# Neon-eating Guppy?!



## fishiefish (Sep 12, 2005)

I posted at the beginning of May regarding keeping a stable water temp when it got hot, and after trying many methods have managed to keep my tank stable at 79-80 dF. When I first posted, I had 9 neon tetras and a fancy guppy. Now I have 4 neons and the guppy. Every lost neon has been since the weather got hot and I thought that it was stress due to temperature fluctuations. Now I am not so sure. I lost three of the 5 dead neons in the past two weeks; they have been looking OK the day before, then in the morning I find a dead one with its color completely washed out and its eyes eaten out. Today I found one and have been brooding over my failure and debating giving up on the tank or re-stocking (It's a 55 gal, supposed to be community tank. The water quality is good, and the temp has been stable for the past three weeks-). 

In my brooding, I noticed the guppy chasing the neons around and snipping at one of them. Is it possibl;e that my guppy has been killing the neons?!  If so, is there anything I can do about it?


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2006)

Yes its most likley the guppy because its most likley a male and if you want more guppies you can get another male and 6 female guppys so that he will spread his aggression between the other guppies instead of your neons.


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## cucci67 (Aug 3, 2005)

Just as kat said, get another male and 6 females, or just 3 females.


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## ultasol (Mar 12, 2006)

If you aren't having good luck with the neons, and you are having good luck with the guppies, try more guppies. There are so many brillant colors available, I'm sure you can find some that suit your fancy. You could keep a male only guppy tank, or if you want to have breeding, try to make sure you have at least two females per male. 
You could also try some less delicate fish, cherry barbs are beautiful fish when mature, and are very hardy. 
You could also try some other livebearers, such as platies or swordtails. There are also wild guppies, the endlers, and a nice male specimen is relatively small, but with colors brillant enough to rival a neon. 
It might just be that neons are not liking something about your tank. I doubt your guppy is able to kill them, if it's a lonely male he might be confused and chasing them as he would a female guppy, attempting to mate, and he may be stressing them. 
Cories are another fish that make wonderful community tank inhabitants, and they tend to shoal together (they like the company of other cories).
Don't give up, just try another type of fish. I would definitely consider adding some femlae guppies.


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## Alin10123 (May 22, 2005)

What's your PH? Guppies typically like a tad higher PH while neons typically like a little more acidic PH.


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