# Why?



## jmbiker11 (Jun 21, 2010)

I just cant keep livebeaers alive. I have had mollies, swordtails, Guppies, and platies all of them live for about a month then die. I have a 14 gallon tank that had been set up for a couple years now and my cories, and zebra danios are doing fine. I know livebearers are supposed to be easy to keep but i guess not for me.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

ive had the same experience idk what it is i buy really expensive fish and they never die but all the cheap ones i buy do except for some.


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## ThatDude (Jul 10, 2010)

Do you buy them all from the same store?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Hmm... a two year old tank with established fish which are doing well?
New livebearers not surviving?

My first guess is that the water in the tank is too soft and has too low a pH for the sudden introduction of livebearers. the fish already in the tank are used to it, but the new ones fresh from the store can't take it, especially since they like their water different from that.


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## Bettawhisperer (Oct 1, 2010)

You'll have to do a very gradual acclamation.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

TheOldSalt said:


> Hmm... a two year old tank with established fish which are doing well?
> New livebearers not surviving?
> 
> My first guess is that the water in the tank is too soft and has too low a pH for the sudden introduction of livebearers. the fish already in the tank are used to it, but the new ones fresh from the store can't take it, especially since they like their water different from that.


we have hard water and high ph here in town same with at work and we have trouble keeping them alive there also so we mostly just avoid ordering them. but then i see people keeping 100+ adult guppies in a 10 gallon all imbred and they dont seem to die. this one couple bring in atleast 100 every few months all of them came from just one male and one female the water they bring them in, in is like black from waste i really dont get it.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

We've had enormous trouble with guppies. I don't get how people keep them in unheated, unfiltered tanks and they do OK and then we put 'em in our nice tanks and they go belly up. It's stupid, really. 
Our mollies and platies do pretty well, though.


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