Advice on Stock Redux

[PlasticGalaxy]

Why not just visit the offwat website?

My provider is Southern Water, but it keeps telling me that my water is supplied by another company (which it isn't). I'll just get a test kit lol

 

[Colin_T]

Don't buy a GH/ KH test kit unless you really want to. The GH and KH don't normally change much throughout the year and most people simply test it a couple of times a year. You can take a sample of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test the GH and KH and save a heap of money by not buying a test kit.

When they do the test, write the results down in numbers and find out what unit it is measured in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

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If you want guppies, just get 4 or 5 females and they will breed without a male being present due to sperm packets they carry from previous matings with males.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Don't buy a GH/ KH test kit unless you really want to. The GH and KH don't normally change much throughout the year and most people simply test it a couple of times a year. You can take a sample of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test the GH and KH and save a heap of money by not buying a test kit.

When they do the test, write the results down in numbers and find out what unit it is measured in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

---------------------
If you want guppies, just get 4 or 5 females and they will breed without a male being present due to sperm packets they carry from previous matings with males.

Alright, thank you!

And thank you for that odd tip on guppies. Right now I've got eight males in my big tank, so I've already got a good amount if I ever want to keep breeding them.

 

[Colin_T]

All common livebearers (mollies, platies, guppies and swordtails) carry up to 6 sperm packets and use them to fertilise eggs when conditions are good. So if you ever want to breed them, just buy some females that have been kept with males and you will get up to 6 batches of young and not have to worry about males harassing the females.

The babies will consist of males and females and the young males should be moved into their own tank as soon as they can be sexed to prevent them breeding with their mothers and sisters.

After the females have used up their sperm packets, it's a good idea to give them at least 3 or 4 months to recover before putting them with a male and breeding them again.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

All common livebearers (mollies, platies, guppies and swordtails) carry up to 6 sperm packets and use them to fertilise eggs when conditions are good. So if you ever want to breed them, just buy some females that have been kept with males and you will get up to 6 batches of young and not have to worry about males harassing the females.

The babies will consist of males and females and the young males should be moved into their own tank as soon as they can be sexed to prevent them breeding with their mothers and sisters.

After the females have used up their sperm packets, it's a good idea to give them at least 3 or 4 months to recover before putting them with a male and breeding them again.

Alright! I'll keep this all in mind when I'm weighing up my final stock choice! Thank you!