i got guppy fry :)

[Dan H]

HI
i was cleaning my guppy tank (55ltr)2day and while i was filling it back up i noticed a fry and then when i looked there were 3 more :thm:
the think is i'd vacuumed the tank and cut all the plants right down as they were getting out of control :headshake2:
so i think i might have vacuumed some up and now the 1's that are left dont have very much cover, i've taken the male out and put him in another tank. icant take the females out as there's 2 both pregnant and i dont know which 1's fry they are.
what can i do top help the survive?
how offten do i feed them?
thanks :headbang2:

 

[cellodaisy]

First, congrats!

If there isn't a lot (and I mean a LOT) of cover for the fry, a fair number of them will probably be eaten by the parents. If you don't have a ton of tank space available for guppies, this is a good thing.

Your females can both have several more batches of fry without further contact with the male. You'll have to be vigilant about removing the male juveniles as soon as you can identify them to prevent more breeding (if you want to do that).

I've read that livebearer fry can take powdered flake food right away. That's what I've been doing for my Endlers and they seem to be doing fine. I just put a pinch of flakes on a little plate and grind it up with the back of a spoon. I try to feed 2-3 times/day. I put in a few full-size flakes for the adults, too, otherwise they eat up all the powdered stuff before it has a chance to sink below the surface where the fry can get to it. You could try to drop the powder under the surface, but I find that it just clumps up if I do that.

Good luck!

 

[excuzzzeme]

Congratulations!

I grind up flake using mortar and pestle. I use a pinch and release it below the water line so it will sink better. I have also used Hikari First Bites and had good luck with it as well. Guppies have high mortality as many times the larger fry will eat the smaller ones. For that matter so will just about any other fish in the tank. If you can, move them to a different tank. You would stand a better chance of raising the fry. I use a 5.5 gallon tank with a simple corner filter and have a little bit too much good luck with them! They get to the point of having to use them as live food sometimes. I leave them in the "fry tank" until they show some color and then off to the LFS with them.

 

[Dan H]

HI
Thanks i'm so happy its the reason i bought the 14gl tank in the first place as i thought the guppies were pregnant, but that was 8 weeks ago.
i'd given up on them and bought a male about 3 weeks ago so i wasn't ready for them yet .
but i will do my best to keep them alive and well,
i cant remove the fry as this is my small tank, my other tank is a a 25gl and i have some bigger fish in there mollies and buenos aires tetras and also the male guppy.
i really hope some of the fry will survive
keep the advice coming please and i'll keep you updated
thanks

 

[7itanium]

just so you know.. the female guppies do NO parenting what so ever.. once the fry are born they are on their own

so there isnt any reason you cant remove the females for now

 

[Dan H]

I've been thinking about putting the fry into a breeding net.
is this a good idea? as the mothers wont be able to get to them there and i can make sure they get food.
also how would i catch them?

 

[Dan H]

caught them now
using a plastic spoon lol
the fry are in a plastic breeding trap is this ok?
the mothers are still in the tank but not in the trap
cheers

 

[grannylvsfish]

believe me, you will have more then you can count soon, let them be and let nature take its course. I learned this the hard way and had hundreds by the first 6 months of getting guppies. and I do not feed my guppy fry anything special, I grind in my hand flake foods and that's it now. I was doing the encapsulated brine shrimp, still do some times. Just know that when you have a lot of guppy you will need to find good homes for them, I have had a running free ad on craigs list for over a year. yeah I give platy, molly, and guppy all the time, and apple snails.

 

[Dan H]

hi
thanks for the info folk
alot of other posts i've read say to leave them be and the strong will survive but its my first fry ever and i really want them to live
if or when they have more i will leave them too it, but i'm gonna give these little angels special treatment lol
how long till they get coulor and you can tell male from female?
sorry but im new to all this

 

[ChrisK]

congrats