Supplies you need, as well as the money:
(Prices vary by store. These are the prices I paid for my supplies)
4-5 Gallon tank Around $19.99
Water Conditioner $4.99
Nets $0.97
Decor Around $15 all together
Aquarium Salt (Optioinal- helps keep everything cleaner) $2.49
Filter (I use a nice, powerful, quiet box filter. Doesn't toss the fish around too much.)Around $15.00
Air Pump Power Head $5.68
Air Tubing $7.54 for 25'
Submersible Heater $13.79
Aereation Strip $4.99
Package of Frozen Bloodworms $1.05
Can of Pellets $2.49
Can of Flakes $1.98
For a total cost of: $95.96 + tax
Of course, this price is very mellable, and may be much more, or far less.
Choosing your Guppies:
The matter of where to get your guppies strictly depends on what you plan on doing with them. If you plan to breed and possibly sell them, your best bet would be to buy them from a breeder. When you're trying to breed for good genetics, using Petstore Guppies aren't exactly the best choice, mainly because you have NO idea who or where they came from. Usually, guppies in the tanks at your local petstore are the cull or lowest quality fish from breeders' tanks. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you can find the most amazing fish in the tanks at the petstore, but the problem is, who knows how criss-crossed and webbed the genetics of the guppy are? Unless you like "suprises," I would stick to buying from a breeder.
If you plan on simply keeping the guppies to help beautify your tank, a petstore Guppy will do fine. In fact, it helps the breeder community to have people who are willing to buy the lower quality guppies from the petstores. They are more likely to accept guppies from breeders, which provides more room in their tanks for superior breeding strains.
Guppies are strong little fish, and most do not need a massive 50 gallon tank to live in. However, Guppies should not be kept alone, as they are very social fish, and can easily slip into a lethargic depression when alone. Luckily, they aren't too expensive, and they rarely grow too far past an inch and a half. When housing guppies, you need to abide by the 1:1 ratio. 1 fish per 1 gallon is the rule, so if you have a 5 gallon tank, 5 fish should be the limit. However, if your tank conditions are good, a maximum of seven or eight guppies can be housed within 5 gallons.
Feeding your Guppies:
Guppies do NOT eat a lot of food at one time, so feed small portions 3 times a day or so. Brine shrimp, blood worms, flakes, freeze-dried plankton, and small pellets are all suitable for guppies, although in order for the fish to reach its peak shape, bloodworms/brine shrimp/plankton are the best. Majority of these foods can be picked up at the local pet shop or fish store.
Water Changes:
Water changes are a big of keeping a guppy tank clean. If you have 5 guppies in a 10 gallon aquarium with a filter and bubbler, a 25% water change every 2 weeks or so is sufficient. Basically, the more fish you have, the more you must change the water in the tank. A Siphon is a good way to get all of the debris and waste off of the bottom of the tank.
