How many in a group of male only guppies? In a community tank setting.

[rebe]

Hi all,
At the moment I'm exploring and researching my options for the next fish for my planted 105L. I'm struggling to find a solid piece of information about how many members in a male only group of guppies (poecilia reticulata). I'm not looking for the extreme minimum but the minimum for them to be comfortable and happy.

I know that for shoals and schools, more is more. Not sure if this is the case for a male only group. I also don't want a massive group that will dominate the tank, especially because they would mainly be in the same area of the water column/tank as my current rasboras, who are quite shy.

 

[Essjay]

Isn't your tap water very soft? Guppies need hard-ish water with long tailed guppies needing harder water than short tailed guppies.

 

[rebe]

It's not quite as soft as I'd thought previously. I finally got the API liquid GH and KH tests and these were my results :
GH: 9
KH: 5.5
That's in the measurement that API uses, german degrees I think.
Perhaps still too soft for guppies, but it's within the range Seriously Fish gives

 

[Essjay]

That's still good for the fish you already have

I'm sure I read somewhere that short tailed guppies are OK in softer water than the ones with really long fancy tails..........


Found it

Guppies with bigger fins are better off in harder water........... Real short finned guppies can be kept in soft water without a problem.........

 

[Essjay]

I don't think there's a minimum number like with shoaling fish, but guppies do like company of their own kind so more than just two or three.

 

[GaryE]

I don't think any number of male only guppies will be pleased with their lot. I have no idea if females are happy in with male guppies - they are annoying beasts and females in the wild have been spotted leading them to predators. I can't blame them, watching them. But male guppies don't seem to like each other much, and trying for a male only guppy 'society' seems a hopeless dream to me.

 

[Back in the fold]

Give it a whirl . Who knows what will happen . You go to pet shops and sometimes you’ll see aquariums full of nothing but males . They don’t seem to mind but a couple females will sure liven things up .

 

[rebe]

Thanks for all of your opinions guys, it's really good to hear them. Besides, this is only research so far. I probably won't be getting new fish for a few weeks to a month I'd say. I'm still gathering research and information on different species

 

[Beastije]

I would be a bit worried about putting just male guppies since without females, they will harass any other fish you have there ( like the rasboras) and it may annoy them to no end. Some of the rasboras are nippy if annoyed, which wont go well with the tails. What fish are you looking for, is it a color, is it a school? There are so many other fish that can be added to a community tank but dont need to be limited like with guppies - male only, which would be unnatural to them.
Danios for example are nice, fun community fish.

 

[rebe]

What fish are you looking for, is it a color, is it a school? There are so many other fish that can be added to a community tank but dont need to be limited like with guppies - male only, which would be unnatural to them.
Danios for example are nice, fun community fish.

I'm looking for interesting and peaceful fish, that are not skittish or shy. Danios are gorgeous but my tank is only 75cm long which is short for such an active fish. Earth eaters are out because of substrate issues, and I like colourful fish but not cherry barbs. I don't like the solid bright red. These are some of the species I've begun to research, hopefully I can find more with my parameters.

(28gal, 7.6 PH, 9 dGH, 5.5 KH, 75x40x35cm, 23-28 C, 13 hengels rasbora, planted)

 

[Beastije]

I would vote for a trio of honey gourami (the dwarf one are just too unpredictable), keeping the rasboras in a decent sized group as you have and only adding something to the bottom. If you go gourami, you cant go cichlid. Bolivian rams while peaceful still can be unpredictable and with the size of your tank, you would have to go with one only and they may get bored. Fire eyes loaches are unobtainable, kirbs on the other hand need a pair, will breed, will have young, will kill other fish, you do not have the space for that either. Badis you would need to feed live, the blue ones are territorial and shy anyways.
I am unsure what is your substrate? If you had nice sand, you could do 10 kuhli loaches, especially if you give them some tunnels to play in

I am fan of two-three species tanks, decent sizes of schools and watching the behavior

Or the other way around, one bolivian ram, increase the group of rasboras, why not, maybe some super small pleco if you add a cave/tunnel for it to claim as its own or a mystery snail, they can live with bolivian rams (unlike ramshorns)

I opt for adding slowly, not full stock all at once, cause you dont know what works, what wont, what will you like. Maybe it will look lively with just two species, maybe it will be missing something

 

[emeraldking]

A male guppy only tank can be harmonious or a battle field. It's always a matter of trying and see how the behavior will unfold. For I also have tanks with a majority of males but still a harmonious vibe in those tanks. But in a new situation, you'll never know beforehand how those males will react.

 

[rebe]

If you go gourami, you cant go cichlid.

Hello, this is a more general question about the fish you mentioned here. Generally speaking, are cichlids and gourami completely incompatible or would this have been because of my 105L tank size? Since I started this thread, I scored an awesome deal and got my hands on a nice 280L. I'm just exploring options and the tank won't be ready for fish, for at least 2-4 months.
For example, could you keep a ram (bolivian or german for example) and a single/few gourami? This would be one of the peaceful gouramis like honey or maybe pearl. Again, just brainstorming

 

[Beastije]

For example, could you keep a ram (bolivian or german for example) and a single/few gourami? This would be one of the peaceful gouramis like honey or maybe pearl.

Well for me this is for now a theory I am testing by a practical example. I have a 360 liters and four bolivian rams and two pearl gouramis (two weeks in). My tank is 60 cm high and for now, both gouramis are hanging on the top, very very top, sometimes in the middle for few moments but not often, and they do not notice absolutely anything. I assume once they are fully acclimated and used to or older, their behavior may change. My bolivians have been in the tank for nearly a year and I had 5 and one just recently died for no apparent reason for me, but maybe it was inner species aggression. Other than that, you cant have any snails with them, but they work awesome with my corydoras, with my tetras. I have lot of sight breakers, as they will chase each other for no reason occasionally, more so if egg guarding, which happens every two or three weeks.....

If you are willing to wait another month or two, I will tell you how well mine are working. Best if someone else also had some experience like that

 

[rebe]

If you are willing to wait another month or two, I will tell you how well mine are working. Best if someone else also had some experience like that

Thank you for explaining in such detail, waiting for me is not a problem. I don't expect to even have the tank's hardscape earlier than January. Then a lot longer before the tank is ready for fish