Breeding and Maitnence

[TheRussian]

Hello the other day i bought 100 feeder guppies they are a mix of both fancy and regular ranging in all sorts of sizes and ages. I was wondering why some of them are dieing every night. I know it could just be they are sick but i want to know how to fix this problem.
Also i was wondering how i could breed them i will spare no expense to make this work also i have a 29 gallon breeder tank with a corner filter(So i dont suck up the babies) and a heater also i have a fluval C2 for when everyone gets older if needed. in the tank there also a few spixi snails and 2 3 inch plecos pls help

 

[Laticauda]

What are your ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte levels? Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?

 

[TheRussian]

What are your ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte levels? Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?

yes the are all fine and i have had many tanks that have had no problem with keeping feeders for a long time

 

[Laticauda]

Is the tank new?

 

[Dark Jester]

What are your ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte levels? Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?

+1 My first guess would be the tank isn't cycled. Even if it was cycled, the addition of 100 1"-2" fish overnight would cause a massive ammonia spike, maybe even enough to kill off whatever cycle was in place.

Guppies aren't exactly known for being hardy fish anyway. Feeders aren't usually housed in the best conditions, and fancy guppies are often subjected to a lot of inbreeding.

A 29 gallon tank is a bit small for 100 guppies as well. You'll want maybe 20 adults in there at the most. I know the clouds of fish in the feeder tanks at the pet shops look cool, but those tanks are seriously overfiltered to support that bio load.

The fluval C2 can be added now if you can find a sponge to put over the intake. Assuming the corner filter is one of those 4" square plastic box things, you'll need more than that in a 29g.

 

[TheRussian]

no its been set up for like 2 months running with just snails and pleco and then i did a test with the tank test kit(which has every thing ph,nitrate,amonia,....)

 

[Laticauda]

100 guppies is a very large bioload to add all at once, I'm pretty sure your bio-filter just can't keep up with the large amount of new waste that is being produced.

 

[TheRussian]

thanks dark jester sorry i should have been more specific they werent all added in at the same time they were put in over about 3-4 week period.also the biggest one is an inch the rest are all smaller and they werent bought at a store my friend keeps them and he gave them to me cuz he can no longer take care of them.(He was in a car acciedent and is ecoma)

 

[TheRussian]

also thank Lati...

 

[Dark Jester]

What are your ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte levels? Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?

yes the are all fine and i have had many tanks that have had no problem with keeping feeders for a long time

Hmm. Adding them over a few weeks would give the bio time to adjust.. What were the readings above? 0 Ammonia, 0 NitrIte, + NitrAtes? And are those results from today?

If the tank is still cycled fine, then it might just be stress or unhealthy fish. I'd still add the C2 now just to get some added filtration started up. If there are no fry in there yet then you don't need the sponge cover immediately.

If you are reading more than 0 Ammonia or NitrIte, then your beneficial bacteria haven't adjusted to the increased load. Add the C2, and start doing daily water changes to keep the Ammonia and NitrIte levels down until they start reading 0 again.

As mentioned, 100 in a 29g is a bit much. I'd look to cull them down to 20 adults for long term breeding in that tank. 5 males 15 females. You'll have more fry in a couple months than you know what to do with.