Guppys with small plecos

[pezgato]

I would like to know your opinion about this topic.

The adventages are:
-Guppys can show if something are wrong (water, amonia etc.)
-The movement of the guppys could make less shy to plecos.

Thanks.

[Silurus]

The water requirements of guppies and almost all plecos are different, so I' don't think the first point would work.

[Shane]

Here is a rare time that I disagree with Heok Hee as I think guppies and plecos make great tankmates just as they are great neighbors in the wild. In fact, I can think of very, very few places in South America where I have captured loricariids and not also captured guppies. I have caught them in high mountain streams alongside Chaetostoma, in the llanos alongside Panaque, Hypostomus, Hypoptopoma, and Otocinclus and in acidic black waters with Rineloricaria and Loricariichthys. They one place that I have never caught guppes is in brackish water. The conventional wisdom that guppies live in waters with some salt content is absolutely false. In brackish waters they are replaced by mollies and Endler's livebearer. Guppies are content living in anything from rushing mountain rivers to the blackwaters of the Amazon. Probably the world's most adapatble fish in my book.
-Shane

[Sid Guppy]

It'll work fine indeed.
I've got Guppys as "nudge nudge wink wink"-fish with Synodontis polli from Tanganyika (hard, alcali water), as "keep the tank more lively-fish" (to draw the rest out in the open) in the Schooltank, wich is a planted tank with bogwood and Kribs, Corydoras, Rainbowfish etc (soft, acidic water).

I always put some baby Guppys in with the 'not-so-tiny fry-tank' (right now with baby Bristlenoses, baby Hoplosternum punctatum and baby Cichlids) and it sure works in making the fry less shy (neutral, medium hard water).

The only tank in wich they fail, is the one containing 5 Panaquolus LDA01's. These critters hide always, no matter what I add.

[Pectorale]

I've kept guppies and a lot of other livebearers together with all sorts of catfish for years and the only time in 20 years I had a problem was when ONE of my Xiphophorus helleri decided that my Otocinclus were competing for his harem, he kept chasing them and killed them and the other Xiphophorus males in a single morning . I still believe most combinations of catfish and livebearers are possible and I think the playful behaviour of livebearers give the catfish a sense of security, it signals the absence of predators. I would add some plants though, to provide cover for the guppies. Also worth considering, guppies have sex all day and release hormones/ feromones in the water that might trigger the catfish to spawn as well.

Good luck, Pectorale

[Plec0maniac]

Yup Guppies adn Other livebearers make a great community and top dweller for your tank and ur plecs as ur bottom dweller