My Tanks!

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I also have a 20 gallon brackish guppy tank (females). I noticed that my fry color faster in the brackish water than they did in fresh water. I also have 4 zebra nerite snails in here.

I'd love to hear more about raising guppies in brackish water if you don't mind sharing? Is your water hard or soft? I like a lot of your tanks, love the darker substrate with leaf litter ones.

Have a couple of tips for photographing these tanks, if you'd like. Give the outside of the glass a clean with some declorinated water and a paper towel before taking the pic, makes it easier to see the fish you're showing, and because the camera will sometimes try to autofocus on the water drop marks rather than looking past them and focusing on the tank/fish. Then when you go to take the photo, stand and point the camera slightly downwards, or stand a little further back to shoot straight on. When you aim the camera upwards towards your tank lights, it affects the pictures you want to get and the throws the colour balance off.

Dental surgery, ugh. It's rough! Feel better soon, and enjoy the time to play with your aquariums!

 

[Circus]

I'd love to hear more about raising guppies in brackish water if you don't mind sharing? Is your water hard or soft? I like a lot of your tanks, love the darker substrate with leaf litter ones.

Have a couple of tips for photographing these tanks, if you'd like. Give the outside of the glass a clean with some declorinated water and a paper towel before taking the pic, makes it easier to see the fish you're showing, and because the camera will sometimes try to autofocus on the water drop marks rather than looking past them and focusing on the tank/fish. Then when you go to take the photo, stand and point the camera slightly downwards, or stand a little further back to shoot straight on. When you aim the camera upwards towards your tank lights, it affects the pictures you want to get and the throws the colour balance off.

Dental surgery, ugh. It's rough! Feel better soon, and enjoy the time to play with your aquariums!

My water is moderately hard, I believe. There is a bit of iron and a lot of calcium in our water here. My guppies were a happy accident. I had ordered 2 females and received a female and juvenile male and separated them when I first noticed.

And apparently a female guppy will hold onto sperm for up to 10 months and produce fry every 30 days for that period without mating again.
One thing I love about the brackish tank is that my female guppy became much brighter over the first week, her yellows shine much brighter than when she was in fresh. My fry start getting hints of yellow at about 2 weeks, where the ones I placed in fresh water still have only black and silver at 6 weeks in fresh water.
I also plan on getting amano shrimp in the brackish tank, to go with the guppies and nerites. If I had a much larger tank I would get some Orange Chromide Cichlids to go with and keep my males with the females rather than separating them to keep the population in check.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

My water is moderately hard, I believe. There is a bit of iron and a lot of calcium in our water here. My guppies were a happy accident. I had ordered 2 females and received a female and juvenile male and separated them when I first noticed.

And apparently a female guppy will hold onto sperm for up to 10 months and produce fry every 30 days for that period without mating again.
One thing I love about the brackish tank is that my female guppy became much brighter over the first week, her yellows shine much brighter than when she was in fresh. My fry start getting hints of yellow at about 2 weeks, where the ones I placed in fresh water still have only black and silver at 6 weeks in fresh water.
I also plan on getting amano shrimp in the brackish tank, to go with the guppies and nerites. If I had a much larger tank I would get some Orange Chromide Cichlids to go with and keep my males with the females rather than separating them to keep the population in check.

Lol, lots of people are shocked when they find out about the females storing sperm! Livebearers are a bit of a bugger with that, It's very fortunate that you're happy to have fry. I've been colony breeding guppies for the last year, and have been gradually winding down the breeding, but I also want to keep the adult males and females I'm attached to. But even if I separate the males, I know the females will still be producing more fry for a long time to come. Then need to sex and separate out the fry as soon as possible, so the males don't knock up the young females... it's a lot, lol. But my tank also isn't large enough for a predator fish, and I'd feel guilty. I'm lucky my LFS is willing to take the guppy fry when they're big enough to sell/not get sucked into the shop filter system.

Since fish farms often use brackish water for guppies, I've wondered about how they'd like a brackish tank. Also thought about a blackwater tank at some point, but maybe not for guppies. Seems a shame to put such colourful fish in a darkwater tank then not be able to see their colours so well. I worked hard to remove the tannins from my guppy tank when I had a new wood piece, just because I couldn't get any good photos of the fish. Anyway, good to know that they seem to like a brackish system, and would love to see how the fry grow compared to a fresh. Photo from my male grow out tank a few months ago.

 

[Circus]

Lol, lots of people are shocked when they find out about the females storing sperm! Livebearers are a bit of a bugger with that, It's very fortunate that you're happy to have fry. I've been colony breeding guppies for the last year, and have been gradually winding down the breeding, but I also want to keep the adult males and females I'm attached to. But even if I separate the males, I know the females will still be producing more fry for a long time to come. Then need to sex and separate out the fry as soon as possible, so the males don't knock up the young females... it's a lot, lol. But my tank also isn't large enough for a predator fish, and I'd feel guilty. I'm lucky my LFS is willing to take the guppy fry when they're big enough to sell/not get sucked into the shop filter system.

Since fish farms often use brackish water for guppies, I've wondered about how they'd like a brackish tank. Also thought about a blackwater tank at some point, but maybe not for guppies. Seems a shame to put such colourful fish in a darkwater tank then not be able to see their colours so well. I worked hard to remove the tannins from my guppy tank when I had a new wood piece, just because I couldn't get any good photos of the fish. Anyway, good to know that they seem to like a brackish system, and would love to see how the fry grow compared to a fresh. Photo from my male grow out tank a few months ago.View attachment 110680

I love the blue coloring! Mine mostly come out orange, silver with yellow markings and black spots. As far as blackwater, I have heard that pygmy sunfish like blackwater and the males can get very colorful. My flagfish also appreciate tannins in the water and like the dimmer light condition it causes.

 

[Salty&Onion]

May I ask numbers for your pH, GH and KH? Guppies are hardwater fish and ottos are softwater fish.

 

[LostBear]

In my circus of an apartment I have several small and medium tanks. This will be a collection of pics of my tanks and fish.

This first one is of the fish in my "Red" tank. It has cherry shrimp, ember tetra, a female betta, and temporarily some pygmy corydoras.

That's lovely! I've had and love single species tanks, but it's never occurred to me to concentrate on a colour. What a great idea!

 

[LostBear]

View attachment 110659
My 15 gallon column. I have a couplee male guppy fish, some otos and some cherry shrimp.

How many oties? They are a shoaling fish, and I'd have thought this tank (lovely as it is) would have been too small for a decent number of them.

 

[LostBear]

My 29 subtropical, before and after the substratee change. I have some guppy fish, white clouds, a bn pleco and pepper corys.

You certainly know how to dress a tank - they are very nicely set up.

 

[LostBear]

Lol, lots of people are shocked when they find out about the females storing sperm! Livebearers are a bit of a bugger with that, It's very fortunate that you're happy to have fry. I've been colony breeding guppies for the last year, and have been gradually winding down the breeding, but I also want to keep the adult males and females I'm attached to. But even if I separate the males, I know the females will still be producing more fry for a long time to come. Then need to sex and separate out the fry as soon as possible, so the males don't knock up the young females... it's a lot, lol. But my tank also isn't large enough for a predator fish, and I'd feel guilty. I'm lucky my LFS is willing to take the guppy fry when they're big enough to sell/not get sucked into the shop filter system.

Since fish farms often use brackish water for guppies, I've wondered about how they'd like a brackish tank. Also thought about a blackwater tank at some point, but maybe not for guppies. Seems a shame to put such colourful fish in a darkwater tank then not be able to see their colours so well. I worked hard to remove the tannins from my guppy tank when I had a new wood piece, just because I couldn't get any good photos of the fish. Anyway, good to know that they seem to like a brackish system, and would love to see how the fry grow compared to a fresh. Photo from my male grow out tank a few months ago.View attachment 110680

Lovely photo Adorable - and lovely fish, too!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I love the blue coloring! Mine mostly come out orange, silver with yellow markings and black spots. As far as blackwater, I have heard that pygmy sunfish like blackwater and the males can get very colorful. My flagfish also appreciate tannins in the water and like the dimmer light condition it causes.

Your guppies sound lovely! I did like the deep purples those batches of guppies produced. It came through more once they were matured, and wasn't always easy to see until they swam under a good light, then this lovely deep purple showed up. If I could have have enough tanks to line breed them just for that colour, I would have. Only kept the one purple male though. Mine are mutts though, I get a lot of blues, since my first batch of females were blues and I really like blue fish. But they throw yellows oranges and blacks too. Not much silver, that sounds gorgeous.

Lovely photo Adorable - and lovely fish, too!

Thank you kindly on both counts! Bit concerned about that girl now though. I took that photo either yesterday or Thursday, and she was fine then and this morning. This evening, it looks as though she's having trouble with her swim bladder. Not a dramatic amount, but it looks as though her tail keeps drifting upwards slightly, and she's having to work to force her body forwards and level. Just tested the water and it's good. 0 ammonia or nitrites, nitrates at 10. I can see the eyes of the fry she's carrying too... hope I don't lose her.

 

[Circus]

My ph sits at 7.5, my dgh is 6.4 and dkh is 7. According to my test kit. I have 5 otos and they will eventually be moved to a 29 gallon.

 

[Fishmanic]

Nice tanks. You should consider entering them in our Tank of the Month contests.

August.. tanks sized at 30 USgallons and larger
September.. tanks sized at 16 US gallons and smaller
October.. tanks sized at 17 to 29 US gallons. When entry period has started around the first each month, you will see a banner at the top of the forums.

 

[Salty&Onion]

My ph sits at 7.5, my dgh is 6.4 and dkh is 7. According to my test kit. I have 5 otos and they will eventually be moved to a 29 gallon.

Sounds a bit soft, too soft for guppies but fine ottos.