Guppy And Molly Babies

[Brandi.]

I have one Guppy baby that is about 2 weeks old, 2 baby guppies that are 2 days old and woke up this morning to 11 Black Molly babies. While I plan to keep a majority of these babies, I know we will have more in a few weeks. Actually, I don't know which of my guppies are the mommies to which babies, so it may be sooner for more Guppies.

But, my question is, if I decided to get rid of some, how old do they need to be??

 

[jb1997mcd]

AND PLATYS


Hello Brandi,

I hope you don't mind if I piggy back off your post, I think it will save some of the experts some time. I have some plattys in with my molly's in a 75 gallon and the platty's keep reproducing. I understand this is natural, but I am trying to figure out how to deal w/ access. I have read that some folks trade in to their LFS. Is this the primary way to deal with access babies?

jb

 

[Brandi.]

No problem! Our LFS just went out of business, so I don't even have the option of trading... =( I'm just gonna be selling them from my own tanks.

 

[Meggie :)]

Well guppies, platties and mollies can all start mating and breeding around 2 months old...sometimes sooner, like a month and a half maybe... so I would give them away before they start breeding, unless you want 10 times the amount of babies! So basically if you see them chasing each other around, the males are probably trying to mate and it's time to separate them and give them away That's what I do, anyway

 

[Brandi.]

I think I'm going to keep breeding my black mollies, because they are one of my favorite fish.

Question about guppies: this is my first time ever having guppies, and with mollies and platys, there's the whole "squared off" thing. I didn't realize my guppies were so close to giving birth, I didn't even really know they were pregnant, though it had crossed my mind because they had big bellies. Do guppies get that "squared off" look when they are ready to drop??

 

[minnnt]

I think I'm going to keep breeding my black mollies, because they are one of my favorite fish.

Question about guppies: this is my first time ever having guppies, and with mollies and platys, there's the whole "squared off" thing. I didn't realize my guppies were so close to giving birth, I didn't even really know they were pregnant, though it had crossed my mind because they had big bellies. Do guppies get that "squared off" look when they are ready to drop??

Yes they do. It's more obvious with the bigger livebearers, but stil noticeable with the Guppies. I would sell when they reach about 1" - 1.5" The bigger the growout tank the faster they will grow. Also frequent water changes help with the growth rate, maybe 3-4 a week will see them speed along nicely!

 

[lilfishie]

first thing i would do is try seperating your sexes up, even if you do this you will still get fry form the females as they can store sperm for several months.

The problem is with these fish is there so easy to breed, very few shops will take them from you, once sexable split the fry into the appropriate tanks and get them advertised on sites/forums see if someone local will have them

 

[Brandi.]

first thing i would do is try seperating your sexes up, even if you do this you will still get fry form the females as they can store sperm for several months.

The problem is with these fish is there so easy to breed, very few shops will take them from you, once sexable split the fry into the appropriate tanks and get them advertised on sites/forums see if someone local will have them

Thanks! I did move the male guppies out of the tank. I put momma molly back with her mate, though. Like I said, I'll keep breeding the mollies for awhile. Maybe the guppies, too, but I'll have to get an idea of buyers.

Our LFS went out of business all of a sudden a few weeks ago, so I don't even have that option anymore...

What's a good male/female ratio to keep??

 

[minnnt]

One male to two females would be good. Three females would be even better. This evens the attention they get from the male as they can stress them out quite badly!

 

[Brandi.]

One male to two females would be good. Three females would be even better. This evens the attention they get from the male as they can stress them out quite badly!

Awesome! Thanks!!

 

[Black_Ghost_Knife_Fish]

I like your fish

 

[OldMan47]

If you have good quality fry and allow them to mature to the stage commonly seen in a pet shop, they should prove very easy to sell. I sell most of my surplus at local club auctions but pet shops will also welcome good quality local source fish. You will need to provide enough fish to a pet shop to warrant them devoting a tank to your fish if you expect a good price though. Don't expect them to buy 5 or 6 fish at a time since they need 20 or more to make setting aside a tank for them worthwhile.