How Long Do Feeder Guppies Live

[nmcturner]

I feed my butterfly fish feeder guppies. About 12 every 2 weeks. Well from the last batch 4 of them got smart and stopped swimming near the top. They hae become regular inhabitants of the tank now. They don't bother me, I was just wondering how long they live. They are just regular 12 for a dollar feeders.

 

[chibi]

Well, I've had different experiences with them. Most of them won't live too long, although you will get a lucky one. LFS cram thousands into tanks, so living conditions aren't best. Chances are they'll swim up to the top for food or something and they'll get eaten.

 

[Yetti]

They live as long as the fish you bought them for is not hungry =).

 

[kribensis12]

I ahd a feeder guppy live for 6 months.

 

[BigC]

They are normal guppies, the word feeder is not part of the name, it just emplies that they are small juve guppies or runts for feeding to larger fish. Therefore they will live the lifespan (all things considered) of a normal guppy.

 

[ccmerlot]

They are normal guppies, the word feeder is not part of the name, it just emplies that they are small juve guppies or runts for feeding to larger fish. Therefore they will live the lifespan (all things considered) of a normal guppy.

...which is, as found on the internet, between 1.5 and 3 years.
Their gestation period, BTW, is 28 days, and apparently they have a brood of about 20 to 25 at a time.
(you may never have to buy another feeder fish again)
;-)
My experience, admittedly brief so far (3 weeks with a small tank housing about 10 feeder guppies and 3 ghost shrimp), is that two or three survive per batch. Many may be eaten by parents, close relatives, or neighbours (tragic but true). And some may go with the flow into the filtration system, they are just so tiny. Survivors get to the top of the tank and stay there. They are relatively safe there because there are no predators in my tank.
In yours, I guess that is where they will find themselves food for your other fish.