# Breeder Trap



## ravekiss (Jan 20, 2005)

My mommy guppy wont stay in her breeder trap...she keeps fighting up against the plastic walls...the trap is small but she has room to swim about. I took her back out and put her back in the tank because she keeps fighting all the time. I dont want her to become stressed and abort the babies. I am worried that if she gives birth in the community tank the other fish will eat the fry even though I have alot of plants in there.


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## swimmers (Jan 18, 2005)

You may still have some fry survive by hiding in the plants. I usually get a couple when I don't net them & put in the breeding net to raise. If you really want to You might try a breeding NET instead. Although there is no where for the fry to drop down I think they are bigger & soft. You could take the Mom out after she drops, but it is stressful on her to catch her & put her in & she could abort or die before or after having the fry. Good luck whichever way you go!


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## Jess (Jan 27, 2005)

Guess this is my field. I presently have over 150 adult guppies which I have raised since birth. They are now having hundreds of babies. What I usually do is spot out the ones which are the most pregnant, in a separate small clear plastic container, I put natural looking gravel and a whole bunch of plastic plants. Then I catch the pregnant guppy and transfer her into the "labor/delivery" container. I keep a smaller container with clean water next to the "labor/delivery" container so it will be the same temp. Keep an eye on her several times a day. When you notice her delivering or a baby swimming about, catch the baby with a plastic spoon (better if you use the clear ones) and tranfer it to the baby container. I usually do this until she is done. When she is done, put her back and check the gravel for any hiding babies. Then I transfer the babies to a breeder trap that I keep in my main tank. This is where they stay until they are big enough not to get eaten by other fish. By the way, I have a separate tank for guppies only.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

If you buy lots of Java moss to covor the tank then virtually all fry will stay alive.


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## swimmers (Jan 18, 2005)

I tried Javamoss & it all got sucked up into my filters. If it's floating, how do you prevent that? It was in a little ball with a rubberband wrapped around it. I took the band off of it before I put it in. Was that a dumb idea?


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

Anything too tight wont work, like a rubber band. it can be loosely bound with fishing line, thats what i did and it still ended up going in my filter. i think there is some kind of net you can keep it in and pressed against something. hornowrt is also a great hiding place for fry. i have a crapload of it in my 20 gallon with my guppies and almost all fry make it. my 20 gallon was being over populated so i had to "cull" a guppy and put him in my 55 gallon. its been a few weeks and i still see him hiding in the hornwort every now and then. there are gourams buenos ares tetras a tire track eel african butterfly fish and a striped raphael in there. just goes to show how much of a difference some plants can make in keeping fry alive.


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## swimmers (Jan 18, 2005)

Thanks Shev, maybe I'll try some hornwort this weekend. I dropped a few of the little plants that come with the breeding net into the tanks, but I'm sure a real plant would look much better. So hornwort floats, doesn't root?


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

I tried to lodge my hornowrt into the gravel and put a rock on it when i first got some. but that didnt work. i had some in a 10 gallon with no plant growth light bulbs and it took over the tank. but with lower lighting it has a tendency to make a mess. it's like on bugs bunny where he rides a snow maker on skis down a hill, the snow maker is shooting snow in front of it, and it leaves a giant mess behind. the hornwort will keep growing on the side facing the light, and the other end of the strand will turn brown and fall apart.


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## swimmers (Jan 18, 2005)

Good description Shev! I just have standard flor. lights & have yet to try fertilizer on the few plants I have but they seem to be doing OK, nothing great. Thanks for the info on the hornwort.


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## ravekiss (Jan 20, 2005)

I found 3 babies last night, and 1 this morning swimming around in the tank...I hate to think how many got eaten :-(. I placed them in a floating breeder. What's best to feed? I fed them powdered flakes but I dont think they ate any.


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## swimmers (Jan 18, 2005)

I feed my platy fry the same as the others, just crush it into powder - flake food, dried shrimp, dried bloodworms. It takes them a while to eat it, but once they get used to you putting it in there they will come up to the top, usually a day or two is all. Don't leave any uneaten food in there for too long since it decays. I just take the little net I catch them with & skim the surface for any uneaten food after several hours, & scrape the bottom of the breeding net after a while to clean that up too. good luck!


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

lay the java moss on the bottom and sprinkle a couple bits of your gravel on it eventually the java will anchor itself to the rocks making it so it wont float up to the top.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Wow! A 5 year old thread resurrection!

Really, though, I think the best way is to just set up a little tank which is slam full of plants like hornwort of Najas ( "guppy grass." ) Put your fat female, or even a few, in the the tank and the babies will be safe.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

TheOldSalt said:


> Wow! A 5 year old thread resurrection!
> 
> Really, though, I think the best way is to just set up a little tank which is slam full of plants like hornwort of Najas ( "guppy grass." ) Put your fat female, or even a few, in the the tank and the babies will be safe.


lol i have no idea how i came across this thread at all the only ones i ever check are todays posts and new posts hmmmm lol sorry about that!


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

LOL! But this is why endlers are better than guppies...


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