Guppy unexpectedly gave birth.

[Paul65]

Excellent idea, I’ll use that if she has anymore. I need to put any new Fry in my Fry tank. It’s 28L and only got seven 4 day old in there so far. They can eat, gosh.

Do I have to wait a month before putting them in my big tanks. I would also need to know the sex! Don’t want to put a female in the male tank again!

 

[Colin_T]

You can put the baby guppies in the bigger tank when they are at least half the size of the other fishes in there.
eg: if the biggest fish you have in the main tank is 2 inches long, the babies need to be an inch long.

Depending on how much food you give them and what type of food, the babies will take 2-6 months to mature.

The best foods are newly hatched brineshrimp and microworms. The babies should be fed at least 3 times per day and given as much as they can eat.
Do lots of big water changes (and gravel cleans) on the rearing tank and keep the temperature around 28C for optimum growth.

 

[Paul65]

I put on some amaga 3 frozen bloodworm, they didn’t really touch it, so I hovered that away. I’ve got the liquid Liquifry No2 they do seems to eat that, flakes seem to be the thing they eat the most. I feed them about 6 times a day.

If another female has Fry in the big tank that they are in (four females nothing else in there) i might transfer them to the 28L that the seven Fry are in now, put them in the big tank with the new Fry. I’m hoping Fry don’t eat another Fry as they will be older.

I’m keeping the females well away from the boy tank now, but the two I want to breed, will now just have to wait till I know it’s all clear with my other two possible pregnancies!

 

[Colin_T]

big fry will sometimes eat smaller ones but as long as they are similar sized you should be fine mixing them. The issue comes from fry that are about half grown, they tend to eat the new babies.

 

[seangee]

I’m keeping the females well away from the boy tank now, but the two I want to breed, will now just have to wait till I know it’s all clear with my other two possible pregnancies!

Females store the sperm for later use and won't need the males again for some time to keep producing - so it could be a while

 

[NickAu]

Females store the sperm for later use and won't need the males again for some time to keep producing - so it could be a whil

8 to 9 months at least if you intend to breed for a specific trait, Females can store sperm for up to 6 months so the extra 2 or 3 months is just to make sure they are no longer producing fry. If you really want to breed do it properly and start with some virgin females.

 

[Paul65]

The blue female I got from Maidstone aquatics, that I’d like to breed, hasn’t been with any males, that’s what the guy in the shop said, apart from five minutes when I took the females out of the tank to get them away from the fry. So I’m hoping she’s a Virgin Guppy.

The mother that gave birth of the seven Fry I have, died the next day, I think she was too young, about three months old.

Colin. When you say “big Fry” do you mean a week or a month old?

 

[Colin_T]

Colin. When you say “big Fry” do you mean a week or a month old?

a month or more.
if the bigger fry are double the size of the new ones, try to keep them separate.

 

[Paul65]

Thanks Colin, I certainly will take you advice.

Wish I could post a pic, or even video, to see if you thing she near to giving birth.

 

[Colin_T]

your best just to have plants in the tank and keep the water clean and she will give birth when she is ready

 

[Paul65]

that’s exactly what I’ve done, just cleaned all three tanks, got a tank divider in the main tank, three females in one side, the expected one on her own the other side. Had to get it specially made, it fits a dream. All four guppies look very happy.

I’ve never use a small breeder box thing again, I’m convinced that contributed to the mother’s death.