the gaps with new media. If you have sponges, they can be cut up to make them fit. If you have carbon cartridges, cut the outer casing off the frame, throw away the carbon and put the floss-like casing into the new filter. Do anything you can do to save the bacteria in the old media.
essjay said it 
If you can't move the filter case across, just move the filter media because that is where the bacteria live (in the filter materials). Transfer the media into the new filter and top it up with new material.
Getting a tank that is slightly taller can give you more water and is a good option if you can't go wider or longer. But don't go too high because the tanks can be unstable if they are really tall and not very wide. But if the current tank is 2ft long x 12 inches wide x 12 inches high, and you can't go longer or wider, then get a tank that is 2ft long x 12 inches wide x 18 inches high.
If you can't move the filter case across, just move the filter media because that is where the bacteria live (in the filter materials). Transfer the media into the new filter and top it up with new material.
Getting a tank that is slightly taller can give you more water and is a good option if you can't go wider or longer. But don't go too high because the tanks can be unstable if they are really tall and not very wide. But if the current tank is 2ft long x 12 inches wide x 12 inches high, and you can't go longer or wider, then get a tank that is 2ft long x 12 inches wide x 18 inches high.
OP
OP
Thank you for the feedback. I understand keeping as much beneficial bacteria in the tank is important. I have another different option which would be more straight forward way of keeping the filtration system the same by getting the next model up from what I have now. The tank is 34L (9 gallons). Dimensions are slightly different but the carbon and biomax media could just be switched over. Measurements include - 35cm x 33cm x 33cm. I have also attached a photo of the tank. Would this be suitable? Many thanks.
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It's a pretty small tank and might reduce the number of fish you could have in it. If you can buy a standard rectangular tank (without any curved glass) it would probably be cheaper and you would get better value for money. Curved glass is difficult and expensive to make and can make it harder to work out how much water is in there when you need to treat the fish for anything.
The foam and biomax can be put into any filter. You can cut the foam to fit into most hang on back (HOB) style filters like the Aquaclear 30, or into an external canister filter, and you can put it in an internal power filter or even an air operated box filter. Although air pumps can be annoying. The biomax can be put into any type of filter too.
Carbon can be thrown away because it is not normally needed unless you are trying to remove chemicals or heavy metals from the water, and a big water change will usually do that too. Even if you want to keep the carbon, you can put that into any filter too.
The foam and biomax can be put into any filter. You can cut the foam to fit into most hang on back (HOB) style filters like the Aquaclear 30, or into an external canister filter, and you can put it in an internal power filter or even an air operated box filter. Although air pumps can be annoying. The biomax can be put into any type of filter too.
Carbon can be thrown away because it is not normally needed unless you are trying to remove chemicals or heavy metals from the water, and a big water change will usually do that too. Even if you want to keep the carbon, you can put that into any filter too.
OP
OP
It's a pretty small tank and might reduce the number of fish you could have in it. If you can buy a standard rectangular tank (without any curved glass) it would probably be cheaper and you would get better value for money. Curved glass is difficult and expensive to make and can make it harder to work out how much water is in there when you need to treat the fish for anything.
The foam and biomax can be put into any filter. You can cut the foam to fit into most hang on back (HOB) style filters like the Aquaclear 30, or into an external canister filter, and you can put it in an internal power filter or even an air operated box filter. Although air pumps can be annoying. The biomax can be put into any type of filter too.
Carbon can be thrown away because it is not normally needed unless you are trying to remove chemicals or heavy metals from the water, and a big water change will usually do that too. Even if you want to keep the carbon, you can put that into any filter too.
I agree that they are a little more difficult to work with you are correct. This is the 10 gallon tank that I would prefer.
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OP
OP
This is currently the tank that the guppies are in. I’m thinking of just putting one Betta into this now, as lovely as the tank is, 5 gallons can only ever hold a few fish. As you can see the system is quite different in how they work.
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All you have to do is cut the foam with a pair of scissors so it fits into the new filter. You don't have to leave it in the current shape. The ceramic beads (biomax) can be left in the mesh bag and put anywhere in any filter.
OP
OP
To be honest, I would put that Interpet filter in the cupboard and get a different filter if you were to get that 10 gallon tank. The Fluval U1 filter would fit all the old media. The biomax would fit in the box in the middle of the Fluval U, and the sponge could be cut up to replace the foam sponges of the Fluval.
The Interpet filter would be useful for running carbon should you ever need to use any eg removing medication after treating sick fish.
Depending on how fast the flow is in the Spec tank's filter, it could be too strong for a betta. I use a sponge filter powered by an air pump in my betta's tank. But any new filter/media would need to be cycled before getting a betta for the Spec.
The Interpet filter would be useful for running carbon should you ever need to use any eg removing medication after treating sick fish.
Depending on how fast the flow is in the Spec tank's filter, it could be too strong for a betta. I use a sponge filter powered by an air pump in my betta's tank. But any new filter/media would need to be cycled before getting a betta for the Spec.
OP
OP
The 10g tank above is not an interpet fish tank it’s a marina one. The 38l marina lux aquarium so the filter brand would be the same.
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