Breeding Guppies - Any Tips Or Advice?

[Lyra0727]

Well everyone has their own opinions and their own expirences. Thats the only problem about asking for advice and tips when it comes to fish. You never really know until after you expirence it and let your own opinion form

 

[Curiosity101]

You never really know until after you expirence it and let your own opinion form

Although this is entirely off topic (same as the past 20 or so replies).

Actually people are best NOT forming their own opinion if it's is only based on their own experiences. Biological organisms often work on a curve, the extremes will work for a minority. But you are best to base what you do on what the majority find work for them.

It's good to try new things to see if they work better, then to try to convince others to try it to get some more results to try to base a conclusion on. But 'My fish do x and therefore I am correct' isn't the best way to aim to keep fish.

Not saying you're wrong, like I said it works on a curve. Some guppies will be fine at higher temps, some will be fine at significantly lower temps (ie. room temp). But what you are seeing could well be a temperature shock where the fish don't have enough time to switch different genes on to adjust to the lower temps. However based on how many people keep guppies, and the success they report based on 'x' temperature, although you can say that the higher temps work for you. Saying they work for you and therefore it's the best way isn't necessarily correct. It might be... but it's unlikely.

Having said that, whilever fish are healthy and you're not doing something that is entirely unheard of. You're probably not doing anything bad. It's just worth remembering that your own opinion and a single entity isn't really worth much with regards to keeping a living animal. For example I never EVER give advice on here based on just my opinion. I base it on many many other peoples reports on what works and what doesn't.

 

[OldMan47]

I must step in with my own opinions here. I am not a fish biologist but have over 50 years of experience raising guppies. My best results, in terms of health, have always been at lower temperatures. I cannot offer any scientific evidence that one temperature is better than another for them, but I can say that the slower growth and longer fry maturity associated with lower temperatures seems to give me superior fish. My fish never experience any disease problems and are always treated by other fish keepers as if they were in some way superior to other fish. My fish are raised on simple flake food, something many fish keepers frown on, and are still seen as superior by most fish keepers. The only thing that I know that I do different to many fish keepers is to refuse to use high temperatures. As C101 has said, there is no truly scientific evidence of the superiority of my method, but I remain convinced that the one thing my own fish have, as descendants of fish from my LFS, is that I refuse to raise them at a temperature that accelerates their growth rate. I simply never see any disease problems in my guppy tank and the fish I offer for sale at auction, simple generic "fancy" guppies, are always snapped up by other fish enthusiasts as if there were something special about them. Sorry folks, those fish are no better, from a genetic standpoint, than most other fish at the LFS. Their condition simply reflects that I am an old man that has seen lots of problems over the years trying to keep guppies at higher temperatures where, I am the first to admit it, the fish seem better on average on a day-to-day basis. The problem I see, from the point of view of a long term fish keeper, is that the fast track short life cycle of fish kept too warm is anything but ideal. Patience is a seldom admired quality but is essential if you want superior quality fish in the longer term.

 

[DeadFish666]

theyre pretty much the rabbits of the fish world, just sit back and watch and enjoy

LOL

 

[bpondabay]

Well I guess what works is what works and what doesn't doesn't

 

[OldMan47]

Each of us has our own methods BPondABay. We are each more than happy to debate the merits of our own methods at length but there is no one "best" way to rear livebearer fry. My methods reflect my values which may or may not be the same as yours.

 

[SeaLife:)]

thats pretty much it i bought 4females the other day and they are all preg i only bought them to keep my tank ticking over im deciding what i want to do with it

I disagree, though I've heard they are easy I can't get mine to breed!

They are easy and I love guppys! I have a tip for you, but first how many fish do you have and what breeds?

i agree with you all my guppies are happy

Yeah!!!! Im glad for you and your guppies!