I Need Help With A Guppy Tank In Need Of Predator

[monge_4]

I have a 40g tank with 6 Guppies and One Crown Tail and Moon Tail Betta ( yes the Bettas get along ). Im Looking for a Bigger tetra fish to put into the tank to control the guppy fry. Im looking at getting live plants to make this a fully sustained tank. Kinda a circle of life idea. Any ideas are welcome. I may end up taking one of the bettas out or both to put a bigger predator in the tank.

 

[AdamHawk]

Why not ask your LFS if they will take the Guppies from you once they are of a decent size, they will either give you food or credit notes. Much easier that way. Alternatively take them out put them into an ice cube pack and freeze them, makes a healthy and lush snack for fish through time then!

 

[SamLovesCorys]

Why not ask your LFS if they will take the Guppies from you once they are of a decent size, they will either give you food or credit notes. Much easier that way. Alternatively take them out put them into an ice cube pack and freeze them, makes a healthy and lush snack for fish through time then!

Freezing fish is unbelievably cruel, as they are cold blooded so it is a horrendously slow and painful death. If you do this, hit a bag with them in against the wall first to kill them cleanly.

 

[AdamHawk]

We are talking fry here, I guess there are two ways about it, sentimental way or they are unwanted, will be killed and eaten way.

 

[*pete*]

Welcome to TFF monge_4

Intresting thread, I have a guppy colony myself and was thinking along the same lines and was thinking of getting a Betta.

Im surprised yours don't cull the fry !

 

[always4lora]

African Butterfly fish would do the job, it is a possibility it might go for the larger guppies though.

 

[Yanks15]

Why not ask your LFS if they will take the Guppies from you once they are of a decent size, they will either give you food or credit notes. Much easier that way. Alternatively take them out put them into an ice cube pack and freeze them, makes a healthy and lush snack for fish through time then!

Freezing fish is unbelievably cruel, as they are cold blooded so it is a horrendously slow and painful death. If you do this, hit a bag with them in against the wall first to kill them cleanly.

I agree with the cold method but not how you describe it. I have had sick fish in years past that I needed to "take care of" and I was advised on this very site a very quick cold water method. The trick is to leave a bowl of water in the freezer just until the top freezes. Break the top icy layer. Take the fish (tropical only) and drop them straight in. It does them in right away. It's unfortunate that our fish get sick but it's more important to euthanize them properly. By the way, this does not work for Goldfish for obvious reasons.

 

[always4lora]

beheading the fish would do the job swiftly, then freeze the boddies. When i go fishing i tend to go for a swift chop to the head, the only think that survives that is bloody eels.

 

[Bugdozer]

How does an eel survive as just a head?

 

[jonny5]

a lot of fish will solve this problem for you man. The smaller dwarf cichlids, dwarf rainbowfish, some of the larger tetras...Any fish that gets 3ish inches should take care of guppy fry but leave the adults alone.

 

[Cu455]

You can use clove oil as an anesthetic and then freeze them or put them in a bowl of baking soda and water. I personally won't euthanize them in your situation. Bring them to a pet store, get a predator or post a ad for free feeder fish. I am sure there are people who wouldn't mind free feeders and they will get them off your hands without wasting life.

 

[Salam]

Why not just return / rehome the females and have a male only tank?

 

[lloyd]

you lot are all crazy. u cant behead one let alone 50 guppy fry.

i would go for something like like a slightly larger tetra like blackwidow tetras or red eye tetras. in a tank your size you could have a good size group.

the best way i would of thought to kill a fish though is just a big bang surely?

how did you come to having two bettas in one tank?

 

[MBOU]

Hi monge_4,

Seems you have a few things you might need to sort out, seperating the fighters for one...

But your main problem being that you dont want to be overrun by baby guppies? You need something pretty docile to eat the babies, not predatory, guppies are notoriously bad with predatory fish (adults especially) as anything predatory (like the more aggressive tetras or Butterfly fish) are going to eat your adult guppies.

Like someone else said, if you can't cope with the enslaught of baby guppies, you are best not breeding them, keep all males.

Or that aside... the fish you would want would depend hugely on what size tank you have!! Cory catfish are great for snaffling up new babies or small species of loaches (schistura species aka tiger sand loach or tri band sumo loach) or Rosy Loach.

Cherry Barbs might be quite good too because they dart in and out of plants and live fairly low in the tank.

What size tank do you have?

 

[Easy]

Why not ask your LFS if they will take the Guppies from you once they are of a decent size, they will either give you food or credit notes. Much easier that way. Alternatively take them out put them into an ice cube pack and freeze them, makes a healthy and lush snack for fish through time then!

Freezing fish is unbelievably cruel, as they are cold blooded so it is a horrendously slow and painful death. If you do this, hit a bag with them in against the wall first to kill them cleanly.

Is there any fish here that could verify the horrendously slow and painful death? I've never heard that. I put a fish in the freezer and he's a solid block of ice 5 minutes......

...........besides they can't breath the minute you take them from the tank. Don't you nothing they are suffering just from that?