# Best livebearer to breed?



## Guppy123

Hello, ive just been thinking about starting up another smaller tank with a few livebearers to breed. In your opinion, which kind is the easiest,most intersting, or just other good qualities to start this kind of tank with? Thanks for your opinion


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## Damon

I perfer platies. While maybe not quite as prolific as guppies, they don't get as large as mollies, thus you can have more and they are hardier than guppies (lfs guppies that is).


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## fish_doc

Swordtails were the first liveberer I ever had that I got to breed. I was in gradeschool. So they have a special place with me. But my guppies are super easy to breed and once you get a good breeding stock they breed with no care on your part.


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## Guppy123

I'm assuming that you can breed the different colored platies and such, so would there be a lot of color variation in the offspring? For some reason ive had really bad luck w/ guppies, males especially with finrot, idk if its my lfs or what, but... So i'm thinking between platies and swordtails, anyone else have any options?


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## Damon

Your colors won't vary like a guppies tail but there will be some variety. Platys and Swordtails can be crossbred. Swords get larger and thus you will have to keep fewer. Males also take a while to develop their swords.


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## Guppy123

Will it be harder for differnt kinds/colored platies to breed, then ones that are the same kind with simliar colors? And are platys alot harder to breed then guppies? Thanks


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## Mr Aquarium

Guppy123 said:


> Will it be harder for differnt kinds/colored platies to breed, then ones that are the same kind with simliar colors? And are platys alot harder to breed then guppies? Thanks


'With a name like guppy, you have to ask that? lol

I had mollys bread in my 75g comm tank, only found one fry from it.
Guppys breed like rats, never had a plattie bread, but they must be good at it, as you see bags come in the pet shops of mixed molly, platty n swords in fry form all the time.


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## Guppy123

Haha, my name doesn't really imply. I originally had the name of Fish, then changed it to guppy123. My next trip to the lfs, i will see which ones look the best, thanks for your help.


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## Damon

Platys may be slightly pickier who they mate with than guppies but they still breed like rabbits.


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## Guppy123

How perfect does the water parameters have to be in order for them to readily breed?


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## Damon

Water should ALWAYS be of good quality.


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## mlefev

Guppy123 said:


> How perfect does the water parameters have to be in order for them to readily breed?


Well my platy had been majorly stressed out and had poor water for a long time (well not long...but a couple days) and happily had even more fry in about 4 days after I got the tank set up. I was moving and kept having to transport my fish in an ice chest with no light for hours. Plus I forgot to tell my dad not to feed them before he brought them here, so they had an ammonia problem to deal with too.

I don't know about the actual pairing up, since mine was pregnant when I bought her. But I think if you keep the tank clean, and ammonia, nitrates etc, at a reasonable level platies would be happy.


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## cucci67

I had 4 guppies at once (1M 3F). The next year I had over 250 guppies. I gave all of them to the LFS, the origional ones all started dropping like flies, one a week almost. My water parameters were good at the time, they were the only fish having a problem. I found out that many people have guppies only live about a year. I also had 3 platies (1M 2F) they never breed. Traded them in a long time ago.


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## Jonno

All liverbearers are easy to breed but gupps are the easiest it just depends what you like better!


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## guppys r best

iv had experiance in breeding guppys and platies and guppies are by fare easier


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## Fish Friend

you go the extreme of the extreme in livebearers..try breeding the endlers or something on the lines of that..try breeding a fish that is very rare..it may be a pain to get endlers, but its worth it!!!


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## mrpotato

I breed feeder guppies. It takes no action from my end for them to spawn babies. Plus, its really inexpensive to give it a try.


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## Ownager2004

you will have no trouble breeding any of them really. Its just a matter of what you prefer. Ive had guppies and platies and the guppies seem to drop more fry... that could be due to a lot of factors though...

good luck


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## emc7

If you want to be different get goodieds. They're babies are bigger and they're not as inbred. Also more agressive, ie less boring.


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## TheOldSalt

Hmmm... a five-month old thread lives again, eh? Well, why not? 

Here's a suggestion for the list: Those new Koi Swordtails. Very pricey and attractive, you'll never have any problems unloading those as fast as you can grow them. Come to think of it, I might give them a go myself this year.


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## Ownager2004

lol, i may have to start looking at the dates before i post


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