Guppy Breeding

[Martyn87]

Hey All,

So my female guppy guppy gave birth this morning. I wasn’t prepared at all. I did see one new fry that was swimming close to the surface and doing fine. I went to work and had another look for the little guy when I got home, and he was no where to be seen. I have a 350l planted tank so it could be hiding away...or failing that he’s been eaten!

How do you know when the guppy is about to drop.? Is it best to move the fry when they are born or the guppy? How many babies do they usually have?

Any help would be great.

 

[JuiceBox52]

They have between 3 and 200 fry. I prefer to move the fry after they have been born. If you move the female it could kill her and/or her fry. Use a paper cup, not a net to move the fry

 

[Retired Viking]

I usually leave the fry in the tank, if you keep the guppies well feed they seem to leave the fry alone, In fact I have so many fry that I do not think they eat them at all. I have other fish that will eat their fry like my tetras (wish they were like guppies) Those I make sure have hiding places or move to a fry net.

 

[Salty&Onion]

They could have many babies 30-50 kids at a time usually, but as they age they can have even more kids with time. They can have up to 200 fry, they breed like rabbits. From numbers of their fry their name as 'million fish' comes, and is correct as they are very prolific breeders, in some cases, female guppies tend to get pregnant again right after giving birth to fry and can store male's sperm up to 10 months or so.

They have between 3 and 200 fry. I prefer to move the fry after they have been born. If you move the female it could kill her and/or her fry. Use a paper cup, not a net to move the fry

Correct, I wouldn't move the female anywhere as this could kill her.
Also, when she is in labour she will 'square off' where she will look almost like a 'box'.

 

[Martyn87]

So I had only seen one fry, presuming the rest got eaten by the rainbows and swordtails.

However the plot thickens, I did my usual 50% wc this morning and now she’s vanished...literally cannot see her anywhere. Yesterday she did still look a bit big but was feeding with the others. So I wondered if they can drop babies several times? I’m worried she may have perished as I cannot find her anywhere.

 

[JuiceBox52]

So I had only seen one fry, presuming the rest got eaten by the rainbows and swordtails.

However the plot thickens, I did my usual 50% wc this morning and now she’s vanished...literally cannot see her anywhere. Yesterday she did still look a bit big but was feeding with the others. So I wondered if they can drop babies several times? I’m worried she may have perished as I cannot find her anywhere.

They can drop over a few hours or days. I believe in the wild they will move around and do small drops so that the fry are spread out and have a higher chance of survival

 

[Salty&Onion]

They can drop over a few hours or days. I believe in the wild they will move around and do small drops so that the fry are spread out and have a higher chance of survival

I saw that video on youtube about a female ballon molly giving birth to 53 fry and she's been dropping her fry there and there. Its pretty interesting.

 

[Retired Viking]

If she feels overly stress @JuiceBox52 is correct she can drop many times over days and even weeks

 

[Salty&Onion]

If she feels overly stress @JuiceBox52 is correct she can drop many times over days and even weeks

I agree or she even can abort her fry.

 

[Retired Viking]

They spread them out to give the fry a better chance of survival. Years ago when I was breeding mollies (mostly black mollies) I had a 10 gallon tank set up with plastic plants and low light and that is where my mollies had their fry. I would get 35 or more at a time but I made sure she was relaxed. I even had soft music playing in the background sometimes. I figured it could not hurt. She was well feed but I did loose a few females. That was the thinking back then. I had so many young adults I ran out of people to give them to and gave the LFS a bunch. I stopped breeding them after just a short time but it was an interesting experience.

 

[JuiceBox52]

They spread them out to give the fry a better chance of survival. Years ago when I was breeding mollies (mostly black mollies) I had a 10 gallon tank set up with plastic plants and low light and that is where my mollies had their fry. I would get 35 or more at a time but I made sure she was relaxed. I even had soft music playing in the background sometimes. I figured it could not hurt. She was well feed but I did loose a few females. That was the thinking back then. I had so many young adults I ran out of people to give them to and gave the LFS a bunch. I stopped breeding them after just a short time but it was an interesting experience.

I like that you said soft music but the emoji is a rock band

 

[Retired Viking]

I like that you said soft music but the emoji is a rock band

I was looking for one playing a violin but sadly there were none

 

[Martyn87]

Yeah it’s my first time keeping guppies and it was more the misses who wanted them but I’ve gotten quite attached to their individuality. Each of my guppies is unique and that’s really grown on me. I just haven’t had sight of her at all today which is very unlike her, she’s normally the boss...first to the flake and the bloodworms.

Given its a community tank I imagine the swordtails would consume most the fry?

 

[Martyn87]

Also the breeding tank is now ready to catch the next batch!

 

[Retired Viking]

I lost several females during breeding, hope she is alright. Try and keep the males away from her so she can heal up.