Wild Guppies

[justkoolman]

Am from a small island in the caribbean called Montserrat. We only have wild guppies down here used for mosquito control but i enjoy bringing them up in my aquarium. I never knew about fancy guppies until i was looking about some guppy information on the internet, i was amazed in the various colours they have. I have a friend that came down from the United States with 2 male fancy guppies. My question is can i cross bread some of my virgin wild guppies with these 2 male fancy guppies and get the fancy guppy look? Wild guppies are much more plane looking and i would really like to get those beautiful colours of a fancy one. Can this work for me?

 

[blitztidus]

You would be able to breed them for sure, but genetics are random and you would have to breed the one you like, which would mean to inbreed which is not recommended for various reasons, you should mate them and see how the turn out. You should try to see if you can get more fancy guppies so there is not so much inbreeding. I would also try 2 to 3 females PER MALE so there is plenty to go around. Other than that, I think you should post pics as soon as you have babies, because I KNOW YOU WILL

 

[rEvolution27]

Am from a small island in the caribbean called Montserrat. We only have wild guppies down here used for mosquito control but i enjoy bringing them up in my aquarium. I never knew about fancy guppies until i was looking about some guppy information on the internet, i was amazed in the various colours they have. I have a friend that came down from the United States with 2 male fancy guppies. My question is can i cross bread some of my virgin wild guppies with these 2 male fancy guppies and get the fancy guppy look? Wild guppies are much more plane looking and i would really like to get those beautiful colours of a fancy one. Can this work for me?

Hey cool to meet you! I'm from st.lucia, nice to meet someone else from the caribbean.
We have wild guppies here too, never tried them in my aquarium though. I think ours are all black. i'd love to cross breed them with my fancies as the wilds are much stronger (seeing as they can lie in even the filthiest places down here)

 

[blitztidus]

You guys are making me jealous, I want to go down their and get some, I wish I could catch livebearers right from a stream or something close for free,

 

[atmmachine816]

Hey nice to see you on two fish forums justkoolman I am on the other one that you are on too.

 

[blitztidus]

HEY, IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTERALL *music notes*

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Am from a small island in the caribbean called Montserrat. We only have wild guppies down here used for mosquito control but i enjoy bringing them up in my aquarium. I never knew about fancy guppies until i was looking about some guppy information on the internet, i was amazed in the various colours they have. I have a friend that came down from the United States with 2 male fancy guppies. My question is can i cross bread some of my virgin wild guppies with these 2 male fancy guppies and get the fancy guppy look? Wild guppies are much more plane looking and i would really like to get those beautiful colours of a fancy one. Can this work for me?

definately! you may want to check out www.aquabid.com and look around in the Livebearer section there.


just be warned: please don't release any fish back into the wild if it has been kept with foreign fish. there is absolutely no way of telling what sorts of disease/parasites you might accidentally introduce to your local ecosystem. the introduction of non-native illnesses can have disastrous effects.

 

[bleechme]

I'd love it if I can catch live bearer fish like you guys can.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Am from a small island in the caribbean called Montserrat. We only have wild guppies down here used for mosquito control but i enjoy bringing them up in my aquarium. I never knew about fancy guppies until i was looking about some guppy information on the internet, i was amazed in the various colours they have. I have a friend that came down from the United States with 2 male fancy guppies. My question is can i cross bread some of my virgin wild guppies with these 2 male fancy guppies and get the fancy guppy look? Wild guppies are much more plane looking and i would really like to get those beautiful colours of a fancy one. Can this work for me?

Are you sure they are wild guppys and not mosquito fish? When you say they are used for mosquito control, sounds suspiciously like these guys;

Mosquito fish females;

http/jonahsaquarium.com/picgambusia01.htm

Mosquito fish male;

http/www.geocities.com/TheTropics/1550/f...earers/mos.html

More pics and info on them;

http/www.iisgcp.org/exoticsp/Mosquitofish.htm


These fish look similar to guppys but are a completely different species of livebearer with different care/maintanence requirements...

 

[justkoolman]

Well according to the Health Depertment down here they say its wild guppies, they are the ones responsible for breeding and distributing wild guppies in ponds, little lakes etc down here. I can email a pic to you if you want.

 

[justkoolman]

Hey nice to meet a caribbean man on the forum . You are right the wild guppies are very strong and can strive in almost any condition once there is water. I know people keep guppies in little drums in their backyard without feeding them or changing their water at all and you will be surpised to see them still breeding and striving strong in these conditions. They are very hard to die.

 

[blitztidus]

GET PICS UP PLEEEEEZ

 

[bleechme]

I'd like to see pix too!

 

[Bloo]

When I lived in South Africa there were many parks and streams (well still are) absolutely brimming with wild guppies. They were absolutely stunning and the males had the most gorgeous finnage and colours. As a kid as was so exciting to catch them. Now you pay £5 a pair in London

Get some photos for us

 

[bleechme]

I wanna go visit there, the native homes of my fishes. I wanna go to the southern continents to go look at all the tropical fishes! It would feel so strange to see fish that are kept as pets in the US as wild fish there.