Plans for the Guppy Tank

Today Andy is home from school with strep throat. It's got me worried, not only for him, but for myself and Ben. We're bound to catch it. And a bout with strep throat is going to seriously hamper the fun I'm having with the tanks.

My bookshelf 6.6 gallon is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I've decided to do a fishless cycle. I think. It'll give me time to stock it with plants and get them settled. Plus, I still haven't decided how I'm going to stock it, although I think a few pygmy corys would be a great idea with a sand substrate. I need some disturbance (in the Force) to keep the toxic gas at bay.

Meanwhile, I'm itching to switch substrates in the guppy tank. The female is so pregnant that I expect she'll explode an any minute. So I have to decide if I want to disrupt things during this "delicate" time. I say it with quotes because guppies are breeding machines and I don't really want a bunch of fry growing into adults anyway. What will I do with them?

I don't want the female dying. Not that it's hard to find another female. Actually, I hate guppy females. I don't like the look of that gravid spot. It's gross. I'd be much happier with all males. Hmm.

Anyway, the plan at this point is to bag up the existing gravel and save it for obvious reasons in a bag in the corner. I'm going to put light-colored sand in there and upgrade the light. Then toss in a java fern or two and on anubias. And that's it. Maybe a few cherry shrimp. This is Andy's tank, anyway.

Andy doesn't want to leave the house today, so maybe it's all a moot point.

I sure do like this:

Edit: Oh God. I feel sick.