My Guppy Fry Journal

[Ny82]

Hi this is my fist post,

Great job breeding the guppies I started fish keeping two years ago and guppy breeding a few months after,I had 1 male flame guppy and two females, One of the females died but the other one bred with the male to produce yes you guessed it flame fry anyway i got a breeding net with fine mesh so even newborns couldn't get out. They grew up but then I spotted a new face in the tank a fry that i had failed to see. I tried to save it but it escaped my empty jam jar unfortunately i thought they were big enough and i let them out only to watch in horror as they were eaten NOOOOOOOO!!! however two of the net ones survived and so did the grow in the tank one
unfortunately to different means all the females but the tank bred one died however I decided to buy a leopard guppy male to be friends. eventually i got a healthy load of 13 fry I have a new tank cycling just for them now they have flame colouration with leopard markings. but what is better is the weird kind of mottled pattern on the front of leopard guppies. THEY HAVE IT. and even better IT'S RED!!!!!!!!!!! I might just get some pictures up as well if you have the patience to read this there is some good news too the tank bred one is still living.

Thank you for listening I'm not Morgan Freeman

Hi welcome to the forum
Oh it's so frustrating when fry get eaten/die. I lost a load when the tank was struck with ich Mines started colouring up on the tails about 2 weeks ago but the females as you saw in the last pics are still colourless. I have 7 who are 7 weeks old tomorrow.
I also have 12 2 week old fry in the trap. I need to get a fine mesh trap-the one I have is a good size but the holes in the net are too big and they kept slipping out and I thought I was going crazy finding more and more fry
Congrats on the 13 fry! How old are they? They sound amazing I would love to see pics! I can't wait to see mines colour up. They all have red on their tails apart from a few of the females! I am so impatient lol.

 

[*pete*]

I've had a wild strain Guppy colony going for just over two months and there is much higher ratio of females to males, about 4/1.

I love this thread NY28, nearly as much fun as a "Roller Coaster"

BTH what camera do you use, and did you get the corner setup you had your eye on ?

Oh yeah, how are they getting on? Did you have fry? That would be awesome to see! I think the smaller fry are males but these ones are easily double their size. Plus the fact that they are colourless gives it away lol

Aww thankyou! It's been tough but i've managed to keep guppies alive for more than a few hours which is a huge achievement for me-I don't know if you read my posts before about the guppies constantly dying. It was just my tank wasn't cycled. I even have 2 mollies who are swimming about happy and they like good water stats don't they? I say happy but that male must be terrified-the female won't leave him alone. She is wild lol.
I started this thread to help others who are like me and have been searching for pics of fry at different stages but couldn't find anything.

I have a little pink sony cybershot camera. It's only a 14MP. I usually adjust it to "underwater" mode before taking pics but it still finds it hard to focus on the "main fish" and blur the background. I'm not a photographer so there's no point in me getting a big fancy camera - it would get wasted lol.
I didn't get that corner unit unfortunately. I am just put off by the fact that if I move I have to haul it with me lol. I recently adopted a kitten from the local shelter so he is keeping me busy right now he's 6 weeks old now and a handful!

I will try and get pics of the fry I am keeping. Also I don't know if you remember the pics I put up about 2 or 3 weeks ago (actually it could have been last week-I am lucky if I know what day i'm on most of the time) I put pics of little fry from the first batch who were colourless-these are now turning blond like their mum still nowhere near as big as the girls but that's to be expected.

They have exeeded all my expectations, from the two pairs of sub adults and ten fry I got from a breeder I allready have a thriving colony and loads of fry all at varying stages. Its so interesting to see what colour paterns come up, they're all different. They are so interesting to keep this way, never a dull moment. One moment they will be chasing each other doing what guppies do ! another time all the girls will gather in one spot and the boys in another next moment they will all decend on to a patch of algae and feed together another time just all do there own thing. Feeding time is a riot.

Yeah Ive read most of your posts being a Guppy nut myself, thats what I meant about "Roller coaster" all the "ups and downs" you'll be an expert soon

I'll have to look into getting a Cybershot don'nt know about pink tho, Turquoise is my colour
I've tried Photographing my little jems but they are just too rapid for my old cannon.

Shame about the corner unit but I understand about the moving thing...stress! Good luck with your kitten, I'm not into cats myself but there is nothing cuter than a fuzzy kitten I pick up a second hand 3ft set up next week, its in the "Your New Freshwater Tank" forum under the title "Happy Daze" Let me know what you think.

 

[Ny82]

They have exeeded all my expectations, from the two pairs of sub adults and ten fry I got from a breeder I allready have a thriving colony and loads of fry all at varying stages. Its so interesting to see what colour paterns come up, they're all different. They are so interesting to keep this way, never a dull moment. One moment they will be chasing each other doing what guppies do ! another time all the girls will gather in one spot and the boys in another next moment they will all decend on to a patch of algae and feed together another time just all do there own thing. Feeding time is a riot.

Yeah Ive read most of your posts being a Guppy nut myself, thats what I meant about "Roller coaster" all the "ups and downs" you'll be an expert soon

I'll have to look into getting a Cybershot don'nt know about pink tho, Turquoise is my colour
I've tried Photographing my little jems but they are just too rapid for my old cannon.

Shame about the corner unit but I understand about the moving thing...stress! Good luck with your kitten, I'm not into cats myself but there is nothing cuter than a fuzzy kitten I pick up a second hand 3ft set up next week, its in the "Your New Tank" thread under the title "Happy Daze" Let me know what you think.

Aww that's brilliant! My fry stick together grazing on the net over the filter but then suddenly sibling rivalry erupts and they chase each other away!
The cybershot is a decent camera - just a normal digital camera but that's all I need like I said before i'm no photographer haha! I dunno, pink might suit you
I would love to see pics of them. I love the wild type.
Yeah I was gutted about it but when I move to a bigger place I will defo have to get one. I have no choice lol. I will go and look at your thread just now. 3 feet is a decent size so good luck with that
My little apollo is so cute. I have entered him into the pet of the month competition so i'm hoping his "butter wouldn't melt" look will get us at least a few votes

 

[5teady_2012]

Gravid spots indicate females, they indicate also pregnant because a gravid spot will get darker and darker throughout the gestation period, a gravid spot is not the best indication to use to determine when it will drop, simply because gravid spots are very dark, even when not pregnant. so although it gets darker and darker and the fry's eyes become visible before birth through the translucent part of the skin, its not the best indication, and the gravid spot will lighten once the fry is born.

I awlays go by size, shape, behavior, i never even look at the gravid spot.

Also when u turn your tank lights out for a few hours, when u turn them back on, their gravid spot is very light (try it)
So lighting also effects gravid spots.

Females tend to mature around the 12 week area, so they can become pregnant at this age, but gravid spot can appear from 8 weeks some even as little as 6 weeks, so there is another reason that the gravid spot is not great to determine much.

 

[*pete*]

They have exeeded all my expectations, from the two pairs of sub adults and ten fry I got from a breeder I allready have a thriving colony and loads of fry all at varying stages. Its so interesting to see what colour paterns come up, they're all different. They are so interesting to keep this way, never a dull moment. One moment they will be chasing each other doing what guppies do ! another time all the girls will gather in one spot and the boys in another next moment they will all decend on to a patch of algae and feed together another time just all do there own thing. Feeding time is a riot.

Yeah Ive read most of your posts being a Guppy nut myself, thats what I meant about "Roller coaster" all the "ups and downs" you'll be an expert soon

I'll have to look into getting a Cybershot don'nt know about pink tho, Turquoise is my colour
I've tried Photographing my little jems but they are just too rapid for my old cannon.

Shame about the corner unit but I understand about the moving thing...stress! Good luck with your kitten, I'm not into cats myself but there is nothing cuter than a fuzzy kitten I pick up a second hand 3ft set up next week, its in the "Your New Tank" thread under the title "Happy Daze" Let me know what you think.

Aww that's brilliant! My fry stick together grazing on the net over the filter but then suddenly sibling rivalry erupts and they chase each other away!
The cybershot is a decent camera - just a normal digital camera but that's all I need like I said before i'm no photographer haha! I dunno, pink might suit you
I would love to see pics of them. I love the wild type.
Yeah I was gutted about it but when I move to a bigger place I will defo have to get one. I have no choice lol. I will go and look at your thread just now. 3 feet is a decent size so good luck with that
My little apollo is so cute. I have entered him into the pet of the month competition so i'm hoping his "butter wouldn't melt" look will get us at least a few votes

I'm no David Baily myself, a Cybershot would do me fine. As the great man David Bowie once said "only a real man can get away with pink"

I can't wait to put up some decent photo's, youve got to get some these overlooked underestimated little jewels, even the plain females irridess and sparkle when the light catches them. I got mine from a private breeder through the post, If ever you want to give them a try I have his permission to pass on his email address.

Gonna take a look at wee Apollo

 

[Ny82]

This threads jumping tonight!

Gravid spots indicate females, they indicate also pregnant because a gravid spot will get darker and darker throughout the gestation period, a gravid spot is not the best indication to use to determine when it will drop, simply because gravid spots are very dark, even when not pregnant. so although it gets darker and darker and the fry's eyes become visible before birth through the translucent part of the skin, its not the best indication, and the gravid spot will lighten once the fry is born.

I awlays go by size, shape, behavior, i never even look at the gravid spot.

Also when u turn your tank lights out for a few hours, when u turn them back on, their gravid spot is very light (try it)
So lighting also effects gravid spots.

Females tend to mature around the 12 week area, so they can become pregnant at this age, but gravid spot can appear from 8 weeks some even as little as 6 weeks, so there is another reason that the gravid spot is not great to determine much.

Oh I totally agree with the whole not using the gravid spot as a pregnancy indicator now that I have seen my very young females with them. I will be going by shape in the future now that I have had 2 lots of fry I know what to look for and how to judge.
I didn't know that about the lighting, that's interesting.
I have been leaving the light on longer than usual I read somewhere guppy fry need lots of light. I switch it on at around 9am and back off around 8pm now instead of 4/5pm - is that too much?

They have exeeded all my expectations, from the two pairs of sub adults and ten fry I got from a breeder I allready have a thriving colony and loads of fry all at varying stages. Its so interesting to see what colour paterns come up, they're all different. They are so interesting to keep this way, never a dull moment. One moment they will be chasing each other doing what guppies do ! another time all the girls will gather in one spot and the boys in another next moment they will all decend on to a patch of algae and feed together another time just all do there own thing. Feeding time is a riot.

Yeah Ive read most of your posts being a Guppy nut myself, thats what I meant about "Roller coaster" all the "ups and downs" you'll be an expert soon

I'll have to look into getting a Cybershot don'nt know about pink tho, Turquoise is my colour
I've tried Photographing my little jems but they are just too rapid for my old cannon.

Shame about the corner unit but I understand about the moving thing...stress! Good luck with your kitten, I'm not into cats myself but there is nothing cuter than a fuzzy kitten I pick up a second hand 3ft set up next week, its in the "Your New Tank" thread under the title "Happy Daze" Let me know what you think.

Aww that's brilliant! My fry stick together grazing on the net over the filter but then suddenly sibling rivalry erupts and they chase each other away!
The cybershot is a decent camera - just a normal digital camera but that's all I need like I said before i'm no photographer haha! I dunno, pink might suit you
I would love to see pics of them. I love the wild type.
Yeah I was gutted about it but when I move to a bigger place I will defo have to get one. I have no choice lol. I will go and look at your thread just now. 3 feet is a decent size so good luck with that
My little apollo is so cute. I have entered him into the pet of the month competition so i'm hoping his "butter wouldn't melt" look will get us at least a few votes

I'm no David Baily myself, a Cybershot would do me fine. As the great man David Bowie once said "only a real man can get away with pink"

I can't wait to put up some decent photo's, youve got to get some these overlooked underestimated little jewels, even the plain females irridess and sparkle when the light catches them. I got mine from a private breeder through the post, If ever you want to give them a try I have his permission to pass on his email address.

Gonna take a look at wee Apollo

I get quite wary with buying fish online. I just have the image of them arriving dead after spending all that money on them. I do love the wild types but I would definitely wait until I have a decent sized tank. My tanks already bursting at the seams with fry haha and about 40 million snails
Aww he is a little gem. He's doing so well but is all teeth and claws at the moment!

 

[*pete*]

This threads jumping tonight!

Gravid spots indicate females, they indicate also pregnant because a gravid spot will get darker and darker throughout the gestation period, a gravid spot is not the best indication to use to determine when it will drop, simply because gravid spots are very dark, even when not pregnant. so although it gets darker and darker and the fry's eyes become visible before birth through the translucent part of the skin, its not the best indication, and the gravid spot will lighten once the fry is born.

I awlays go by size, shape, behavior, i never even look at the gravid spot.

Also when u turn your tank lights out for a few hours, when u turn them back on, their gravid spot is very light (try it)
So lighting also effects gravid spots.

Females tend to mature around the 12 week area, so they can become pregnant at this age, but gravid spot can appear from 8 weeks some even as little as 6 weeks, so there is another reason that the gravid spot is not great to determine much.

Oh I totally agree with the whole not using the gravid spot as a pregnancy indicator now that I have seen my very young females with them. I will be going by shape in the future now that I have had 2 lots of fry I know what to look for and how to judge.
I didn't know that about the lighting, that's interesting.
I have been leaving the light on longer than usual I read somewhere guppy fry need lots of light. I switch it on at around 9am and back off around 8pm now instead of 4/5pm - is that too much?

They have exeeded all my expectations, from the two pairs of sub adults and ten fry I got from a breeder I allready have a thriving colony and loads of fry all at varying stages. Its so interesting to see what colour paterns come up, they're all different. They are so interesting to keep this way, never a dull moment. One moment they will be chasing each other doing what guppies do ! another time all the girls will gather in one spot and the boys in another next moment they will all decend on to a patch of algae and feed together another time just all do there own thing. Feeding time is a riot.

Yeah Ive read most of your posts being a Guppy nut myself, thats what I meant about "Roller coaster" all the "ups and downs" you'll be an expert soon

I'll have to look into getting a Cybershot don'nt know about pink tho, Turquoise is my colour
I've tried Photographing my little jems but they are just too rapid for my old cannon.

Shame about the corner unit but I understand about the moving thing...stress! Good luck with your kitten, I'm not into cats myself but there is nothing cuter than a fuzzy kitten I pick up a second hand 3ft set up next week, its in the "Your New Tank" thread under the title "Happy Daze" Let me know what you think.

Aww that's brilliant! My fry stick together grazing on the net over the filter but then suddenly sibling rivalry erupts and they chase each other away!
The cybershot is a decent camera - just a normal digital camera but that's all I need like I said before i'm no photographer haha! I dunno, pink might suit you
I would love to see pics of them. I love the wild type.
Yeah I was gutted about it but when I move to a bigger place I will defo have to get one. I have no choice lol. I will go and look at your thread just now. 3 feet is a decent size so good luck with that
My little apollo is so cute. I have entered him into the pet of the month competition so i'm hoping his "butter wouldn't melt" look will get us at least a few votes

I'm no David Baily myself, a Cybershot would do me fine. As the great man David Bowie once said "only a real man can get away with pink"

I can't wait to put up some decent photo's, youve got to get some these overlooked underestimated little jewels, even the plain females irridess and sparkle when the light catches them. I got mine from a private breeder through the post, If ever you want to give them a try I have his permission to pass on his email address.

Gonna take a look at wee Apollo

I get quite wary with buying fish online. I just have the image of them arriving dead after spending all that money on them. I do love the wild types but I would definitely wait until I have a decent sized tank. My tanks already bursting at the seams with fry haha and about 40 million snails
Aww he is a little gem. He's doing so well but is all teeth and claws at the moment!

Take a look here, he has sent out over 300 parcels using this method and has'nt lost a single fish ! The bag is breathable and there is no airspace in it. The manufacturers guarentee the fish will survive for up to two weeks and would die from pollution or starvation befor running out of O2. Looks and feels a bit like a balloon partially filled with water so there is no right way up. I was amazed when I opened the box. www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/390157-fish-via-post/page__p__3278339__fromsearch__1#entry3278339

 

[Ny82]

That's a good thread Pete. I will definitely like to give it a go when I get a bigger tank. Would be interesting to have wild types.

 

[Ny82]

I have good news-I spotted small fry!
I was sitting drying my hair, on the other side of the room so I can see the tank side on. I noticed my female fry chase something, I went over to take a closer look and there's small fry in amongst the cabomba. He is so much smaller than the fry in the trap. I am thinking he is my cobra females fry - if not then she's been pregnant for about 6 weeks I am beginning to think she's just fat lol.

 

[OldMan47]

The Cordon breather bags are very nice if you can find them. The bag is almost stretchy compared to a normal bag but even a normal bag can be used to ship fish. I have received lots of fish that way. Just expect to see fish shipped in normal bags with the bag mostly filled with air. Fish can do fine in smaller amounts of water when it stays well oxygenated but when they run out of oxygen they just don't survive. Fish in breather bags are shipped single bagged and with the bag completely full of water. The bag itself is porous enough to get air exchange while not leaking any water but if you double bag with them they do not breathe. The surface does feel sort of wet though.

 

[Ny82]

The Cordon breather bags are very nice if you can find them. The bag is almost stretchy compared to a normal bag but even a normal bag can be used to ship fish. I have received lots of fish that way. Just expect to see fish shipped in normal bags with the bag mostly filled with air. Fish can do fine in smaller amounts of water when it stays well oxygenated but when they run out of oxygen they just don't survive. Fish in breather bags are shipped single bagged and with the bag completely full of water. The bag itself is porous enough to get air exchange while not leaking any water but if you double bag with them they do not breathe. The surface does feel sort of wet though.

That's really good. I just worry in case they die as they are in water which will obviously go cold and stuff. I would definitely like to get some wild types but like I say only when I have a bigger tank. Wouldn't be fair to cram them into this one.

 

[OldMan47]

If you are working with the BLA, you should be able to find people nearby that have wild types. At least it is worth a try. Have a check here, they are one of the listed clubs.

 

[*pete*]

That's a good thread Pete. I will definitely like to give it a go when I get a bigger tank. Would be interesting to have wild types.

Thanks Ny82, fair enough...I won'nt be a bore and keep banging on about them

A mate is going to take some photo's for me with his all singing all dancing new camera tomorrow, so will put them up if they come out ok.

That's a good thread Pete. I will definitely like to give it a go when I get a bigger tank. Would be interesting to have wild types.

Thanks Ny82, fair enough...I won'nt be a bore and keep banging on about them

A mate is going to take some photo's for me with his all singing all dancing new camera tomorrow, so will put them up if they come out ok.

edit... oops something wierd just happened with my internet connection !!!

 

[*pete*]

The Cordon breather bags are very nice if you can find them. The bag is almost stretchy compared to a normal bag but even a normal bag can be used to ship fish. I have received lots of fish that way. Just expect to see fish shipped in normal bags with the bag mostly filled with air. Fish can do fine in smaller amounts of water when it stays well oxygenated but when they run out of oxygen they just don't survive. Fish in breather bags are shipped single bagged and with the bag completely full of water. The bag itself is porous enough to get air exchange while not leaking any water but if you double bag with them they do not breathe. The surface does feel sort of wet though.

That's really good. I just worry in case they die as they are in water which will obviously go cold and stuff. I would definitely like to get some wild types but like I say only when I have a bigger tank. Wouldn't be fair to cram them into this one.

There was also a sachet pressed up against the bag (just like a tea bag) with what looks and feels like crushed carbon inside to keep the water fresh.

 

[Ny82]

Thanks Oldman, I have been looking for clubs near me but not finding any.

Aww Pete you're not being a bore, I would love to see pics of how your wild guppies are getting on!