Possibilities

**Azhwi** · 01-17-2011, 2:30 AM

I am considering creating a food chain in my community tank.

Now before anyone jumps on me, hear me out.

I have four corydoras, full grown, each about 2". Along with that is a shy 3" glass catfish and 8 medium sized neon tetras. And an apple snail the size of a tiny mandarin (2" diameter).
Those are not the food.

The food would be the colony of guppies that are hoarding the tank. And their fry. All twenty of them. The little guys need to be eaten.
Usually this isn't an issue. However, since I adjusted the hardness and added some salt, the guppies have basically exploded - and don't even look less pregnant.
I've got two males, and four pregnant females. And yes, I knew what I was getting into.

Now, what I am looking for is a natural predator who will eat the fry. Angels are an option, as well as a betta. My desk betta likes to chase the fry, but I guess I keep him too well fed. He's only interested in chasing them. Another option was dwarf frogs.

I like the idea of putting a single angel in the tank. Am I hoping too much that it would be too happy eating the fry, that it will leave the snail and the glass catfish (both have really long feelers) alone?

Tank is 25G, with one or two good hiding spots. Hardness is at 6. Temperature is kept at 76-82 (depending on the apartment temp. We're on the top floor and at the mercy of the rest of the building's thermostats). I am guilty of monthly water changes. The tank is cycled and stable.

**Azhwi** · 01-17-2011, 3:17 AM

My glass catfish is probably the fry chomper. Which means - I need to get him tank mates. I've been meaning to find him friends, but glasscats are hard to find.
I'll keep an active eye out and hopefully he will have a posse of three more friends to show around his turf.

**maxcow** · 01-17-2011, 6:17 AM

are you using this predator as a guppy muncher alone or are you attempting to breed it. most fish who eat guppies can easily eat neons and sure to heck beet the snot of of a glass cat.

**DGC** · 01-17-2011, 6:32 AM

my 2 angels keep the fry at bay, then again so do the paradice, every now and then i find 1 lonley fry hiding in the ample vegitation.

**drdud** · 01-17-2011, 8:52 AM

After my my pictus cats munched a load of neons (a dozen overnight), I thought I would give them a treat and dump a dozen guppies in the tank. The pictus turned their noses up at the guppies. They prefer $1 each neons over the 12 for a $1 guppy. Now I have at least 100 feeder guppies. Go figure.