View Full Version : help guppies dying of "fright"
Von swaziland
02-24-2003, 7:56 PM
HI. I have several guppies that were born in my tank and i put them in netted fry holder in tank but now they're getting big
so i put three out 1 a month ago and 2 yesterday. the problem is they seem to lose the will to live and become scared swimming by the net they grew up in then eventually (1 day) they "disappear"
never to be seen again. AND NO they are not being eaten! not while alive at least :confused: They seem to go through a Transplant shock but its the same water and tank they've lived in their whole life!?!? anyhew what i need to know is whats the best way to introduce them to the bigger tank without them going into transplant shock? at night? a few hours each day?
thanks
O-man21
02-24-2003, 7:57 PM
take the thing you keeping them in, and dunk it in the water with them in it, so they swim out on their own.
Von, to Aquaria Central, home of the most guppy keepers on the Internet:)
Hmm, you are doing what I would do. I have a tank that I maintain for a friend that has guppies and I've had a couple of births. Since it is not my tank and I don't have the time to try to net all the fry, I've not put them into a fry keeper, so they are freeswimming from the time they are born. I've fed infusoria, maybe only 2-3 times a week, so they usually get ground up flake food. They seem to be growing OK...
So, my advice would be to let a spawn free swim and see what happens with them. Not very good, I know. I'll try to come up with something more definitive later.
HTH
Val
rockhead44
02-25-2003, 12:01 PM
Hi there ,I have been breeding guppies for years and what I would sugest if you are not breeding them for sale and just for your own pleasure.I would go out and get some floating plants like water spite and put that in the tank.The babies will hang around in the plants.Some may get eaten but most would not.You can feed them crushed flakes and you should be fine.The babies that do survive will be the strongest of the bunch.If you wish to breed guppies for sale you are going to need lots of tanks and time.Keep in mind that the babies need some shelter they might be dying from stess from being chased around the tank by the other fish.I personally have so many guppies I can't get rid of them fast enough.Hope this helps and if you have any more questions please post.Good luck!
Von swaziland
02-25-2003, 9:37 PM
Hi and thanks for all the advice however I dont have the courage to let darwinism rule my tank.:p I have an angel who would make it his mission in life to eat every baby born!! he actually ate some before i netted them and constantly tried to get them even in the net. I guess its DR MENGELE experimentation time :rolleyes: I'll put a hole in the net so they can come and go while still having a "Safehouse" hope it works! as far as keepiong them as babies they are not they live in the baby net but are now around 1/2" long they just wont move oout of their parents basement and get a job. ;)
goldfries
02-26-2003, 2:33 AM
angelfish wif guppies. not a good idea i think, angelfish are nippers.
Von,
I think the angelfish could well be your problem, they're not just nippers, they're carnivorous. Baby fish should be spending all their time looking for food, not fleeing an angel in the enclosed space of an aquarium. Your angel will keep trying to eat them until they are bigger than a neon tetra, so I would think you will need another tank for your guppy fry to get good and big.
Val