Guppies are hardy little fish but prefer they're tanks with a few plants in (either false plants or real ones), female guppies need plants to hide from the males so they do not get pestered to much - fry may need plants to hide from bigger guppies and to avoided being eaten (see the fry page for more info).

The Gravel 

It is quite likely that you will want to add gravel to the bottom of your aquarium as a substrate/ground. You must ensure that it is hardness-free no calciferous materials such as limestone, coral, chalk, etc., and not too large or too small, about 4 to 5mm. If you buy gravel from an aquarium store you are most likely to be fine for your tank.

When gravel is used in the aquarium it will need regular cleaning, this task is made a lot easier with a gravel cleaner. This is a length of plastic hose, attached to one end is a plastic cylinder, this is put in the gravel, whereby gravel is swirled around in the cylinder and the dirty water is drawn through the tube by gravity, and into a bucket for removal, leaving behind the cleaned gravel, it is called a gravel siphon. Low voltage gravel vacuums are available, but these are usually more expensive. Like I've said many times, follow all instructions.

The recommended tank size for guppies is about 10 gallons but if you are planning to breed them, in one tank I suggest at least 20 gallons.

Partial Water Changes

It is necessary to do partial water changes every so often. In fry tanks is is almost certain that you will be needing to do at least a 10% water change once every 2 weeks or less, especially if it is heavily stocked. In adult tanks you should do a 20% water change routinely every month. All this keeps the tank healthy, and stops nitrate and nitrite build up. The bigger the tank, the more stable it will be and the less water changes you will have to do.

Acceptable Conditions For Guppies