Expert: Christy - 9/13/2008

Question
Hello! Since i am new to fish keeping i would appreciate some advice. I have a 54 litre tank, i already have 7 male guppies, they seem to be allright but one of the tails has a strip missing,is my guppy ok?
   Could i add in a red tail shark, would the tank be too small? I also want to put in a female betta and use my tank divider to put in a male betta, would all this work out? (I wouldn't mind having to take out the shark)
Thanks.

Answer
Hi Sameem
I would say no to the red tail shark.  They really should have a larger tank, I would say in the 30 gallon/113 litre range.  Plus, when they're kept in too small of a tank, they tend to become more aggressive to the other fish.  

I think you could safely add a female betta to the bunch, but that would be it.  If you put in a divider, now the 7 guppies and the female betta only have 1/2 of the tank to swim around in.  And, when a female betta is in sight of a male, she can start developing eggs.  If she can't release those eggs, she could become egg bound, which can kill her.  So, I would also not go with the male betta.  You could try putting a male betta instead of a female in there, but depending on his personality, he may become aggressive with the male guppies-because they have long flowing and colorful tails as well.  Probably best sticking with the female betta.

For the guppy with the tail problem.....not really sure what you mean by a strip missing, I'm guessing it may sound like fin/tail rot or an injury caused by another guppy(sometimes they get territorial with each other).  Keep the water quality good by doing frequent water changes(weekly at 25% as a minimum).  If it starts getting worse or looking tattered, might need to go with an antibiotic if that's available where you live(I"m guessing you're not in the US since you used litres).  

Also, since you said you're tank is new, here's a good article to read through:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm

Good luck with your new tank and let me know if you have more questions.

Christy