Guppy Behaviour

[willowstwin]

Hey All

I got 3 male guppies yesterday to add some colour to the top part of my tank, yet I have some questions/worries...

2 of them spend their time swimming close together right at the surface of the water. They occaisionally venture a quarter of the way down into the tank and then swim back to the top very fast. I know it's not my oxygen levels, as my shrimp would be swimming to the top also as they're very sensitive, and my other fish are happy at the bottom-mid.

The next problem is my yellow male. He spends his time sat on top of the filter (in the small space between the water surface and the dip at the top of the filter). He's not stuck and when I moved the filter completely to the surface he swam around and then got in the small space above the filter seats suckers (so between the filter and the glass)... it's worrying me as he's not interested in swimming around like the other 2.

Any ideas? (I hope I was clear, I find it hard to explain things sometimes)

 

[This Old Spouse]

If you just got them yesterday, they're still acclimating. And did you acclimate them, and how?

I notice that my guppies are pretty darn sensitive to changes, not so much as to make them ill or anything, but their behavior does change when their environment does. They should be all right soon.

 

[willowstwin]

I floated the bag for 20 minutes, then every 10 - 15 minutes for the next hour and a half I added half a cup of my tank water (gently). Then I netted them in the bag and added them to the tank.

 

[fluttermoth]

Guppies do spend most of their time near the surface.

I'd be a bit worried about the other one, but I assume you've checked your water and if there's no problem there, there's not a lot you can do. Some guppies don't seem to take well to being moved as others, unfortuntately

 

[willowstwin]

water is fine. I did a 30% water change and gravel vac on friday. 0 - 0 - 20-40 water stats.. temp is 26 as always. he just seems so sad here's hoping he's just taking a little long to acclimate

 

[fluttermoth]

Poor little chap; I'll keep my fingers crossed; do let us know how he gets on.

 

[willowstwin]

ooh ooh.... 2 laps of the tank... each time hiding in the spot above the filter... ooh... 3 as I've typed this .... aaaand back to hiding...

the other 2 are venturing a little lower into the tank, infact one has just been to the bottom corner to visit the shrimp

Here's hoping the yellow one is just taking longer to settle

 

[This Old Spouse]

Probably just a little more shy than the others! Let us know his progress over the next couple days.

 

[willowstwin]

Woke up this morning, turned the lights on, he wasnt hiding in his usual spot, I looked around the tank and he was laid dead on the bottom Water is fine, so must just be stress from being moved?

 

[the_lock_man]

Sorry to hear that.

 

[willowstwin]

I'll need to get another male though right? to offset the domination bullying from the pair of males?

 

[fluttermoth]

Sorry the little chap didn't make it

You may well need to get another, but I'd wait and see how they go for a few days.

 

[willowstwin]

been home and watching them for the past hour. They're all ove the tank now One is an endler cross (I can tell by his markings/colouring) the other... looks similar, but more yellow and no obvious endler markings. They're both pretty though. Just a shame the lemon died... thats the one I wanted to set up a breeding tank with