# Guppy breeding



## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Hey guys, sorry I disappeared again, it's been a busy school schedule recently. Speaking of school, half of every school day, I get in a bus and go a few towns over to a special Aquaculture school. This school is FFA sponsored and because of both that, and a state law concerning Agri/Aqua schools, we all must do a long term project called an SAE. These are pretty hard to explain, but you could look them up if you'd like to know more. But for my SAE I am breeding guppies (and I don't want any of that "just add water" nonsense). I have a pregnant female and a male right now (I know I need another female, but it seems that they are never available, and the last one I got was very sickly and died in just a few days). Right now they are in a 5 gallon with a sponge filter and a whole bunch of Java moss and other plants. I was basically just looking for some advice and I have some questions. First- Can I leave the fry in with the adults if I have a lot of plants? What will the survival rate be? Second- If not, can I use a plastic container ( for food or toys, you'know, the storage ones ) as a nursery if I cleanse it real well and add a sponge filter and plants? Third- I will eventually need to be selling the fish. Shipping instructions/help? Ok, thanks.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

if you have enough cover, the fry might survive. But, in my personal experience, pulling out the pregnant female and letting her give birth in another tank is better. Once she has given birth, I take her out and put her back in the main tank. This allows me to keep all the fry, not just the few that survived. BUT i am doing this because I'm selectively breeding a new line and need the fry. The choice is yours.

Plastic bins work fine. All my fry are in a plastic bucket full of plants.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i don't do anything for my guppies except a bunch of hornwort floating in the tank and i got them little buggers coming out of my ears...lol


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

So, if I did use the plastic bin, I wouldn't need substrate, right? Also, what king of shipping do I need to use?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

here is a bit of a list of things you will need..
1. USPS Priority mail shipping boxes.
2. 2" wide scotch tape..
3. styrofoam inserts..
4. heat packs (72 hour) for winter shipping.
5. for summer shipping..
6. Kordon breather bags..
7. interior packing material such as styro peanuts etc.
8. computer with printer.
9. postal shipping labels for for printer..i use the 2 per sheet type..

establish an account with the " USPS Click n Ship " website...you can get free priority mail shipping boxes delivered to your door..i have a friend that sells styrofoam liners for several of them..i believe he also sells heat packs for winter shipping..i forget what else he sells but is a great guy to deal with..website is " aqpkg.com "
while the breather bags cost more than regular poly bags they are much better for certain fish..especially guppies and non spiny fish..fish will stay alive in them for weeks if properly packed..

some of the great things about using the click n ship system is that you can get free boxes etc delivered to your door..you will save money on shipping costs for yourself and your customers..and the mailman will come to your house to pick up the packages..

USPS Priority mail is the only method i use..i use both flat rate boxes and regional rate boxes....and since i mostly ship fish foods i also use a lot of the flat rate envelopes..
normally if i ship on a saturday a package will be delivered on monday..and that is often to the west coast..and now they are giving 2 and 3 day delivery with $50 free insurance...

if you plan on breeding , don't play around...set up for the process..that will mean several tanks and equipment to go with them..a larger air pump , heaters , filters and foods..
for guppies pull the fry after about 2-3 weeks...as soon as you can sex them , separate the males and females...do 30-50% water changes on the young twice a week..feed 3-5 times a day..
don't bother trying to sell fry.there really isn't any money in it unless they are from proven high grade strains...


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

I already have a a bunch of priority mail boxes. I just didn't know if the fish would be ok in the box for two days, I guess they will be. The breeding and selling are both part of my project, so no choice there. I'm going to get a few sponge filters and a bunch of Java Moss so I could use my storage boxes as the breeding boxes. Will I need heaters in there or no? My house stays around 70 degrees.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Also, I was wondering if I did lots of water changes, would I need a filter?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

yes..a filter does a great deal more than just filtering..
we only use 2 types of filters here..either undergravel or sponge...


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Ok, is there any way to make a HOB filter safe for fry? Cause I have an extra one.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

you can get pieces of foam to put over the intake tube to keep fry out..


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

So, like cut a hole in a block of foam and stick it on the tube? Would a rag or sponge work too?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

sure....even a piece of pantyhose would work..


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

panty hose works,but it will eventually be covered in dirt and stop the flow of the filter....just fyi.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Ok, maybe I'll use that then, at what age are the fry safe from the filter? Also, I was wondering about if I would need heating?


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

I believe I've encountered another problem. My filter intake looks like this.














(Don't worry, I'll clean that junk off of it.)
So should I just wrap the whole thing up in pantyhose, or what?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

looks like an internal filter..yep..just wrap it and put a rubber band on it...


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Ok, will do. 


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Would normal pet-stores sell the breather bags?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

no , you will have to buy them online..try www.aqpkg.com , he has them..
there are a couple of small tricks to using breather bags , but they work quite well..
kordon has done some good research with them and have kept fish alive for 30 days in them..
i have shipped fish all over the US including Alaska..3 or 4 days in a properly packed box is no biggie.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Ok, thanks. I was also wondering if red cherry shrimp would be ok tank-mates for the fry. I figured they might help clean up waste. By the way, I set up the nursery with the storage box, and I covered up the filter. I added half of my java moss and taped a light to an old .5 gallon in one corner. It seems to be all holding up fine so far.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

the shrimp should be fine.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Ok, you've been a great help Loha. Another question, sorry there are so many, but when exactly should I move the female. I can't be sure how long she was pregnant for, as she was already pregnant when I got her. That was maybe 2-3 weeks ago. She is fairly fat and has dart gravid spots. Most of the time she sits in "her" corner near the heater now, except for feeding time, when she buzzes around the tank at full speed. Also, she is fairly aggressive, so I have no doubt she would readily eat her fry.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

if you plan to move the female , do it as soon as you see she is pregnant..the sooner you move them ,the less stress it is on them...just make sure you have lots of fine leaved floating plants like hornwort in the birthing tank so the fry can hide..


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes, wrapping with one single layer is the way to go.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Ok, I've encountered a few more problems.
One- The most pregnant female guppy's gravid spot has gotten much lighter in color, should I be worried?
Two- My other female is lying on the floor of the tank and barely breathing, not sure what is wrong.

BTW- I was gone for the weekend and my grandmother had charge of the fish. They were all fine when I left.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

I should also add that sometimes she gets a little lighter during the night, so it may be that my grandma just had the lights off for 2-3 days and she got lighter. Anyone have this experience?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

When in doubt, change water. After a petsitting, change double water, rinse filter and gravel wash.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Here are some pictures of the female. I don't know why she hast given birth yet. It's been 5 weeks.







































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## masmba (May 18, 2013)

Just an FYI. I had a problem with baby cherry shrimp getting sucked into the filter. The pantyhose were a good temporary fix, but eventually they got clogged up and the water would barely flow through them. For my internal filter (that looks similar to yours) I bought a large filter insert that was filled with carbon. Then I took all the carbon out and rinsed it well. Then cut off the top and slipped it over the bottom of the filter making sure all the intake holes were covered. I secured it with a rubber band. For my power filter, I just used a piece of filter foam and cut a hole down the middle. It slipped right over the intake and stays put. Both of them work perfectly at keeping the babies from getting sucked up and I just rinse them in tank water when I clean the tank. I have not had a problem with either of them clogging up like the pantyhose did.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

I just ended up getting a sponge filter. You can kind if see it in the pictures.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

If the tank is bare, sometimes the mother won't drop the fry. Put in something bushy so she'll know the fry can hide.


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## waschiewoo (Oct 15, 2013)

You can cut up a piece of stocking or pantyhose and put it over the outlet for your filter to stop the fry being sucked in. You just need to pull it off and give it a shake every now and then to prevent it putting extra strain on your filter. I have a lot of plants in my tank so i leave all my fry in my tank as I also believe in survival of the fittest and it helps weed out any week fry. The surviving fry I allow to grow then take them to my local lfs or give them to friends, as guppies are pretty indiscriminate breeders and inbreeding can and will end up causing a lot of health problems further down the track. I feed them at least 5 times a day varying between frozen brine shrimp that I pulverize or baby brine shrimp when I can get it, crushed high quality pellets, crushed flakes, algae wafers and cooked, shelled then crushed frozen peas.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

TheOldSalt said:


> If the tank is bare, sometimes the mother won't drop the fry. Put in something bushy so she'll know the fry can hide.


There is some java moss in there now and I am going to order a few more plants. The options are limited though, since there isn't any substrate in there now, and I won't add any for cleaning purposes. 


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

So, coming close to 50 days now and still no go. The female is still extremely large, so she didn't absorb the babies. She eats very well, I feed her small amounts throughout the day several times a day. A mixed variety of aqueon granules, tetramin crisps, decaspukated brine shrimp eggs, and the occasional brine shrimp. Along with that she grazes on the java moss all day. The tank is heated, has light, filtration, twice weekly water changes, and all the other needed stuff. So what's going on? Could this just be a very big batch of fry? 


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Update: 
Female larger than ever. Still eating glutinously. She is starting to get that boxy shape to her, and if fish get dilated, thats what she is. I just hope she doesn't give birth this weekend, cause I won't be home. 


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Guppy birth successful! I came home early to find that the fry were born.



















I accidentally scooped one into the big tank while removing the female. He seems pretty big though, so I think he'll be fine.



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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Fed the babies decapsulated brine shrimp eggs. They went right for them.


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## marcshrimp (Jun 16, 2013)

i love when the babies arrive. lol. i never separate mine but i don't care if they get eat either. that's a cool project though. enjoyed reading about it


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Thanks, I kind of need them to live for this project. They seem to be doing very well, they are eating fine and I haven't had any deaths yet. Counting them is hard, so I don't know how many there are. I keep getting anywhere from 9 to 15.


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## marcshrimp (Jun 16, 2013)

lol. yeah they can hide good. I wish they had had something like that when I was in school.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Update: 100% survival rate, and the mother is due again any day now. Not sure if I should let the new fry stay in the main tank, put them with the month-olds, or even move the older fry with the adults. They are now 1/4 to 1/2 inches long.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Fry







Father in front, mother in back.(father color recessive?)





















More fry.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Nice! 100% is pretty good!


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

TheOldSalt said:


> Nice! 100% is pretty good!


Yeah, I'm pleasantly surprised.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

Got a few more great pics.



























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