Interfecus Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 The purpose of this thread is to encourage experienced fishkeepers to comment on their experience about the reality or lack of it of coldwater guppies. I don't want to stick ideas in people's heads so I won't say any more. Please answer the poll and post if you want to add any comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 None of the options fits as far as I am concerned. Cold water guppies are a misconception. Guppies can tolerate cooler temperatures than a lot of other tropicals but that does not make them cold water fish. In a well insulated and warm house they may be kept without a heater but the water will be about 18C which is not cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 Got to agree with Caryl in that I don't consider any of the options fit. Yes they are true species - the same species as every other guppy. Some people may loose their money on them because of the 'cold water' mis-label - if the sales person mentioned that they really meant an unheated tank in a nice warm house then people would have a better idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 My vote is for a convenient way to get money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 and that is wot I think too I got "Blacklisted" by the seller on TradeMe for challenging him I can't ask him any questions But please feel free to do so your self. Let the buyers realize from the questions that they are being duped Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fins Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 I would say I have to agree with caryl and rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchton Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 Whilst I agree with most of what has been said, I must make two points. 1. I have seen two shops selling Phalloceros Caudimaculatus as "cold water Guppies". If I buy them from a shop under that name unless I know better I would sell the offspring as CW Guppies. 2. One of our local members has kept Guppies in her fish pond with goldfish for a number of years. Mind you the survival rate is not high compared with those indoors. Makes this poll a sort of waste of time as none of the catergories fit either of these situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 You have shops selling leopardfish as guppies?? I do hope you pointed out to them the error of their name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchton Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 I'm sure you would have Mitch Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchton Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 Alan Your faith in me restores my faith in the whole human race Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 Awwwww gee Mitch. dats kewl :roll: Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A COLD WATER GUPPIE, THEY ARE ALL TROPICAL, YOU CAN NOT KEEP THEM IN COLD WATER! AT THE LEAST IT MUST BE LUKE WARM, SO THERE FOR IT IS NOT "COLD WATER" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fins Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 my definition of a cold water fish would be a fish that can be kept without a heater inside and you can keep some guppies in a tank with no heater inside. If people have kept guppies in unheated tanks I would call them cold water guppies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 the only way they would survive was if they were in a room that could maintain a certain amoutn of heat, which inturn keeps the water warmish, so there for they r not cold water guppies, because they will not live for very long below 12c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 I'd call cold water something that could be kept in a pond outside. Which would obviously not include guppies. In a reasonably well heated house most tropicals would be able to handle 18ish degrees without too much trouble. Doesn't mean angels, Severums, etc are cold water cichlids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 As for keeping them inside without a heater and calling them "cold-water" uh uh I have a friend in New York, who's furnace broke down and lost her power, had to leave her house cause of the bitter cold. Returned three days latter to find her tank FROZEN solid Let's see a "cold-water guppy" survive that. The question I wanted to ask the seller, was, What are the taxonomical names of your cold water guppy and your tropical guppy? But I couldn't ask Maybe someone from here could ask that question. :evil: Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 I'd ask for you, but you have to be authenticated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 he black listed me lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchton Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 I dont want to suggest that you are an expert or not but I would have thought one of the first things in learning is the ability to read. For those that havent read my previous post I would suggest you do. Club members have kept guppies in an outside pond with some success. Another member has kept platties and rainbows in an outside pond. I would suggest that with patience any fish could be aclimatised to survive cold water. This does not mean that I would ever refer to a tropical fish as a cold water species as this is not their natural environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fins Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 I guess they would be kind of like humans. Take africans, they have adapted to extreme heat at day and very cold at night. While people that live in cold places, their bodies have adapted. I rekon fish could do the same if breed through enough generations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TRUE COLD WATER GUPPIE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TRUE COLD WATER GUPPIE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 We can breed guppies outside in a pond over summer no trouble at all. Quite a number of barbs also go well outside - but manydo not survive during the winter. It depends what part of the country you live in too as it stays a lot warmer up north than it does down here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted September 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 OK, I've read the thread. Maybe the options weren't clear enough. I would classify a misconception in this case as being the same thing as a myth. It does not have to be an intentional deception to count as a myth. To claim that there are two types of guppy ("coldwater" and "tropical"), you would have to demonstrate that the "coldwater" strain had a significantly higher survival rate than the "tropical" strain when exposed to low temperatures. I'm not demanding a rigorous scientific experiment here, but before any such claims can be made you need to have some evidence that there are in fact two different strains that differ with respect to tolerance of cold. This could be as simple as putting a divider down the middle of a couple of tanks and for each tank have 5 "coldwater" guppies on one side and 5 "tropical" guppies on the other. Leave the tanks in a cool place in the house or outside at about 12 deg. C. Count the number remaining each day and use that to produce a frequency graph of survival times for each strain. They would have to share the same water and get roughly the same amount of food each day to keep conditions equal but that isn't at all difficult to do. I agree that it would be possible to breed a coldwater strain given several decades to do it in, but I don't think that's likely in this case or they would just say so to people who inquire about the difference. Chances are the person selling the 'coldwater' guppies on trademe is either deceiving people or has been deceived themselves as to the nature of these guppies. Given the fact that they're blacklisting anybody who asks questions about it (not that I've seen how it was asked) rather than offering an answer to them, I'm currently more inclined to believe the former. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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