Trying My Hand At Guppy Breeding.

[allan078]

I bought 5 guppies today, 2 male, 3 female for my 85 litre aquarium, which has mainly platies in it at the moment. There is one male and one female that have particularly nice colourings that i would like to make sure "do the deed" together as i think they would have amazing fry. I have a fry tank set up, if i put the one female and male in it together, will they mate? Or will i need more than one female in there with them to encourage it? I know guppies will pretty much do it themselves with little or no encouragement from me, but i want to make sure these two make babies. Any suggestions?

 

[FishBlast]

I bought 5 guppies today, 2 male, 3 female for my 85 litre aquarium, which has mainly platies in it at the moment. There is one male and one female that have particularly nice colourings that i would like to make sure "do the deed" together as i think they would have amazing fry. I have a fry tank set up, if i put the one female and male in it together, will they mate? Or will i need more than one female in there with them to encourage it? I know guppies will pretty much do it themselves with little or no encouragement from me, but i want to make sure these two make babies. Any suggestions?

If the females were not separated from males at the shop, your females are most likely already pregnant with some other males' fry.
But after 6 births, there can be higher chances that the next fry will belong to the male you've put with the female.

 

[*pete*]

Hi allen078,

I started out with two pairs of juveniles and about ten fry four months ago, as the numbers increased I removed some of the males to another tank leaving the colour patterns I prefer in the breeding tank. Its still early days but already have some intresting colour patterns emerging.
In my experience they seem to thrive in a colony set up.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Just add fish and water with a cycled filter and guppies will breed.

 

[allan078]

I bought 5 guppies today, 2 male, 3 female for my 85 litre aquarium, which has mainly platies in it at the moment. There is one male and one female that have particularly nice colourings that i would like to make sure "do the deed" together as i think they would have amazing fry. I have a fry tank set up, if i put the one female and male in it together, will they mate? Or will i need more than one female in there with them to encourage it? I know guppies will pretty much do it themselves with little or no encouragement from me, but i want to make sure these two make babies. Any suggestions?

If the females were not separated from males at the shop, your females are most likely already pregnant with some other males' fry.
But after 6 births, there can be higher chances that the next fry will belong to the male you've put with the female.

The two I bought today were separated at the LFS. As soon as they were in my tank the males started showing interest in the females. So will the two i have segregated breed or do they need other guppies in with them to encourage it?

I'm not planning a huge breeding empire, but i find raising fry to be a highly rewarding experience. Any that i manage to raise will be taken to my LFS or sold privately.

 

[FishBlast]

The two I bought today were separated at the LFS. As soon as they were in my tank the males started showing interest in the females. So will the two i have segregated breed or do they need other guppies in with them to encourage it?

I'm not planning a huge breeding empire, but i find raising fry to be a highly rewarding experience. Any that i manage to raise will be taken to my LFS or sold privately.

If they were for sure kept separate the whole time (from birth onward), then they will birth fry from the first male they mated with (though other males may still have a chance to become fathers for some of the fry of that batch).

I also like growing fry, though I deal with swordtails this time. I have bred guppies, but only 3 generations. 3rd was sterile, no female ever got pregnant.
Now I have five swordtail fry, one of which I had to set free (for the second time) in the tank with adults, because his brother was biting him all the time and nipped his dorsal.

 

[*pete*]

I never planned for a huge breeding empire either, just a couple of natural looking tanks with some intresting coloruful fish and plants.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

All guppies I've bought from the LPS came from segregated tanks and all but 1 of them were pregnant. Can never tell how they were kept before getting to the LPS.