# new 5 gallon for guppies



## LauraMH (Aug 7, 2006)

so I got this tank for my office at school. i thought it would be great for the students. I got the minibow 5 to start and 2 live plants. i let it cycle for 24 hours and then got 3 guppies. now what? 

oh and how deep should the rockery for the bottom be and also aeration...how much of it do i need. it seems like the little round ball i bought gives off a ton of bubbles. does it really need that many? 

last question...does it really need a heater. the lady at the store said with that small of a tank the light should heat it. with the warm temp it's at 79 already. 

do i really need to check the ph balance?

thanks.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Hi and welcome.

A trio of guppies is the max for a 5 gallons tank. All males can be kept but watch out for any possible nipping. Store Melafix in case nipping occurs. If ripped tails aren't treated, finrot will occur which makes treatment more difficult.
I wouldn't get female guppies as the fry can add to the bioload.
You need a filter and heater, of course. They tend to become lethargic once temp decreases. A 50 watts heater may suffice.

You may as well add test kit to your shopping list. pH is the least of your worries. You need to test more on ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Ammonia is more toxic at higher pH. Don't use any pH adjusting chemicals. They are the work of the devil. They can cause more harm than good.
As KH(Carbonate Hardness) and GH(General Hardness) generally influence pH, you may check both water stats. To increase KH, try adding sodium bicarbonate. Lowering it can be done by use of peat. Be sure to monitor the water stats when adjusting them. Aim for more than 3 dKH. Lower than that may cause pH crash(dropping of pH in a sudden) which can kill your fish as they can't adapt very fast to such changes.

Maintenance Procedure is found in "Maintaining Freshwater Aquariums" section. For equipments, check the Beginner's Guide sticky.

Good luck.

P.S. I doubt your tank is ever cycled. Try to make sure ammonia and nitrites are zero. Aim 10-20 ppm for nitrates. Lower than that results to Blue-Green Algae(not an algae, but cyanobacteria). If the ammonia is high, do more water changes and try to feed only once a day.


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## LauraMH (Aug 7, 2006)

*yikes!!!*

Thank you so much for your reply but now I'm feeling overwhelmed. Is there a step 1-2-3. I am very logical and the way you explained it I have no idea what to do. I know it makes sense, but I'm just not clear on the lingo. I have read the articles online but they confuse me too. Are there different test kits? Do they explain what to do step by step. 

Many thanks. I have 3 males. They seem to be doing okay.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

On the test kits, there are different brands but aim for the one which is more accurate than the other. API Master Test Kit is the best one recommended. There are manuals available inside the package.
Good luck.


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