Water and Maintainance
Every guppy breeder has a personal dedication to raise the best guppies possible. Ask ten breeders what their routine maintenance schedule is and you will probably get eight different responses. Did I say eight, I meant ten. Anyway, we all realize how important water changes are for achieving the best development from our guppies. We already discussed how important it is to understand and test your water source. Whether you have an automatic water changing system or do manual siphoning of your tanks just remember what is most important, routine. The best guppies come from fish rooms that have the most dedicated and conscientious fish keepers. On average it is best if 20% to 30% of the water from every tank be siphoned from the tank bottom at least once each week, twice is better. Siphoning from as close to the bottom of each tank to remove accumulated debris is best. I use a 1/2 inch fitting that is attached to a rigid 1/2 inch length of hose. I have several 1/8 inch holes drilled along the sides. I also attached (glued with hot glue gun) strips of abrasive scrubbing pads to the bottom of the PVC fitting. I also use a 8 inch section of ¾ inch brass pipe to the end of my siphon hose to add weight to keep the siphon weighted down near the tank bottom. This is attached to a 25 ft length of hose that goes to my siphon pump.My siphon pump is a Mag Drive by Supreme and is controlled by a remote switch. I do not use a siphon that rely on a venturi valve attached to the faucet at this requires of unnecessary wasting of water. We breeders take for granted the accessibility of our tap water to allow us to enjoy our hobby. So the little things we do to waste less is a good thing.
I try to move juveniles into new tanks after they are about 12 to 16 weeks of age. The reason for moving guppies into a new tank at this time is to stimulate new growth and vigor. In my New York fish room and my West Palm Beach hatchery I had no problems moving fish into new water or tanks whenever I wanted to. I hope that after a few generations at my new location my guppies will not have to be “babied” every time I want to move them, or set up a new breeding tank. Since this is definitely a hobby of patience, only time will tell. Some of my advice may need a little fine tuning for your water conditions or schedule.