Small Predatory

[beblondie]

we are talking about a guppy destroy the brain the fish dies there is no pain unless YOU muck around before doing it-Anne

 

[Mr._Fishy]

^^^ Because it's instant death.

EDIT: The above was in reference to not the last post, but the one before that. I tried to post this earlier, but the forum was down for me and so I posted when it was up again.

 

[Thomas 2507]

I have considered methods like that but I really don't want to do it. I would prefer to feed them to larger fish.

 

[§tudz]

I have considered methods like that but I really don't want to do it. I would prefer to feed them to larger fish.

Feeding to larger fish, is very stressful and very painful for the victim...

As the larger fish chase the smaller ones, trying to catch them, and then they may bite chunks off, or chew the fish, even if eaten whole the live fish would sit in the stomach of the predator and dissolve, alive, in its stomach acids.

so if your trying to be kind by feeding to a large fish, think again.

The bricks is an age old method which is very effective, as beblondie said, unless you mess about or mess the process up the fish wont feel a thing. The Last thing to go through its mind will be it eyes

 

[CFC]

But the brick method is a bit wastefull, if they have to die for no reason other than beng the wrong colour then at least use them for some usefull purpose like feeding other fish. I breed snakeheads to feed my frogmouth catfish but obviously i have far too many just for one fish so i treat all the fish when i get a large spawn, i can't even give the fry away so i have to do something with the excess.

Haha, they won't eat flake food though wll they? Would prefer a fish that will eat flake food too so don't have to spend loads on live food.

Channa gachua will eat flakes quite happily if they have been raised to eat them, my pair get flakes twice a week to keep them in breeding condition. Snakeheads will eat pretty much anything you offer them with the exception of vegetables.

 

[Jelly]

There are a number of options. It really depends on how much space you have and the quantity of fry. Most of the predators will require additional feeding, Mussell, Shrimp and fish meat.

Some of the smaller Snakeheads can be a litttle lazy in the pursuit of food and prefer invert based foods. most of the better fish eaters will be in the 10" range. Channa Stewarti would be a good example.

Other choices would include Nandus leaf fish. When you haven't got Guppy food you can feed river shrimp. Erythrinus Erythrinus or Erythrinus Sp. Peru, both max out about 8" and are great charactors. basically dwarf Wolffish. Any of the small pike characins would also be great guppy eaters. Pike Live bearers. Although don't keep a male and female as eventually the female will outgrow the male and eat him. There are many cichlids, particulaly Central Americans. There are tons of catfish also even Pim Pictus are possible guppy eaters.

Thinking about it the list is almost endless.

 

[juanveldez]

I suppose that this all hinges on the size of tank that we are talking about for the pred, no sense in suggesting something until the tank demensions are known.

 

[KingofthePisces]

this is good! id love a small predator but its a shame cause living in australia the law prevents the import of predatory fish from any other nation thus all the best fish are kept to people in the USA and the UK
the best we get around here is butterfly fish and aussie natives
most tropical fish are allowed
id say african butterfly fishto cull adult guppies
seems most suited to the job
-the king

 

[shroob]

this is good! id love a small predator but its a shame cause living in australia the law prevents the import of predatory fish from any other nation thus all the best fish are kept to people in the USA and the UK
the best we get around here is butterfly fish and aussie natives
most tropical fish are allowed
id say african butterfly fishto cull adult guppies
seems most suited to the job
-the king

Don't australians have a native fish called 'mouth almighty', sort of like a nandus. Always liked the look of that fish but never seen it for sale here. Though, it may not be a small fish by some standars.

 

[Nim]

Golden wonder killifish. Though they may not be able to eat a fully grown female guppy but 2.5" aplocheilus lineatus can make a meal of a 1.5" zebra danio (I have seen it with my bare eyes when adding a school of 20 danios to a 5ft tank with 6 killis and I was left with 14 danios before I could grab a net to rescue the others).

Nim

 

[KingofthePisces]

this is good! id love a small predator but its a shame cause living in australia the law prevents the import of predatory fish from any other nation thus all the best fish are kept to people in the USA and the UK
the best we get around here is butterfly fish and aussie natives
most tropical fish are allowed
id say african butterfly fishto cull adult guppies
seems most suited to the job
-the king

Don't australians have a native fish called 'mouth almighty', sort of like a nandus. Always liked the look of that fish but never seen it for sale here. Though, it may not be a small fish by some standars.

yeah the mouth almighty max's out at 20 cm but it isnt really comercially avaiable yet ive tried to get them but they seem "non existant" in the australian fish trade around my area
i can give you a link to a site that has alot of aussie native fish, some are avaiable in the trade but some arnt its worth a look at
heres the link:
http/www.nativefish.asn.au/fish.html
mouth almighty is in their some where
just flick through and take your pick
KOTP

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Try a dwarf pike. They eat frozen food as well as live feeders. When you start to run low on guppies, just feed it a guppy a week until you get more. Im sure if you are breeding your own strain, you will have like 100 guppies every month. What about a SA leaf fish or a Chaca chaca?

 

[Mza36]

like someone else said get an African Butterfly fish. only 4 inches max growth. however any predator will not differentiate the "pretty" guppies from those you want out of the gene pool so i suggest a seperate tank. or shank em with a safety pin and leave em for dead muahaha.

 

[Cerbios]

I would suggest a RB piranha if you have room for it ( and if they're legal where you live). If i was going to have to be 'executed' by a freshwater fish I'd want it to be a piranha, reason being when they 'hit' a fish its a quick blow from behind, and their teeth are sharper then surgical steel. In the 'rare' accounts that piranha have nipped their owners fingers cleaning tanks most people claim to have not felt it theory being that their teeth cut nerve endings so cleanly as to be painless. Theirs a lot of fish more aggressive then piranha but in my experience in keeping RBP death by them is quick and clean.