female guppies?

Question

i have two female guppies and one male, i was worried at first that they would be reproducing too frequently and i wouldn't be able to keep a good watch on them.....but i have had one for over 6 months, and her belly gets swollen and i transfer her to a breeder and weeks later still nothing. now the same problem is occuring with the other female. i am weary about leaving them in the breeder for more than 2 weeks at a time because i know it stresses them. i even found a large vase and put rocks from the tank in the bottom, and left one female there for almost a month and still nothing. the man at the pet store said they guppies aren't prone to eating their own fry. what should i do?

i have about 12 fish total, just three are guppies. i really don't want to just leave the fry in the tank because i have larger fish that would be too agressive. if a breeder is too stressful then why do they make them...just wondering. i have a large vase and i put rocks from the tank and keep her well fed. would it still be stressful?

Answer 1

I breed guppies as well as swordtails who will cross breed with guppies. As long as you keep them well fed they will not hunt down their fry. The best thing to do however is to get a pant called Java Moss, it's really cheap normally a dollar for a clump of it and adult fish can't swim very fast in it, so fry can hide in it very easily.

The main issue I found with moving females into small breeding tanks or net areas is that they ether get to stressed by the move to even pop the babies out normally, or they are in such a small space that they eat the fry the minute they're born.

Fry are also very small when born and it's best to keep them in the main tank and not move them to much.

Also on a side note both adult fish and fry do much better when eating frozen brine shrimp or blood worms. The fry will grow much faster with that to eat. They also grow faster if you do a 50% water change every week, and if you add a little aquarium salt to the water ( I use one teaspoon per five gallons for my guppies).

Lastly look at this site, it's the best for fish that I've found - http://www.aquahobby.com/e_aquarium_plants.php

Answer 2

Leaving your Guppies in a breeder that long is going to be very stressful on your fish. Yes Guppies will try to eat their own babies, but the best way to breed guppies is to simply provide plenty of plants for hiding places when the fry are born. Leave the female in your tank and let it happen. If there are places to hide the babies will find them. Some may not make it but it is their natural instinct to find protection after they are born and they will.

Additional Information:

Breeders are stressful on fish if they are left in there for long. If you use one you need to try to place the fish inside as close to her time to have the babies as you can. I also wonder what type of breeder you have. I have used a couple different types for breeding Mollies and Platys. One wasn't good because the fry fell through spaces in the bottom and could swim back up where the mom was. The other was good as the fry fell through a "V" shaped crack down to tube which had a bubble induced current that carried the fry to a separate area next to where the mother was. The fry could not then get back to where the mother is.

Links to the two traps I have...
Good one: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10979/product.web
Not good: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/14472/product.web

Answer 3

Guppies will certainly eat their own fry if they can catch them, as will other fish in the tank. My guess is that your guppies have probably had babies once or twice and the fry got eaten before you saw them. A second tank with the java moss a previous answer suggested would be the very best way to insure you get babies to keep.

MM

Answer 4

nicely,gotta be diverse.... In maximum livebearer species (Guppies secure) interior the absence of any available men women can take on the male place for duplicate. men even if do no longer become woman. Do they actually become male?... male sufficient to reproduce if that asserts something.The replace won't be bodily obtrusive to the casual observer. this occurs extra between Swordtails (oops!),even if it could happen with any of the in many situations available livebearers. helps answer that "How come I even have fry in my tank while i've got no longer had men in my tank for years?" questions does not it.

Answer 5

I have the same problem with my mosquito fish ( relatives of guppies). I read in school that they can hold on to the sperms and not give birth until they feel like it. I've been feeding mine more and not doing anything to stressfull. It is helping. My female is getting bigger by the days. Good Luck! P.S. by feeding more i mean 2 or 3 more flakes, not pinches.

Answer 6

you really shouldnt separate them like that.
what i did to my platies, i put lots of hiding places like plants, rocks, hollow pots, etc. and it works! it doesn't stress 'em, and yet my fries survived!
i have more adult platies than you but the fries survived and grew up. and you only have 3 adults, so i guess it's even easier for you.

another easyier way is to just separate the newborns once they were delivered, but don't use net, use bottle or ladle to cacth 'em, fries are vulnerable and shouldnt be taken out of water like all fish do.

good luck! ^_~