What is the minimum tank size I should be breeding guppies in? I have a 2 gal. tank, and a 10 gal. tank, but the 10's already stocked with some fish. (Can I put guppies in with other fish and expect them to breed?)
Also, do I need any plants for the female guppy to hide in, if the male ever gets aggressive? How should I expect the guppies to behave when I put them together? And when should I expect my first "litter"?
I already have a special box to put the pregnant female in, by the way.
Any tips, suggestions, or comments are appreciated!
2007-07-10 15:41:58 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
As mentioned, guppies will breed no matter what almost. As long as guppies can live with your other fish, they will breed, so breeding guppies is no problem at all.
What you need to consider is where to put all of the babies. Each female will have a batch of fry roughly every 28 days. Each batch will be somewhere around 20-50 baby guppies. They all need plenty of space to grow and a 10 gallon is a good place for one large batch or two small batches.... for a month or two. After that you would need a larger tank to grow them large enough to sell. That's assuming you can find some one interested in buying them. Since guppies breed so readily, they are very common in the market and unless you have really great show guppy stock, you will have problems selling many at all.
So my advice would be first think through what you will do with them, then consider what it will take to produce them.
MM
2007-07-10 16:06:54 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Guppies are like rabbits. If you plan to breed them alot (like for food for other fish), you should seperate the babies when they are born into your 2 gallon. For the adult guppies to breed, 2 females per 1 male guppy is my suggestion, Guppies are able to breed at the age of 3 months. If you want to keep your fry in the 10 gallon, I suggest a lot of floating plants!!!!!! Fry will swim to the top of the tank, and usually stay near the edges of the glass. If you have a lot of top floating plants your chances of them surviving is much greater!!! Make sure you feed the soon to be parents a variety of foods, which helps in their health. The female will give birth in about 28 days. Her gravid spot will be real dark and larger than normal. And her belly will look pregnant!!lol Keep in mind that guppies can carry sperm for up to 3 months even after giving birth. Feeding the fry: All I did was disolve food into the tank with my fingers. I liked the tubifex worms. Even flakes crushed up! They will grow faster feeding them a variety of foods also.
The best idea though if you have the money is to breed only guppies in a minimum of a ten gallon tank. I just let my guppies alll stay together and not seperate them and I have had very good results. By the way, don't put the female in your box too early, she may give birth too early. I have had 1 female die from the box, and 1 give a real good birth in the box. It depends on how stressed out the female gets. Happy Breeding and GOOD LUCK!!
2007-07-10 16:22:56 · answer #2 · answered by jdizine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
guppies just breed and breed. keep plants in there for them to hide in also plants in the bottom and get some fry fish food. some do get eaten. dont worr you will have pleny. they are live bearers good in with mollies and NON agressive fish sword tails ectDo not put them in with agressive fish. for guppies you need a good sized tank if you are breeding them at least a 20 or 40 . keep the other tanks for your picks and you only need 1 male to 3 to 4 females so keep your prettiest ones to breed with and sell or give the others away. they are like rabbits they breed quickly.I like the fancy tails myself
2007-07-10 15:53:23 · answer #3 · answered by petloverlady 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋