breeding guppies

[LilOne]

Ok so I have realized I love guppies.  I am wanting at some point to start breeding guppies.  Any advice would be appreaciated.  The one youtube video on  the subject I watched so far suggested using a tub and not having a filter or heater.  I am thinking it is best to have the filter and heater even if using a tub.  When I get ready to start I will do a journal of the process and progress as I breed.

 

[FrozenFins]

I'm looking forward to seeing this journal!

Breeding livebearers, especially guppies is extremley easy. Simply place a male and female in the same tank and within a few weeks youll have babies. I like to suggest a 2females for every male ratio. Make sure there is lots lf floating plants such as hornwort for babies to hide in. Once babies are a week or two old they will be too big for parents mouths and come out more.

[LilOne]

how to keep floating plants out of hob filter?  I currently have a trio in my 10gal.  but plan to expand when I have room so can breed 

[PineSong]

In order to avoid fry being sucked into the HOB filter, you will need a pre-filter sponge to cover the intake. This will also keep plants from getting sucked in. 

My other advice to someone who has never bred guppies before: remember the female can hold onto packets of sperm for months after you remove the male, so once you've decided "whoa, I have enough guppies!" and take out the male, she can produce another 200+ fry over the next several months even if she never mates again. 

[Guppysnail]

Make sure you have an LFS, club or some other place to go with the fry before they start dropping or you can get overwhelmed with fry growing out in 2 months in a 10 gallon. It takes about 2- 3 months for them to grow large enough that my fish store takes them.  First drops are smaller so average 10-20 fry for mine some will get eaten.  So say 10 fry x2 girls x 2 months that’s 40 fish in your 10 gallon. Be prepared. I love my guppies. They are so fun. Best of luck. Welcome to the guppy love club. 🥰🤗

[Minanora]

Welcome to the Guppy club! Haha. Yeah like stated above.

I have a small hobby breeding setup. I use three tanks for my guppies. My 75g has my breeding males, my son's 20g high has the breeding females and then I have another 20g high with a divider in the middle to grow out the fry. I use both sponge and hob filters. In the grow out I also have stacks of sponge everywhere for biological filtration and feeding the small fry. I live in California but use heaters in my tanks and have high current to help older fry grow strong muscles, and bones.

 

At the hight of my oldest female guppies breeding career she dropped about 108 fry in a single brood. She's gone 5 months without a male and is hopefully on her last stored brood. They store from the earliest contact with a male. So the further into stored wares you go, the older the store is. This example female is expending stores from April of last year. The brood sizes get smaller as they go deeper into stores. At least that's my experience.

[LilOne]

well I woke up this morning with a few guppy fry in my 10.  I am currently looking for a larger tank not so expensive.  at the moment I probably need to get a small breeder box to keep the few remaining fry from being eaten.  was not expecting them so soon after getting them in the 10.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/12/2022 at 9:22 AM, LilOne said:

well I woke up this morning with a few guppy fry in my 10.  I am currently looking for a larger tank not so expensive.  at the moment I probably need to get a small breeder box to keep the few remaining fry from being eaten.  was not expecting them so soon after getting them in the 10.

If you have a decent amount of plant they hide very effectively eliminating the need for a breeder box.  If you do go breeder box the ziss in tank may be to large for a 10.  The fluval hangs outside of the tank and uses an air pump to circulate water from the tank through the box and keeps water quality issues at by. I have mine set up right now.  I place a small piece of sponge on the outflow so fry cannot escape into the tank. I hope this helps. 

[LilOne]

Thank you.  I just got the tank set up and cycled only 2 plants in so far. but seems only 2 or three fry had survived the night.  they seem to be hiding in the stems of my amazon sword and java fern

 

[lefty o]

with a few guppies you like, keep them in 72-76 degree water, with good amounts of plants ( this gives fry places to hide, as well as a food source). that is really all there is to it, unless you want to go down the rabbit hole of line breeding or creating a strain.

[LilOne]

yes at some point I would like to create a strain.  I don't know if I will be able to get to that point though

 

[PineSong]

On 3/12/2022 at 10:06 AM, LilOne said:

Thank you.  I just got the tank set up and cycled only 2 plants in so far. but seems only 2 or three fry had survived the night.  they seem to be hiding in the stems of my amazon sword and java fern

 

Welcome to caring for fry!

Floating plants like anacharis, guppy grass and hornwort are usually inexpensive and they do a great job of hiding fry *and* they really help maintain water quality because they use up a lot of fish waste. 

 

[LilOne]

I have been trying to find guppy grass and no one seems to have it around me.  I am going to be ordering hornwart soon.

 

[JettsPapa]

On 3/14/2022 at 2:02 PM, LilOne said:

I have been trying to find guppy grass and no one seems to have it around me.  I am going to be ordering hornwart soon.

I'm not surprised you're having trouble finding guppy grass locally.  The only times I've ever seen it for sale in a store is when the store bought it from me.

[Anon]

For livebearers like this I use a breeder box with suction cups inside the tank. I never put the moms in the box as it stresses them out; instead, I capture the fry with a turkey baster after they're born. Once a day I suction out uneaten food. 

This is a good way to ensure every fish gets food and survives. But honestly you might want some of them to die off if you don't have a place to take them. Breeding a few generations in your water for a healthy, stable population is a good idea before you start selecting too heavily for genetics. Good luck!!  

[LilOne]

On 3/15/2022 at 9:06 AM, JettsPapa said:

I'm not surprised you're having trouble finding guppy grass locally.  The only times I've ever seen it for sale in a store is when the store bought it from me.

where are you located if I may ask.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@LilOneI breed a line of Blue Hawaiian Moscow guppies. I keep them in 3 different tanks - a 20 g L, an 11 g bowl, and a 15 g. I've also got platy, guppies and 3 lines of neocaridina. 

Depending on the strain and the genetics they may or may not eat their fry. Some breeders specifically cull guppies that have a high prey drive for their young. I am lucky that mine so far - knock on wood and fingers crossed -do not prey on their fry! Females are the worst - they are constantly looking for sources of calories due to the high metabolic rate that it takes to produce many fry each month. As they get older and much larger many cull them out and retire them because they spend more time eating and less time birthing once they get to 1.5-2+ years old. I find Endler cross females to be even worse then guppy females. 

Plants and hardscape certainly help. Great suggestions already. I also like dwarf water lettuce as a floater, they form rafts with large root structures underneath that the fry often hang out in. Baby tears - not the dwarf - is great both planted and floating its a great plant, it likes to grow emerged and if given the proper nutrition puts out beautiful little white flowers. 

Have fun. It is a great joy in my life to have them. They bring a lot of joy to the people who buy them from the store locally. I have had several people come up to me at the prompting of the owner I sell to who've told me how much they love my guppies. 

[LilOne]

@Beardedbillygoat1975  thank you and those are some beautiful guppies.  Thank you for the advice.  I am hoping it won't take too long for me to at least be able to start setting up to breed.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@LilOneI like crushed coral as my substrate. Don't be afraid to treat them for parasites a few times if getting them from a pet store. 70-78 degrees. You were talking about creating a line of guppies which I've discussed with some breeders and could take between 4 and 7 tanks to do. 

[Minanora]

On 3/15/2022 at 6:06 AM, JettsPapa said:

I'm not surprised you're having trouble finding guppy grass locally.  The only times I've ever seen it for sale in a store is when the store bought it from me.

Yeah depending on where you live you may not be able to get it. My local store cannot get it because it's not on our states "whitelist"

>.> I'm going to be naughty and buy some online. Hornwort and I don't get along.

 

I agree with @Beardedbillygoat1975 with treating pet store guppies. I treat all of my fish that come from a store. Even ones from online/breeders. I treat with the recommended med trio, then expel-p, then watch them closely for columnaris since that seems to be what gets me most of the time. I quarantine my new fish for a month now.

[PineSong]

On 3/15/2022 at 4:14 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@LilOneI breed a line of Blue Hawaiian Moscow guppies. I keep them in 3 different tanks - a 20 g L, an 11 g bowl, and a 15 g. I've also got platy, guppies and 3 lines of neocaridina. 

 

Those are indeed beautiful guppies!

[JettsPapa]

On 3/15/2022 at 1:47 PM, LilOne said:

where are you located if I may ask.

southeast Texas

[Dwayne Brown]

I breeded Endlers Live bearers which are a close relative of the guppy for awhile and this is what I learned.

1. I chose to raise the fry in the same tank as the parents (this tank was also my community tank) I picked water lettuce to serve as their "hiding plant". The long roots protected them pretty well from the parents and other fish, the lettuce also doubled as a fry feeder due to the tiny algea and organisms that live on them. 

2. Dont buy fry food, if you have any kind of pellets or micro pellets you can grind that up into a powder then sprinkle that away from where the other fish are feeding. 

3. Be ready to find a store to sell them to or to give them away. I started out with 4 and ended up with 45, I eventually donated them to a LFS but you could also try to sell them to one. 

Hope this helps. 

[LilOne]

well one task down.  I found somewhere that will take the fry if/when I get over run.  Also found some hornwart at the place that said they would take guppy babies.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by LilOne

[Cinnebuns]

Disclaimer, my ADHD did not allow me to read all previous responses so I apologize if I repeat something. 

I am still pretty new but can share what I have learned in my time. 

I did notice you asked about keeping floating plants out of the HOB filter. I made a barrier out of straws that works great. Use gorilla glue GEL. To connect the straws use a tiny straw or airline tubing. If you use a tiny straw cut a slit into it so it will become smaller. You can use suction cups intended for airline tubing to hold it in place. 

I just realized, I actually made an entire FAQ for a Facebook group about guppies. Imma copy paste that! 

"Is my guppy pregnant?"

If your guppy is female then it is highly likely it's pregnant. Female guppies can store sperm for later use so she doesn't need to be with a male to get pregnant. They also can get pregnant for multiple months off of one copulation so even if you seperate her from males, she can get pregnant. The amount of months this is possible is debatable. Typically it's agreed they can do this for about 6 months though. 

"Is my guppy male or female?"

Males tend to be more colorful than females. Male's coloring also tends to continue from their tail to their body while females usually do not. Females tend to be more dull coloring and even transparent. Males will have a more streamline body while females will be bigger and bulkier. More importantly, males will have a male organ called a gonopodium while a female will have a triangular shaped fin in the same spot. Females also have a dark area on the back of their body called a gravid spot. This spot becomes more obvious when they are pregnant and becomes more pronounced the closer they are to giving birth. In some females this spot may be yellow or pink. 

"When will my guppy give birth?"

The closer a female gers to giving birth, her gravid spot will become more pronounced. When she is nearing giving birth she will become more squared off \__/ vs rounded (__). There are other indicators to look for. She will hide away from other fish, usually at the top in a corner and under some floating plants. Her breathing rate will increase and she may even gasp for air at the surface. This is not an oxygen in the water issue but a result of her body getting ready to give birth. 

"When should I seperate my pregnant guppy"

IF you choose to seperate her in a different tank or breeding box it is best to do it as close as you can to when she will give birth so as to reduce her stress. I strongly recommend against moving her though. Pregnant females are highly susceptible to stress. The stress of being moved to a tank she is not familiar with or in a small box alone can cause her to abort the fry, hold them in, or even die. It is not suggested to move a pregnant female for these reasons. 

"Why is my pregnant female not giving birth?"

First, you should make sure she is actually pregnant and not sick. Some illnesses can look like pregnancy. If your guppy is infact pregnant, she likely is holding the fry in due to stress. You need to remedy this stress or she can die holding them in. There are many common things that can stress a pregnant female. They can be very sensitive to water parameters. Make sure you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. She also needs places to hide, ideally floating plants. If you do not have live floating plants you can buy fake ones or make a floating spawning mop.  There are many YouTube videos on how to make them. Finally, make sure the male(s) are not harassing her too much.  If they are you may need to temporarily remove them from the tank.   

"What should I feed my guppy fry?"

You have a few options. Hikari makes a food called first bites that works. You can also do live or frozen baby brine shrimp. Lastly, you can use the same flakes you use to feed the adults but grind it up. If you want, you can get a pepper grinder and use this. You can also add some tank water to make a paste out of it. Regardless of what food you choose, it is very easy to over feed because of how tiny they are. I suggest getting an eye dropper and using that to dose out your feedings. You can also thin frozen bbs out with adding tank water. If you have kept the fry in with the adults, you may want to target feed them. First feed the adults to distract them away from where the fry tend to hang out. Then, feed directly on top of where the fry are. This helps ensure they don't have to compete as hard against the adults for food. 

"What plants work well with guppies?"

Any floating plant like water lettuce, frogbit or duckweed makes for great top cover to make your guppies feel safe. You will see them hanging out in the roots. Java moss and guppy grass are great for giving fry a place to hide.  Hornwort, water wisteria, and water sprite are also great additions to help give more cover for both fry and adults. Of course, any plant will help with water quality and is a good addition to your ecosystem.

Do I have to get a test kit?

I will answer this question with a couple of questions. Are there people who get by without a test kit?  Yes. Will it make keeping your fish healthy and alive easier?  A huge yes. You can't tell the quality of the water just by looking at it. Sometimes clear water is dangerous and murky water is healthy. You cannot ensure the safety of your fish without knowing the quality of the water they are in. 

Although it is more expensive, the API master test kit is highly advisable. Strips may be cheaper but are highly inaccurate. There's not much of a point to test if you can't even trust what the test is telling you. Keep in mind, the test kit will last you a very long time and actually does 8x more tests than most strips do anyway. It's well worth it!

Edited March 21, 2022 by Cinnebuns