Guppy Breeding Thread

[GuppyKeeper32]

Hi,
I'm relatively new to the forum, but I've been keeping and breeding fish for nearly a decade now. One species I am particularly interested in is the guppy. I have a breeding program for my fish, with more fry then I can handle. I am now spreading my breeders outside to a tropical fish and turtle pond, and I will start selling show guppies by next summer if all goes as planned. I'm hoping other people who breed or would like to breed guppies can join this thread and share their ideas, setups, and knowledge.

GK

 

[dougall]

Guppies really aren't my bag (Outside of the arguements whether Endler's are guppies or not.....)

But have you checked out the IGEES? http://igees.org/

There's probably plenty of information to help out in there, and Bill Gill is a great guy, I've heard him talk a couple of times about genetics and breeding in guppies.

 

[GuppyKeeper32]

I'd actually never seen that website! I checked it out and it definitely looks interesting. I've thought about showing my guppies before, but it always seemed like too much trouble. I've also owned enduser's and they bred with my fancies, was a little surprised by some of the offspring's awful genetics, so I've always thought of them as guppies. Thanks for chiming in!

Gk

 

[dougall]

I'm happy seeing the fish other people show.. except for the cichlids.

There are some pretty awesome strains of livebearers... But, IMHO, if you breed Endlers and Guppies, you arfen't necessarily likely to get a good result, similar to if you try to breed 2 different lines of fancy guppy... You have to wait for genes to show, and cull/select as necessary.

you can check out the ALA http://www.livebearers.org/ for more info too... and also look into their convention too.

 

[GuppyKeeper32]

Yes, the endler breeding was actually an accident. I'm planning on adding about fifty guppies to my outdoor tropical pond, and hopefully they will breed. I'm thinking I'll show a couple of fancies, but I might just wait until I get some with nicer tails. Mine have very small tails for showing fish, mostly because I haven't tried to breed for any bigger. I'm worried I've found that they get bullied more by other guppies, and once their tails are all bitten up, they get infected and die.

Gk

 

[The Dave]

This may start a war, but Guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) are not the same as Endlers ( Poecilia wingei ) , they are a completely different species. They look different, they act different and their mitocondrial DNA sequences are different. I have both N-class Endlers and Hybrid Guppy / Endler hybrids in my collection, as well as plain old guppies, and they are all very different beasts. Here are a couple of videos that may enlighten you. Please give them a look and tell what you think.

 

[GuppyKeeper32]

This may start a war, but Guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) are not the same as Endlers ( Poecilia wingei ) , they are a completely different species. They look different, they act different and their mitocondrial DNA sequences are different. I have both N-class Endlers and Hybrid Guppy / Endler hybrids in my collection, as well as plain old guppies, and they are all very different beasts. Here are a couple of videos that may enlighten you. Please give them a look and tell what you think.

Very interesting! Thanks for the videos. I never thought much about their differences. I don't keep Endler's anymore.

Gk

 

[The Dave]

That

Very interesting! Thanks for the videos. I never thought much about their differences. I don't keep Endler's anymore.

Gk

That's ok you are forgiven . . .

Very interesting! Thanks for the videos. I never thought much about their differences. I don't keep Endler's anymore.

Gk

 

[GuppyKeeper32]

That

That's ok you are forgiven . . .

Gk

 

[Kannan Fodder]

I keep gambusia ("mosquito fish") in my heavily planted 29g tank. Not exactly the same as guppies or fancy guppies, and I'm wondering if gambusia would crossbreed with fancy guppies. I ask because my sister asked why I don't buy a couple male guppies to replace my suddenly missing male gambusia. I have avoided mixing them because I had intended to build a fishpond and intended to stock it with my gambusia. Alas, my black lab is very much a land dwelling fish, and my plans for a pond are on indefinite hold until I can come up with a Labrador resistant design.

I have avoided mixing fancy guppies in with my gambusia because of potential crossbreeding, and gambusia are notoriously nippy and I'll tempered. The crossbreeding is a concern because gambusia can tolerate a wide range of water temperatures and conditions, and fancy guppies are essentially tropical fish. Also, crossbreeding could lead to sterile hybrids, which could eventually eliminate the original gambusia population.

Any input?