KittenFishMom Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I have a few tiny fry swimming in the craigslist mutt guppy tank. This is very exciting because that tank was such a mess when I got it. I'm trying to find out about guppy fry behavior and development and care while they are in a tank with adults. How long do fry hide in the weeds before swimming out into the tank? I put some floating plastic "baby hide out" plant in the tank. I wondered how long the fry use/need them, and if I should try to feed them while they are hiding, or will the close set leaves hold the food and fowl the water? When the fry are at the point that they are swimming in the middle of the tank, should I take the hide outs out of the tank and wash them, or leave them there for the next batch of fry. There are a lot of live plants in the tank. So these fry do have places to hide if they want to. I would also love a link to a chart that shows the guppy fry development, so I can take a guess at the age of these fry. I googled it, but the charts I found weren't very helpful. Thank so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonske Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Congratulations on the fish babies! How big is your tank and how many adult guppies are in it? If your guppies are well fed, they won't hunt babies too much after a day or so. Definitely feed the babies, small amounts several times a day if you can. Live baby brine shrimp are the best, but any powdered fish food will do. You can leave the plastic plant in the tank or take it out, it probably won't make much difference. Size and growth rate of guppy fry can vary quite a bit. You might have to wait for the next generation to see what size they are born at and how fast do they grow and color up. Whether your fry is a couple of days old or a week old doesn't make much difference care-wise; as long as they have clean water and food that's small enough for their mouths, they will be fine. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzDaddy21 Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 On 1/31/2022 at 12:57 AM, KittenFishMom said: I should try to feed them while they are hiding I have like 25 baby guppies, they're going on 3 weeks or so I should have written date down, they would come out at feeding and cruise at the top, I moved them to a 20L within a few days. Before the guppies were born, I ordered some fry food from CO-OP, they also get BS every day that are in ice cube form. (Frozen after hatch) Only things in the tank with them are two java moss from CO-OP and some MTS and a couple of other snails. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 As to how long fry hide out, it depends on the fry. I have some swordtail fry that swim among the adults while still quite small and don't seem to get eaten. It seems to be a confidence thing for the individual fry. If you're a fish in the wild, there's always something bigger out there to eat you. If you wait until you're big enough to never get eaten, you'll never leave your shelter. At some point every fish has to face the risk of being eaten. A big arowana is simply a snack for a big Caiman. If you're a full-grown arapaima you might feel pretty safe, but even then maybe a Jaguar or an anaconda might look at you as a tasty treat. It's an everything eats fish world out there. In an aquarium life is a bit easier but the same instincts apply. A more confident fry will swim among the adults sooner. For better or worse. A less confident fry may hide out for longer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 some guppy fry seem fairly brave and venture out while tiny, but i would say on average, 3-4 weeks before they venture out more frequently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 My ginga sulphureus guppy fry are teeny tiny when they are born and stay in the plants for a long time, I would say at least three weeks. My giant mutt guppy fry are born the size of a month old ginga and swim around the tank much more freely by day three than the gingas do at a month. Here are a couple of videos I like about guppy fry: 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStrutt Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 Yeah, my guppy fry have always been really brave. In my experience, after a day or two the risk of them being eaten dramatically decreases. I just make sure to feed the tank heavily (powdered flake food, because I'm lazy) and keep up with regular water changes. They do just fine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BETTA999 Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 guppy fry growed really fast to me adults in 1 month but i live in a tropical climate and they ate mosquito larvae and daphnia in the pond they where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 Baby brine shrimp are an excellent food for the guppy fry just not too much. I also smash up their parents pellets and flake a little finer and have a micronized food for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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