Qustion-guppys

[black molly3]

im thinking of getting 2 guppys today M & F.
Would they breed if i just left them to it or do i need more females.
i was just wondering.

 

[dwarfgourami]

They would breed, but the female is quite likely to suffer sexual exhaustion, as most males are oversexed. To avoid stressing her, out a ratio of 2-3 females is recommended.

 

[Shadowkat]

i have 1 female and 1 male Guppy and they get along fine together there is nothing the matter with 1 f 1 m ratio

 

[dwarfgourami]

i have 1 female and 1 male Guppy and they get along fine together there is nothing the matter with 1 f 1 m ratio

One case proves very little. I too have come across male guppies who are less sexually active than is normal for the species (possibly a result of inbreeding). But you can't rely on it.
We get many threads on this forum to do with sexual agression in livebearers.

 

[Weaver]

If you have only room for 2 why not just get 2 females.Its a near certainty that they would be already pregnant when you buy them anyway.Otherwise I would definitely get 1 male and 2 females

 

[bleechme]

I bought male and remale in ratios before but it seems like the males are only intrested in one female. That one would always be plumped while the rest of the females are ignored and are slim. So it would really depend. I don't know if this happened to anyone else but is happens a lot to me.

 

[nmonks]

Did you ask the female?

Male guppies attempt to mate with any female they can, and if offered only one female, they can and do harass them. In the wild this isn't a problem... male guppies have a much higher mortality rate than the females, so there are usually fewer males than females. There is also plenty of space for the females to hide in if they want to.

But in aquaria we trap them in unnaturally small groups forcing the animals to get along. Well, they don't. It's a shame that we tend to think about guppies and other inexpensive fish as little more than toys, rather than living, feeling animals. Say NO to single Corydoras, "pairs of guppies", and trios of neons!

Bleechme's comment is interesting and not unsurprising. The males will be attracted to the largest, healthiest female. Why wouldn't they? Animals have very specific programming when it comes to this kind of behaviour. Oystercatchers (birds) will sit on a giant fake egg instead of their normal sized live egg if you give them the choice. And humans, of course, go for these "hyper-symbols" all the time... red lipstick, silicone breasts, bleached hair, high heel shoes, shoulder pads, these are all playing on our readiness to seek out exaggerated versions/manipulations of normal attributes.

Cheers,

Neale

they get along fine together there is nothing the matter with 1 f 1 m ratio[/url]

 

[bleechme]

Hmm so they go for the big healty ones. True I guess since the big ones eat a lot and the slim ones look like they are always on some sort of diet. They eat only one flake or eat and spit back out or somethimes even totally ignore feeding time. While the big ones rush and eat as fast as they can.

Do you know of any food that will fatten my skinny females? they don't really eat and I tried quite a few kinds.

 

[clareriley]

Hmm so they go for the big healty ones. True I guess since the big ones eat a lot and the slim ones look like they are always on some sort of diet. They eat only one flake or eat and spit back out or somethimes even totally ignore feeding time. While the big ones rush and eat as fast as they can.

Do you know of any food that will fatten my skinny females? they don't really eat and I tried quite a few kinds.

a couple of my female plattys wont eat untill the lights off.

 

[mom2tomany]

[/quote]

One case proves very little. I too have come across male guppies who are less sexually active than is normal for the species (possibly a result of inbreeding). But you can't rely on it.
We get many threads on this forum to do with sexual agression in livebearers.
[/quote]

I think that's the problem with my male guppy. he has been harrassing my female molly all day. I think he needs more females of his own kind.

 

[dwarfgourami]

One case proves very little. I too have come across male guppies who are less sexually active than is normal for the species (possibly a result of inbreeding). But you can't rely on it.
We get many threads on this forum to do with sexual agression in livebearers.
[/quote]

I think that's the problem with my male guppy. he has been harrassing my female molly all day. I think he needs more females of his own kind.
[/quote]

Sounds like he does Though we would be very interested if he did achieve something, we've had several threads discussing the likelihood of muppies in the hobbyist's tank. Apparently it is biologically possible, but none of us have ever been able to lay our hands on one.

 

[Shadowkat]

My male harrasses my female and she won't let him mate with her is there anything i can do. tips and hints welcome


My fishy friends

my 6 neon tetra called Fishy,Lewis,Beyonce,Marmite,cradle,and hypothumia
my 2 angelfish called Angel and Zak
my 1 sucking Loach called sucker
my 1 XL Banana shrimp called Banana Leaf
My 2 Guppies called Flamedra (male) and Hydra (female)

 

[bleechme]

a couple of my female plattys wont eat untill the lights off.

Interesting. I should try this and observe.

 

[fish mad]

Hmm so they go for the big healty ones. True I guess since the big ones eat a lot and the slim ones look like they are always on some sort of diet. They eat only one flake or eat and spit back out or somethimes even totally ignore feeding time. While the big ones rush and eat as fast as they can.

Do you know of any food that will fatten my skinny females? they don't really eat and I tried quite a few kinds.

Theres nothing wrong with watching your weight when your a guppy lol think of all those skimpy outfits

 

[dwarfgourami]

My male harrasses my female and she won't let him mate with her is there anything i can do. tips and hints welcome


My fishy friends

my 6 neon tetra called Fishy,Lewis,Beyonce,Marmite,cradle,and hypothumia
my 2 angelfish called Angel and Zak
my 1 sucking Loach called sucker
my 1 XL Banana shrimp called Banana Leaf
My 2 Guppies called Flamedra (male) and Hydra (female)

If you have room in your tank, the best solution is to get a couple more females. This can become a particularly big problem when she is already pregnant, as this seems to excite males no end. Females are noticeably less excited at the prospect of more lovemaking at this stage.