Fancy guppy breeding....???

[Ron]

Hi, I'm new, looks like a great site. I'm in my learning stage of breeding livebearers. I've pretty much mastered the art of breeding mollies, but need lots of help with fancy guppies. My quetions are:

1. How can I tell when to put my female guppy in the birthing contraption?

2. I have a 1 gallon tank for the birthing contaption, my plan is to put the females in there when they're ready, and after they're done giving birth, take them out. Will the fry be okay growing up in there? The pet store guy told me they wouldn't grow fast enough, it would take 2 months instead of 2 weeks for them to be ready to go back with their parents. Is this true? Is a 1 gallon too small?

3. Can I have both molly fry and guppy fry in the same birthing contaption/growing up house?

4. And lastly, I put my four fancy guppies (2 males, 2 females) in with my two mollies (1 male, 1 female) They seem to be agressive twards eachother, but I read that guppies and mollies are fine with one another. My guppies stay towds the bottom and my mollies at top. When I feed the fish, the guppies don't come up, they just look up at the food like they want it, but the mollies are there. Should I be worried? What should I do. I have them in a 55 gallon tank.

Thank you in advance. Any help would be greatly appresiated!
Ron

 

[Ron]

I also have 3 molly fry, they seem to be very healthy. But 1 of them has the white spots around its eyes. I put a heater in there and set it at 80 degrees. Any other suggestions on how to get it away? Thanks
Ron

 

[Aqua_Princess64]

The answer to your first question is probably after watching your pregnant guppies right before they give birth you will be able to recognize the signs.

The fry will probably be fine growing up in the 1 gal. I think what the guy at the pet store said was true because at two weeks, the baby guppies will probably be small enough for the adults to eat . I think that a 1 gallon aquarium is big enough, too.

You can have both molly and guppy fry in the same breeding contraption and growing up house as long as they're about the same age.

I'm not really sure about the last question but you could put some of the guppy food in a jar with a top big enough for the guppies to get in and put the jar at the bottom of the tank and see if the guppies get the idea.

 

[ramesses]

Hi RON welcome to the art of guppy breeding.I too breed both mollies and guppies so,hopefully I can help you with your questions.
1----females start acting differently,they isolate themselves,sometimes rub their bellies against the gravel,and some say they even stop eating;Although the ones I have eat even while giving birth.Their gravid spot gets even darker and larger and if you notice carefully,the female belly changes its shape a bit.
Remember...female guppies have babies every four weeks,a bit shorter gestation period than the mollies.
2----A one gallon tank should be OK.But remember the larger the better simply 'cause they have more space to exercise in
3----mollies and gups are fine growing together.After all they are like close cousins.
4----In a 55 gal tank this kind of behavior might be sign of trouble.Gups are not scavengers so they definately feel threaten by the mollies.You might want to plant some tall plants in the middle of your tank thus,creating a natural division,giving the smaller gups a place to eat in peace.
If the attacks and harassement don't stop,you may have to isolate the two.Mollies will kill the gups.I should know,it has happened to me before.


About the ill fry.......keep the temp at 80,if you can isolate it,do so,if no tank is available use a tapperware or some sort of container.Add fungi or bacterial medication and hope for the best.

Now,this is what I do with my guppy fry.........Keep them in a 10 gal tank,temp between 78 and 80. I feed them at least ten times a day,the trick is to feed as little as posible, providing a varied diet including freeze dry,live and frozen food.Also,I do water changes of apprx.10% every day to keep it fresh and to avoid any illness.

If you have mastered the art of molly breeding don't worry about th egups,its pretty much the same.

PS what type of fancy guppies you got?

 

[haaris]

my mollie fry are 2 weeks bigger than my guppie fry and they get along
perfectly