Livebearer Advice

[FishySarah]

Ok. I have a 55 gallon tank with a lot of hiding places, caves, plants, etc.

Non-livebearers- I have 4 bloodfin tetras, 3 black skirts, 2 gold barbs, 1 gourami-

And 2 female mollies, 1 female platy (all these were from tanks with males so they may eventually have babies) and 3 female and one male guppy.

How many babies am I looking at over the course of a year or so? I am trying to calculate how many fish I should add at this point while still leaving room for possible fry.

I don't intend to actively try to save babies, just let them give birth in the tank and hope some survive. I know some (most?) will most likely get eaten. How many 'litters' from those that don't have a male, and how many will the guppies put out and how often? How many do you think will survive?

Also, I want to avoid too much inbreeding, so how many more guppies/platies/mollies should I get to do that?

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[OldMan47]

If you don't make a significant effort to save fry, you can expect to have exactly none survive more than a few days. The gold barbs, black skirts and gourami will give you that assurance. If you provide fine leaved plants like java moss, you might possibly have 3 or 4 fry still alive in a year's time. I use single species tanks with well fed and lightly predatory fish, like the guppies themselves, and have tons of survivors. The difference is that the gold barbs and black skirts are not the peaceful fish that guppies are. They will cause some damage to the adult guppies and will see the fry as food. How long do mosquito larvae or blood worms last in that tank? That will give you a clue about the guppy fry chances.