# 40 guppies swim into a lake...



## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

what would happen if you relased 20 males and 20 females into a lake by themselves........


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Feeding frenzy for the native fish...


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## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

you missed the all alone part haha


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

How are you going to kill everything in the lake? Assuming no disease, poison and warm enough water, I'd guess they breed like crazy until there were guppies than food, then start starving and dying and eventually the population would level out to a stable amount of guppies. Over time, the toughest guppies would breed and they would gradual lose the big tail and bright colors in favor of speed, and whatever lake guppies need to survive. .


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

FishBreeding said:


> what would happen if you relased 20 males and 20 females into a lake by themselves........


They would multiply like crazy, then all die off when the temperature reached around 12C, 55F.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

And then you'd go to jail for even trying it.

In the meantime, they'd all revert back to wild feeder looking guppies.


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## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

i thought they would all become the smae color and the strongest would survive but wouldnt the larger ones start eating the smaller ones? so it would be more of the case of them all getting eaten instead of just dying off


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

like ToS said it it would be highly illegal, no matter where you live. I hope this isnt more than a hypothetical question.


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## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

1 yeah it is hypothetical and 2 why would it be illegal?


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

FishBreeding said:


> the strongest would survive but wouldnt the larger ones start eating the smaller ones? so it would be more of the case of them all getting eaten instead of just dying off


In the wild, there are many places for fry to hide compared to in an aquarium, so a much higher percentage make it to adulthood. I've put guppies in ponds before, and they quickly take over in a very short period of time (even with turtles and other preditors - "wild" color varieties don't take long to develop and then multiply exponentially). As for the legality, in most places there are laws against introducing alien species into wild environments, and this activity would certainly fall into that category.


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## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

even if it was a private pond?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Some ponds are exempt. They must be "ornamental" and have no connection or potential connection with wild bodies of water. So think lined with plastic and maybe a trench or something to catch fish & water if it floods. Laws vary with location, so go the library and ask a reference librarian for where to look it up. Just because a pond is on your property doesn't really give you control. Even a muddy yard that floods in the winter could be a "protected wetland" and cost you big fines if you mess with it.


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## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

sounds good thanks everyone for responding please tell me if you have any more to say on the topic..i like to hear what everyone thinks


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