Thursday, June 13, 2013

12 SIMPLE STEPS TO BREED GUPPIES

Step 1: You need at least two female guppies per one male guppy. Three is normally better so that not only one female gets chased by the male. Separate them until you want them to breed.


Step 2: Set up a 10-20 gallon tank with a heater and gentle filter. If the filter is too strong, cover it with tights so the fry do not get stuck.








  • Do not use any substrate. A bare bottom tank is good for fry as it cleans easily and you can record how many fry are alive or how much they eat.
  • Java moss or spawning mops provides a nice hiding spot for guppy fry.
  • Guppy fry tend to sink, so use low-floating plants for their cover. Some high cover is also required as healthy fry will swim upwards.
Step 3: Place the fish in the tank with similar conditions (temperature, etc.) as the tank they were in before.
  • Set the temperature to around 77-79 degrees Fahrenheit while the females and male are in the tank together. You should also give them food with higher nutritional value to get them in the breeding condition
Step 4: Place the male back into his own tank after the female/s get pregnant. You can tell whether the female is pregnant or not by looking and seeing whether there is a dark mark in that area, called a gravid spot. All females will have this, but it becomes noticeably darker when the eggs have been fertilized.
Step 5: Wait 26-31 days after fertilization, as the average gestation period is 28 days. Fish have been before and after this, however. Then, when the female will be ready to give birth, her stomach should be very large and her gravid spot will be deep black (maroon in paler guppies). Her stomach will also stop growing large and round, but square off, like a cardboard box.Some people claim to see the eyes of the babies, but this doesn't happen all the time. She gives birth to live babies, not eggs.
  • Some signs of labor are: being very still and secluding herself, shivering (contractions), hanging out near the heater, change in appetite. Also watch how she eats, and take notes if she spits the food out again and shows other unusual behavior
Step 6: Try to be present when she gives birth, but if you cannot be, place lots of plants and hiding spots for the fry, else mom will eat them. When she has given birth, place her in her original tank, leaving the fry in their own tank.
Step 7: When the fry are born, tank temperature should be around 78 degrees F.
Step 8: Immediately remove all dead fry when you see them. Any accumulated waste is bad for guppy fry.
Step 9: Feed the fry brine shrimp, micro-worms or powdered flakes, several times a day. Remember that fry are tiny and if you place too much food in the tank, the excess waste may kill them.


Step 10: A filter is dangerous to the fry because they are likely to be sucked into it, so cover the end with tights.



Step 11: Siphon the tank carefully every time it gets too dirty and do 40% water changes every few days to keep the water clean. Remember that the tank should be only about half full, if you are using a five or ten gallon tank, to minimize work on your part.

Step 12: Move the fry when they get old enough. When the fry are a good size, or about a month and a half to two months old you may put them in a tank with non aggressive fish, sell them to your local pet store, or give them to friends as gifts.

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