Getting multiple female guppies pregnant at once

[Maximus]

I was re-watching this video (you can buy those pond basket at Lowe's BTW, and you don't need the Backer Bar for a 10 gallon since it sits on the rim), and @Dean’s Fishroom mentions getting multiple guppies pregnant at once. How do you actually accomplish that? I've got two younger females in a basket, which produced 7 fry and no new ones that I can tell within the last ~48 hours. I'm guessing that since they're on the small and young side that they're likely done at this point, but it's also possible that one is still pregnant or has stored sperm packets. Is there a common approach to this problem? I could move them to another tank (without the males) and leave them there for a few months. They seem happy enough in the basket (there's a healthy portion of guppy grass in there and I've been feeding live baby brine shrimp), but seems a bit cramped for something long term.

Thanks!

Edited July 7 by Maximus

[Fish Folk]

What exactly is your question? From the subject line, are you asking _how_ to get multiple females pregnant? Just add a male. He will spawn with every available female.

Add a male in with as many females as you like, wherever you like, and after about 30x days, they'll drop fry. If your temperatures are too warm, you'll have certain issues; too cold, others. I'd suggest about a 76-F range.

If you let gravid females near dropping into the baskets, the fry will escape through the holes. Having multiple tanks is helpful, but not essential. Another approach is bending a piece of Darice plastic mesh to create a U-Shaped breeding / dropping area in a 10-gal. Fry will escape out through the holes...

This allows for more room than the basket concept. My experience, however, has been that if you'll just add a lot of plants -- Najas, Hygrophilia polysperma, etc -- that Guppy fry will thrive. A few may be eaten, but you'll get plenty. 

[sumplkrum]

Yes, they store sperm ... but it's not like they keep churning out babies until it's gone.

They drop a batch, and at some point get pregnant again and have more babies.

From one mating it's possible for them to spawn up to eight broods ... but they're not machines. They need food and good health to produce another batch. Also tend to slow down as they get older, and can still breed just fine with other males.

The saving of sperm is a survival technique in case they end up in an isolated puddle. It basically gives them the ability to get pregnant whenever they want to.

Edited July 7 by sumplkrum

[Maximus]

My question is really just how to get them on the same breeding cycle, but I think I have my solution. I'm going to keep the females in the basket for a while, assuming they don't get themselves pregnant again. Not sure if the likelihood of that goes down since they're young, but I guess I'll find out.

 

Thanks for the info!

[Cinnebuns]

On 7/7/2023 at 3:01 PM, sumplkrum said:

but it's not like they keep churning out babies until it's gone.

Funny enough, occasionally a female guppy will do this. Instead of getting pregnant and giving birth all at once roughly once a month, she will instead be constantly pregnant with fry at various stages of development. She will then release them as they become developed enough to leave. It's not common but it does happen. These females are always gravid and squared off at all times and release a few fry every few days.