Raising Guppies?

[Harlock]

A grow out tank is a separate tank that houses fry. Now that I am thinking about it, since these are feeders anyway, maybe the best idea is simply to have a trio or even 3 females and one male with some plant cover. They have a gestation period of around 4 weeks. Mom can have as little as two (when she is young and immature) to as many as 200 fry. (this is the main reason I thought of a grow-out tank in the first place. As the females get older and bigger, brood sizes increase dramatically so, with 4 females you could feasibly end up with 400 fry easy). So, you are looking at lots of feeders.

 

[texas]

I think the grow out tank that was spoken of would probably be a seperate tank all together for the baby fish. The tiny acrylic holders on the side are ok but they can get overcrowded quickly and I can't shut the lid well with one in it. They are cool for the fish to give birth in though. I use one for the moms to give birth in and then take my guppy babys to the grow out tank.
My guppies birth about every 4-5 weeks.

 

[CHARD]

so THAT MEANS i NEED 2-1OGAL TANKS! ****..I dont think I have the space for that... I have a 125g. plus 2 10's is alot for me..I can squeeze 1-10gallon in..

 

[Harlock]

so THAT MEANS i NEED 2-1OGAL TANKS! ****..I dont think I have the space for that... I have a 125g. plus 2 10's is alot for me..I can squeeze 1-10gallon in..

Then go with a trio of guppies, give them some hornwort (just leave it floating, don't bother with attaching it to a decoration or planting it in the substrate, an it makes a thick hiding place) and java moss and let the guppies get to work. Given a few months time you should have had a few broods and they should start getting a bit bigger. Water quality will be an issue as the tank starts filling up, but plants help, as I stated before. Hornwort is very good at removing excess nutrients in the water. Just stay on top of the water as poor water quality could lead stress and numerous other problems. What's the good of raising your own feeders if they are prone to disease and might carry something into the main tank?

 

[pbecot01]

It was suggested to me to get a 55 gallon trash can, put a filter and a heater in it, and toss the guppies in there... assuming that if you are using them as supper for another fish, you don't want to get attached lol... I didn't do it though.

I did think that it should be possible to build a divider that would allow the fry through but no adults... so that you could have a lot of adults on one side and just scoop any fry out of the other to feed the big tank.

 

[Harlock]

It was suggested to me to get a 55 gallon trash can, put a filter and a heater in it, and toss the guppies in there... assuming that if you are using them as supper for another fish, you don't want to get attached lol... I didn't do it though.

I did think that it should be possible to build a divider that would allow the fry through but no adults... so that you could have a lot of adults on one side and just scoop any fry out of the other to feed the big tank.

That is certainly a possibility, but the big question is would the fry move horizantally? Most of the fry I have had usually drop down and end up near the bottom. They don't move around a whole lot so as not to attract a lot of attention to themselves. Still, it could be worth an eperiment to see just how well it works.

 

[adgolde]

ok so your saying i need two 10 gallon tanks, i dont have room, i will barely have room for the 10 gallon im going to setup, let alone a whole nother one. are there anymore alterantives?

 

[Harlock]

Rubbermaid plastic containers are another option. You have to be careful with heaters of course, since you're dealing with plastic. They come in large sizes and can make a fry growout tank. Just how many feeders are you wanting? I think that's the best question to answer. If it's a few per week, may as well buy them. If it's 10 or more a week, then really, the room will come in handy. Again, you can raise fry in a 10 gallon with the parents if there is heavy cover, you just have to be very aware that water quality can be a big issue in a tank like that.

 

[adgolde]

so your saying i could house my fry and adult guppies in a 10 gallon, i would just have to have heavy planttage, and do many water changes to keep the water quality good..

 

[Harlock]

Yes. A trio or pair would be okay, but I wouldn't go much more than that if I were raising fry in the 10 gallon too. Have you thought about a 20 gallon high? It's the same width and length as a 10, just twice as tall. You might get away with four females and a male in that.