View Full Version : What should i do to baby guppies i don't want
Mrsoftey2
12-17-2003, 11:52 PM
Unfortantly i don't have the money to afford to keep every baby guppy (if i get one). I quess this is really a question of values really but my mom and dad will not let me get guppies unless i can do somthing with the babies. My first thought was keep the 1 ones with the best colors. But where should i keep the babies when i haven't decied? I thought about maybe a 6 gallon tank. if soo what setup do you suggest for a nursery?? And what to do with the ones I don't want???????? I would hate to kill them:sad But it seams that might be my only choice. Is that right?????
Aquarius0015
12-18-2003, 12:13 AM
Luckily you have a number of options:
1) Hope that the parents or other tankmates eat the babies.
2) Sell/Donate the babies to the LFS once they've grown a bit.
3) Give them away to friends or local hobbyists.
4) Buy more and more tanks to house your constantly breeding guppies until you are known by your peers as "that weird fish kid."
5) Buy only males or only females (easy to tell with guppies).
6) Sushi!
I would suggest that if you cannot find a sutable place to send your guppies and any other liveberrer that you stop breeding them. It isn't hard to do. Only keep males and you will have no problems. Males generally fight over females so if non are present they are less aggrivated.
I know this sounds harsh but if you have guppies you have to dispose of the excess. There are a bunch of of fish that will eat the fry. I even have a goldfish that loves fry. But most go the my jd. Dont get me wrong, my 5 tanks of guppies are by far my favorite fish. But you can get way overstocked real fast. And to have only males you would be missing the mating ritual.What a shame. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions. Tim
I almost forgot 5 and 10 gal tanks are perfect for guppies.
Mrsoftey2
12-18-2003, 9:18 AM
thanks alot for the advice. Right now I only have one tank a 20 gallon but am thinking about getting a new 6 gallon. Maybe when the fry i like have grown in there I can put the mother in there? does that sound like a good idea??
thxs again
Mrsoftey2
12-18-2003, 9:20 AM
O by the way what do u feed the little guys and how often???
tricksterpup
12-18-2003, 10:57 AM
I feed mine along with the adults, and feed them crushed flakes. But if you want to have guppies but no babies, just go ahead and keep just males but I kept a 29 gallon tank with just guppies and the population never got to large and the status quo was always kept just about right.
jim
Lauren
12-18-2003, 12:08 PM
buy some little bowls and give them out as christmas gifts. Find a local enthusiest who will take them off your hands.
kveeti
12-18-2003, 12:42 PM
I disagree. Fish, like any pet, should not be given as a gift. Also, the receivers may not be up on proper fish care and may keep them in those little bowls.
Lauren
12-18-2003, 12:51 PM
my first fish were a gift, they ended up alright. Plus, guppies are hardy enough that any noob can wing it and keep most of them alive. My baby sister had some when she was all of 6 years old (before I was into fish myself). Their "tank" was scarcely more a bowl with out any filtration. It was over stocked, not cleaned frequently or correctly and the fish were probably over fed.
Those little guys lasted forever, even under their harsh conditions. If someone cares to learn, then I think that fish make just fine presents.
OrionGirl
12-18-2003, 1:05 PM
I'm with kveeti. Giving fish as a gift is not really a good idea. There are some people who will dive in and take proper care of them, but I think more often than not they will end up down the drain. Giving fish books, good, giving fish, bad.
Heck, I have tanks and I don't want anyone giving me fish--there's only a few people who would even know what fish I wanted, much less be able to pcik one that was healthy.
Yes, never give them away as gifts. Some people will probbaly just fluch them. And a story of how they survived a short life of abuse in a bowl isn't heart warming. Unless they lived to be 3-5 years old then they didn't last a long time.
Lauren
12-18-2003, 2:27 PM
I suppose my long standing good luck with guppies and my lack of knowledge for aquaria (sort of new at this) are factors in my decision. I'm sure suggesting giving fish to people who don't know much about keeping an aquarium is on the same level as someone new to the car scene arguing for giving 16 year olds 911s as their first cars. Both are seen as a dangerous combo: inexperience matched with an art that demands perfection.
Right now my friend is coming over to take my guppies off my hands. Don’t worry about them though, she is the one who got me into fish and still keeps mainly guppies. They will probably like it better with other guppies than with the white clouds I have in there too (first addition to my tank).
tricksterpup
12-18-2003, 3:56 PM
Originally posted by OrionGirl
Heck, I have tanks and I don't want anyone giving me fish--there's only a few people who would even know what fish I wanted, much less be able to pcik one that was healthy.
Gosh, then I will not give you that flame angel or a nice piece of Frog spawn i have sitting here for you.. ;) just kidding.
jim
Mrsoftey2
12-18-2003, 5:20 PM
Thanks for the advice I'll post what happens or what I do later when anything happens!
OrionGirl
12-18-2003, 5:34 PM
Ah, but trickster--my bicolor would kill the flame in a heart beat, and I currently don't have the calcium levels to support a stony...See what I mean?
Sigh--but I do like the frog spawns. What I really want is an octo torch. The LFS has a gorgeous one that I am sure I could frag successfully...Anyone want in on a very wet break in? :laugh:
Mrsoftey2
12-18-2003, 5:40 PM
I thought of something!!!!:D I wondered what you guys think about breeding tanks. Should i get one if i plan to keep guppies??
Also I thought about maybe picking my favorite of each litter (i don't knw what to call it) And keep them in a small 6 gallon aquarium. How does that sound?
And if I did what other fish (apart from babie guppies) should i put in? And or plants.
6 gallon tanks don't really allow much in the line of fish choices if you are already adding guppies. They will fill up very quickly. If I were you I would separate the males and females in separate tanks. Then have a third tank ready to go. When you decide you want to breed the guppies then take 1 male and 3 females and put them in their own tank. This will allow you to breed but also be selective about which guppies get the chance and help keep the population low.
Mrsoftey2
12-18-2003, 6:44 PM
What size aquariums. I think i would keep the males in my 20 gallon long but what size for the other tanks??
Really depends on the number of guppies you wish to keep in those tank. The bigger the better as it also allows room for you to add more fish later.
Tkos has good advise.I have a 20 gal planted as my mixing tank. A 10 planted females only non pregnant. 2 10 gal mating tanks and 20 gal fry grow up tank. I have 10 large females in the 10 gal. But 5 gal tanks would be ok for raising fry.
Guppies go nuts over frozen bloodworms and for fry I crush up flakes in a plastic baggie untill its almost a powder.
I chose the dominate colors I had going red and black. Ive got one 75% red male that gets alot of action, and well Im still working on the black. But some females are starting to get more black to them. Breeding guppies for me is a very fullfilling and rewarding hobby and my grand daughter thinks its great. Have fun. Tim
mrbigisbudgood
12-19-2003, 8:09 AM
Where are you located?
Mrsoftey2
12-19-2003, 9:53 AM
california cupertino
fishypoo2
12-24-2003, 4:17 PM
I originally got 4 pairs of guppies in a 10 gallon tank with a Kuhli Loach. It's been 3 years, the guppies have populated the entire tank, but only to a certain extent. If you leave the guppies all in the same tank, untouched. The population, after reaching this "limit" will stop growing. Thanks,
Ryan
Editor of Tropical Fish Monthly
Great Aquariums Start With Great Magazine
tropicalfish48@hotmail.com