Guppy unexpectedly gave birth.

[Paul65]

Hello I’m new here, thought I’d try and get some advice from the experts.

Brought my sons 28l tank, brought some guppies, put them in, with a few neons too.

Really enjoying this, so I got a 60L tank, got a few more guppies. Noticed two guppies were being chased around, so I look into this, found out them two were female. So I put them in my 28L and the males in 60L

Now I’ve got a 110L tank, again, my son has got a new 240L. So I will sell my 28L and keep the two tanks.

Sunday I cleaned out the 28L tank, ready to give it to a friend. I was going to wait two days to put my now four females in, my 100L When I noticed little ones hiding behind a plant! Seven of them, must of just been born, after a hover, water change, stuff moved! I took the four females out put them in my 100L tank. I still didn’t know what one was the mother! So seven fry in tank on their own and doing well

Problem I’ve now got, how do I know if two of my other females are pregnant? I’m sure they are but I don’t want to put them in the fry tank but also I don’t want to leave them in the main tank. I’ve read about breaded boxes, not sure I like that!

I’ve put loads of plants in the female tank, some real some plastic. I suppose it’s best to just let nature take its course.

Would you put my two “Exected pregnant femails” in the fry tank, or would you just leave them? The fry swim all over now Cos no other fish in there, if I put the females in there they probably get eaten.

 

[Colin_T]

Female livebearers like Guppies, Platies, Mollies & swordtails are just about always pregnant. They can carry sperm packets around with them from previous matings and use the packets when conditions are good. One mating can give the female 5 or 6 or more sperm packets and 1 packet is used for each batch of eggs the female develops.

One of the perks of Guppies is they don't eat their young so you can leave adults and babies together. Neons might eat the babies if they find them or are hungry but if you have lots of plants (especially floating plants like Water Sprite), and feed the fishes well, you won't lose too many.

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Moving pregnant fish to new tanks or breeding traps can stress them and mess up the pregnancy. You are better off leaving the adults in the tank and scoop out any young that pop up. The young can be put into a breeding net that hangs inside the aquarium.

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If you keep the small 28litre tank you can use it as a quarantine tank for any new fish you get in the future. Simply keep a small filter in the main tank, and when you get new fish put the small filter in the 28 litre tank with the new fish. Keep the new fish quarantined in the small tank for 2 to 4 weeks and then add them to the main tank.

 

[Paul65]

Thanks Colin.

I thought guppies did eat their babies, this is why I moved the femails to my 100L tank as soon as I knew, so could I put my female back in the tank with the fry now? The now three day old babies are swimming all over the little 28L tank, or great to see, would that stop with the females in there.

It is very hard to judge how much to feed them, but I learning.

I’m not moving the two possible females if they look as though they are going to give birth anymore, or use that breeder box, it dose stress them, I could quite easy work that out.

Thanks for your replay. It’s very much appreciated

 

[seangee]

i guess the first question is do you want to breed guppies and what will you do with the offspring? Guppies are prolific breeders and at some stage there is a limit to how many tanks you can accomodate. Uncontrolled breeding could lead to a lot of drab looking fish after a few generations and possibly deformities.

When I kept guppies in a community tank I just let nature take its course and didn't do anythng special. Some survived. Most didn't but I still ended up making periodic trips to the LFS with bags of fish.

 

[Paul65]

I brought a male and a female from MA that I wanted to bread, but I’ve not put them together yet, well for 5 minuets, while I was changing tanks.

My plan is to have the bigger tank with males, maybe a few neons and possibly some pieacful other fish. The smaller 60L tank will be for a few females, and possible other fish that go well with them.

The third tank, will be given away to a friend but at the moment it’s just got the seven babies in now. I was going to put a brusselnose in with them, he’s only small but might help with the algee.

 

[NickAu]

One of the perks of Guppies is they don't eat their young

Since when?
Guppies have NO problem eating their fry, In fact female guppies will give birth to a fry then turn around and eat it.

Even a simple Google search will tell you they do
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Do+guppies+eat+their+fry

Ps
Did you know Guppies are also called million fish? Why? Because you start with 2 and soon have a million of them.
Guppy - Wikipedia

 

[Paul65]

I didn’t know that, glad I separated mine now, lol. I do want try breeding but when I was ready, I like things to be nice and proper, this is why I joined here.

I did think guppies eat their fry, YouTube video clearly shows a mother turn round and eat one.

My other (possible pregnant) female, was very angry last night, the other three in her tank couldn’t go anywhere near her, she just hovered over the plants, I woke up this morning, she was in my beeder box that i brought but won’t use, I’m sure that why the other mother died. I’ve just left if fully submerged in the tank and she goes in there for piece, I think. She’s in there now.

Anyway, she looks thinner, and her black spot is smaller, but I don’t know if there’s any Fry cos it’s so bushy, I don’t want to move it. I’ve ordered a tank devider, soon as I get that, I’ll look.

Problem is, do I put my fry liquid food in, if it’s not eated then it may course water problems. It’s a tricky one. The food I put in gets gobbled up by the four females, so I’m worried if there if fry they will starve!

 

[NickAu]

You could take 1 fish flake and crush it into powder and put it in the tank.

 

[Paul65]

I was thinking that, the four females really can’t get in there, I made it so busy, but I don’t want them to try and either get hurt or find the Fry! I’ll do it the same time as I Fred them. Also some fry might of died, I need to get them out. It’s a105L tank with intent four guppies in, so I’m hoping it will be ok.

Thanks for the reply. I’m new to this, and and advice is much appreciated

 

[Paul65]

Busy was meant to say bushy.

 

[NickAu]

Also some fry might of died, I need to get them out.

If you can easily see the dead one sure remove them but don't bother searching the tank.

 

[Paul65]

Okay. Great thanks for your help.

 

[Colin_T]

In 40 years of fish keeping, I have never had a female livebearer eat its own young. I have bred guppies, mollies, swordtails, platies, goodeids and halfbeaks. Sometimes other livebearers in the tank have a go at the young, usually the males. But I have never seen the females eat their own young.

I always make sure the adults are well fed and there are floating plants in the tank and that could be the reason. But even in tanks without plants the females haven't eaten their young.

The video on youtube with the female guppy in the shallow plastic container is not the healthiest fish to begin with (white edges to tail and fins), but she is confined to 1/2 a litre of water with the young. If that female was in a 20litre container with a water sprite plant she wouldn't touch the young.

 

[Paul65]

That makes sense, the inviromemt, health etc. Floating plants!

I’ve got real and plastic in my tank now, they are all bunched up together in one corner of my105L tank, hoping to stop the four females going in there, its worked so far. Im sure one had a Fry last night but I’m a little worried about disturbing it! If I could see them, I’d take them out and put them in my 28L tank with the other 4 day old fry, seven of them. I imagine Fry are difficult to catch

 

[Colin_T]

easiest way to catch guppy fry is a 2litre icecream container. Simply push one edge of the bucket down among the floating plants and the babies get sucked into the bucket.