Guppy Behavior Question

ZorroNet

ZorroNet

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Sep 21, 2013
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It's been ages since I have had guppies, and I was recently given some. By some, I mean a bunch!

I've figured out how to sex them by their anal fin shape, and I separated the males from the females. I have a bunch of juvy males that were given to me, and I have a few older (bigger) males that I picked up at the LFS to diversify my breeding when I get to that point. They were all together for a little bit before I figured out how to determine their sex. I found that the females were easy to spot because the males swarmed around them chasing them all over the tank. However, I am a little confused by the juvy males behavior. They sometimes swarm around the bigger males in the same way they did to the females. So I have two questions...

1. Is the anal fin shape a tried and true indicator of a guppy's sex? (Straight for male and triangular for females)

2. Are guppies territorial? That could explain the swarming of the resident juvy males around the later added bigger male guppies.

Maybe they are just looking for a father figure.

P.S. 5 of 6 females are or were pregnant... I hope someone out there wants some free guppies :)
 
ZorroNet said:
It's been ages since I have had guppies, and I was recently given some. By some, I mean a bunch!

I've figured out how to sex them by their anal fin shape, and I separated the males from the females. I have a bunch of juvy males that were given to me, and I have a few older (bigger) males that I picked up at the LFS to diversify my breeding when I get to that point. They were all together for a little bit before I figured out how to determine their sex. I found that the females were easy to spot because the males swarmed around them chasing them all over the tank. However, I am a little confused by the juvy males behavior. They sometimes swarm around the bigger males in the same way they did to the females. So I have two questions...

1. Is the anal fin shape a tried and true indicator of a guppy's sex? (Straight for male and triangular for females)

2. Are guppies territorial? That could explain the swarming of the resident juvy males around the later added bigger male guppies.

Maybe they are just looking for a father figure.

P.S. 5 of 6 females are or were pregnant... I hope someone out there wants some free guppies :)
Click to expand...

1.) i dont know the answer to this one but i usually just go with this ; males= colorful with big tails and females= colors( or lack of colors) with smaller tail. I know that method doesnt always apply because many guppies arent fancy tailed.

2.) i dont know if theyre territorial or just plain horny creatures. The males will fight for the rights to a female so you may want to go with a ratio of something like 1m:2 or 3f


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ktrom13 said:
1.) i dont know the answer to this one but i usually just go with this ; males= colorful with big tails and females= colors( or lack of colors) with smaller tail. I know that method doesnt always apply because many guppies arent fancy tailed.

2.) i dont know if theyre territorial or just plain horny creatures. The males will fight for the rights to a female so you may want to go with a ratio of something like 1m:2 or 3f
Click to expand...

I'll keep that in mind for breeding time. Right now, they are 100% segregated male and female in different tanks aside from babies that I can't tell the sex of yet.
 
ZorroNet said:
It's been ages since I have had guppies, and I was recently given some. By some, I mean a bunch!

I've figured out how to sex them by their anal fin shape, and I separated the males from the females. fin shape is determined by genes not sex. Females that are sexually mature will have a gravid spot on each side at the rear of the stomach. Females are less colorful (more drab) than males. Males are so busy trying to mate they will harass a female to death and require a mix of 3-5 females per male. (Yes, they will chase her to the point of exhaustion and possible death). Males will also try "ambush mating". When a more suitable males is trying to woo a female, a younger male will try to get in on the action. Sometimes the young males will gang up and ambush by sheer numbers. Unless they are all sorted by age sex and fin shape, you can end up with any combination. (If I remember correctly, there are 6 fin shapes recognized by the fancy guppy breeders association. I quit breeding them a few years ago and the number may have changed).

I have a bunch of juvy males that were given to me, and I have a few older (bigger) males that I picked up at the LFS to diversify my breeding when I get to that point. They were all together for a little bit before I figured out how to determine their sex. I found that the females were easy to spot because the males swarmed around them chasing them all over the tank. However, I am a little confused by the juvy males behavior. They sometimes swarm around the bigger males in the same way they did to the females. Males have a one track mind. Their sole interest in life is simply to breed as often as possible. When young, they aren't always aware of sexual diversity. So I have two questions...

1. Is the anal fin shape a tried and true indicator of a guppy's sex? (Straight for male and triangular for females)NO

2. Are guppies territorial? That could explain the swarming of the resident juvy males around the later added bigger male guppies. Not like a cichlid is. More territorial when trying to mate with a particular female. It isn't a territory thing as much as it is a macho - "This is my girl" type of thing.

Maybe they are just looking for a father figure. NO - see above

P.S. 5 of 6 females are or were pregnant... I hope someone out there wants some free guppies :) Unless kept separate, in a few months you will be overrun with them. They mate every 28 days on average. If you withhold mating until the female is older, you will have larger specimens. The younger they breed, the smaller the off-spring and smaller at maturity.
First few broods are often just a few fry, later broods often result in larger broods
Click to expand...

In the beginning, you could have less than 10 fry per brood and a more mature female could have 3 times that. Females can also "packet" the sperm from a single pairing resulting in multiple broods later on in the absence of any males. They can packet anywhere from 3-5 broods after the pairing. The more broods a female has the shorter her life span. It is also common for the females or males to cannibalize any young. It doesn't always happen. Some are more likely than others to do so.
 
Well ****, excuzzzeme! You have all the answers :) Thank you, sincerely! (The "father figure" comment was a joke btw... I know better.)

I read that fry were easy to sex as well by the anal fin, and if that is the case, I am in trouble... I don't see one single male offspring! I'm guessing this is something that develops with age, so I will be watching closely. I knew about the gravid spot on mature females, but I was too late in learning that and segregating the sexes, so I've got knocked up mamas! I moved the males that were being harassed by the juvies to a different tank. Now I have a Mommy & Me tank, an Adult Male tank, and a Juvenile Detention Center tank. "Adventures in Guppy Land" is the new name of my office with 3 tanks HAHAHA! I feel like a guppy pimp kinda.

My biz is right in front of a K-12 school... I started talks with a science teacher this morning as possible taker for some guppies :)

P.S. - All of my tanks are densely planted, so I believe most of the fry survived given all the places they have to hide.
 
I was under the impression that for most (if not all) of the poeciliidae family, the male of the species had a modified tubular anal fin or gonopodium, females have a more or less triangular anal fin.

So yeah, you should be able to tell gender from a small size, sa they grow and develop color (or not) you can tell by other means.


I don't have any guppies around, but I do have endlers livebearers (Which can be considered guppies depending on your perspective) if you'd like me to try to get a picture for demonstrative purposes.


And note that female guppies are able to store sperm until they feel the need to pop out some more offspring, so mature females that were with mature males are likely going to be showering you with their offspring for a couple of months or so.
 
Sure, dougall... let's show everyone how to sex guppies visually. I'll try and snap a few pics too.
 
I'll have to dig out my camera and clean some glass.
 
dougall said:
I was under the impression that for most (if not all) of the poeciliidae family, the male of the species had a modified tubular anal fin or gonopodium, females have a more or less triangular anal fin.

So yeah, you should be able to tell gender from a small size, sa they grow and develop color (or not) you can tell by other means.


I don't have any guppies around, but I do have endlers livebearers (Which can be considered guppies depending on your perspective) if you'd like me to try to get a picture for demonstrative purposes.


And note that female guppies are able to store sperm until they feel the need to pop out some more offspring, so mature females that were with mature males are likely going to be showering you with their offspring for a couple of months or so.
Click to expand...

Here i am thinking that the tubular anal fin was the males junk! LOL! I guess in a way it may very well be

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