if someone could through me some helpfull advice i would appreciate it. i tried breeding some feeder guppies in a 5 1/2 with one of the bogus box filters .... and about 50 feeders. water was always horrible and i had to change the water everyday just to keep it someone clear and not odorsome. i moved all the future ciclid food inhabitats to a 30 xh that i was using for breeding cons i have. the water doesnt smell as bad and its clear and "appears" fine. but the ph is sub par. my test kit only goes as low as 6.0 and its there. is it from overstocking.... there are about 100 guppies in there. everyday i lose about 10. does anyone reading this have any experience breeding them? suggestions ideas and what to look for or expect. im breeding them to save me a few bucks and as food for my ciclids crayfish and frogs. but mainly so i know they arent caring any sicknesses and going to get one of my fish sick. the 30 gallon is an open tank i have in a seperate room with no hood or light. the room is well lit during the day an average room temp so i dont use a heater or light. the tank is fully cycled and is starting to have an odor from the feeders. when i had the cons in there the tanks water levels were perfect. any suggestions or tips would be appreciated. never bred any fish before.
feeder guppies??
- Thread starter cnote
- Start date
I grow lots of guppies for my bigger fish.
I feed them almost exclusively with freshly hatched brine shrimp. This is a very nutritious food -- the main reason I feed this is so they grow as quickly as possible. A second reason is that I (for some reason or another) enjoy hatching the eggs and collecting the shrimps, so it isn't as if it's extra work for me.
For you I would suggest brine shrimp because the high nutrients may stave off disease/death you have been experiencing.
If you buy your brineshrimps at www.brineshrimpdirect.com it won't cost you arms and legs. Be sure to get a hatching base into which a 2-L bottle will fit. This is the best method, or I am a dutchman.
I feed them almost exclusively with freshly hatched brine shrimp. This is a very nutritious food -- the main reason I feed this is so they grow as quickly as possible. A second reason is that I (for some reason or another) enjoy hatching the eggs and collecting the shrimps, so it isn't as if it's extra work for me.
For you I would suggest brine shrimp because the high nutrients may stave off disease/death you have been experiencing.
If you buy your brineshrimps at www.brineshrimpdirect.com it won't cost you arms and legs. Be sure to get a hatching base into which a 2-L bottle will fit. This is the best method, or I am a dutchman.
I have always raised feeders as well, In all honesty your problem is space vs fishload. There are ways to overcome this, but the primary reason the LFS's feeders are so dangerous is that they are kept in highly crowded tanks which create poor water conditions. I have always raised mine in 20g tanks, and have never kept more than about 25 adult fish in a 20 g. I pull the pregnant females out and put them in a breeding trap in a seperate 20 or 29g fry tank. and then return them to the 20 g after they give birth. Water quality is of the esscence with fry if you want good survival rates. I usually have been able to feed out a dozen or so each week, and my big fish love the treats. To effectively raise enough fry to make them a staple diet (something I don't reccomend) you will need a lot of space, but that could be achieved with large trash cans and good filters.
I never tried the Brine shrimp thing, I usually put sponge from my other tanks in my fry tanks, the fry will graze on the filter sponges if you don't rinse them clean. Also guppy fry do fairly well on ground up flake food. but as was said the growth rate will greatly increase will Brine shrimp.
I never tried the Brine shrimp thing, I usually put sponge from my other tanks in my fry tanks, the fry will graze on the filter sponges if you don't rinse them clean. Also guppy fry do fairly well on ground up flake food. but as was said the growth rate will greatly increase will Brine shrimp.
thanks alot you two. i was justcurious because at the LFS ive seen 2 gallon tanks and 5 1/2 gallon tanks with guppies. but the tanks were so stocked i thought maybe since they were so small that this was ok. i guess not. i was hoping to raise the fry in the 5 1/2 and keep the adults in the 30 gallon XH i have. thelocal super market here sells potatoes in nylon sacks which have very small opening which is perfect for the fry to creep through but not the adults. ive tested these sacks months ago to make sure they're not hazardous or detrimental to the fish and they seem to be ok after some intense rinsing. thanks for the help and adviceif yall think of anything else i would appreciate it thanks guys a pleasure as always posting a thread and seeking some good advice thanks again