GUPPIES AND BETTAS HAVE THE SAME LENGTH. TRUE OR FALSE?

A few months ago I made ​​the also "play" to create Betta. Since this unusual day, I have read and studied the rules and standards of judgment the International Betta Congress - IBC - and the National Meeting of Builders Bettas - ENABETTAS . Today, out of curiosity, I decided to design and make comparisons with the shapes and sizes of guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) and Betta ( Betta splendens ) male long-finned and had a pleasant surprise.

The IBC is one of the largest and most respected organizations Betta. Many developers adopt it and raise their fish according to their "Standards" ("standards" if translated to our Portuguese). For Guppies, I can say the same of the International Fancy Guppy Association - IFGA , coincidentally or not, both founded in the U.S. in the 60s. 

Researching the rules of the organizations mentioned, came to the following measures:
Dorsal Fin: Betta: 0.75 ". Guppy: 0.32 ";
Anal Fin: Betta: 0.75 ". Guppy: this fin, together with the ventral fins are modified, becoming his reproductive organ (gonopodium);
Corps: Betta: 1.5 ". Guppy: 1.25 ";
Caudal Fin: Betta: 0.75 ". Guppy: 1.25 ".

Adding the length of the caudal fin to the body length of the Betta, resulting in a total of 2.25 "(5.72 cm). The sum of the length of the tail fin to the body length Guppy, resulting in a total of 2.5 ", but .25" at one end of the flow Guppy, lies virtually in the caudal peduncle. At the end of this calculation, the total length is also Guppy of 2.25 "(5.72 cm).

To the surprise of some readers and creators, the total length (tip of the mouth to the central ray of the caudal fin) is the same for the Betta and Guppy.

Some breeders Betta will contest this article, saying there are not so small Bettas and Guppies not so great, however, these are "standard". Fish larger than this standard are desired by the creators and tie-breaking in a trial if the sum of points of all other characteristics being equal. This comparison was performed only on the total length of the species mentioned - not considering issues relating to its masses and forces.

(http://guppy.michelbruno.com/11/ )

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.

   

(http://www.wikihow.com/Breed-Guppies)

BREEDING EXPERIENCE

There is a popular belief that Guppies are a hardy fish which can be neglected, yet still flourish, and that they are a fish for the beginner.

Now although many fishkeepers started with Guppies, over the years the species has encountered some quite bad press, mainly due to overbreeding and inbreeding issues.

However, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot have a perfectly healthy tank of these stunningly coloured fish. As Guppies are easy breeders, with a little care you can optimise your chances for a healthy, vibrant stock.

Getting down to basics

A breeding set-up should be designed for easy maintenance, especially as chances are you'll end up with loads of tanks! I keep my breeding tanks in the bare mode, so no plants or gravel.

Small tanks will suffice: 25 l./5.5 gal. for a breeding trio and 36-45 l./8-10 gal. tanks for growing on. As a rule of thumb, allow 2.5cm/1" of fish per gallon to allow your fish to achieve their full potential.

Some enthusiasts opt for higher stocking levels, which is fine if you carry out more frequent water changes. Don't push your luck as you could end up with stunted, poor quality fish.

As for filtration, I opt for air-driven corner filters or sponge filters with plenty of airflow. And I mean plenty, such that the water above the filter looks like it is boiling.

Such a strong flow serves one purpose; it forces the fish to develop strong muscles, especially in the caudal peduncle. This helps the delta varieties hold their tails in a more natural way and not look like the tail is too heavy, making the fish looks somewhat bent.

Ideal water parameters are pH 7.2 (normal range 6.8-7.8); 8-12 degrees GH (normal range 4-20 degrees GH); and a temperature for fry of 25.5 degrees C/78 degrees F; juveniles (four to eight months) of 24.5 degrees C/76 degrees F, and adults somewhat cooler at 23.5 degrees C/74 degrees F (normal range 10-29 degrees C/50-85 degrees F).

A Guppy needs 12 hours of lighting each day, best provided using 30-40W fluorescents mounted above your tanks. Don't be misguided into thinking that intensity matters.

Duration is far more important, and a simple timer will ensure that the lights are turned on and off at the right time.

Care and maintenance

Guppies are omnivores, so offer as wide a range of quality flake food, live and frozen foods as possible. It is also better to feed small amounts every few hours than one gigantic feed.

Frozen and live food are digested easier than flake food, so can be fed in larger portions. As a guide, if your fish do not eat all the food you put in the tank in two minutes, chances are you're overfeeding them - or they could be ill.

If you overfeed your Guppies, the excess food passes through the gut without being properly digested and will foul the tank. Try to avoid feeding a diet rich in protein as this can cause constipation, causing a build-up of toxins in the fish's gut.

Which leads me to the point that fish create waste, and this waste creates both good and bad bacteria. If waste builds up within the tank, eventually the bad bacteria will outnumber the good and the water conditions start to fail.

Correspondingly, your Guppies' fins and health will deteriorate. Regular water changes are a must. I carry out weekly changes of 25%.

Know your strain

Before you attempt to breed Guppies, you need to understand the characteristics of your chosen strain - each is unique.

This can be tricky if the person you bought your fish from does not know its genetic make-up. However, all is not lost as close observation and the keeping of breeding logs will reveal much.

The first step is to note all the characteristics of your stock. For instance, does the colour have a uniform look or is it more intense in specific areas? What about fin shapes? Find out what the ideal shape should be.

Fellow enthusiasts are always a good source of information. Find out if your strain carries the traits you want on the X- or the Y-chromosome. The Internet can be very useful in helping you trace the genetic make-up of your fish.

Obviously if you have a specific goal, eg. solid black fish, this makes it easier to organise your tank space and select the fish you intend to keep out of each litter, ie. as much black in the body, or even a particular dorsal or caudal shape.

Never, ever keep just the one pair of breeders: disease happens, no matter how careful you are, and you do not want to put those years of hard work in jeopardy by losing just two fish. Ideally, aim for two or three trios in separate tanks.

Keep those records
Your breeding log should have the following information:

Identity: Give each breeding pair or trio an identity number, so your first pair is number 1, your second number 2 and so on. This allows you to trace the lineage and any crosses that have been made.
Sex: M or F for male or female.
Colour/strain: eg. half-black red delta or yellow snakeskin.
Generation: Start with P for parentage, followed by F1, F2 etc.
Cross: Are the fish being bred brother to sister (siblings), parents to daughter or son (backcross), or to a genetically related strain (outcross)?
Parents: What was the identity number of the parent fish?
DOB: Date litter was dropped. This is useful to work out the age of fish for breeding and to track their progress for finnage and colour development, which varies according to strain.
Breeders produced: Did they produce any litters with potential breeders?
Notes: Allow plenty of room for observations about when the fish started to sex out, ratio of males to females, growth rates, etc.

Always mark the tank with the ID number and the date the litter was born. Masking tape is good as you can easily remove this and attach it to the fish's new tank if you move it.

Line breeding

The problem with successive inbreeding is that each generation loses some genetic diversity. Line breeding helps overcome this and keeps a strain true.

Basically it combines inbreeding with a crossing from a related line every few generations, ensuring healthy Guppies for years.

The most common method is to break your strain into two lines for inbreeding. Then after three generations, cross the lines. A simple illustration of inbreeding is:

Line 1 Line 2
P1 M F P1 M F
F1 M F F1 M F
F2 M F F2 M F

Cross Line 1 F2 female (F) with Line 2 F2 male (M), and Line 2 F2 F with Line 1 F2 M.

Guppies are typically four months old before they can be bred, so to repeat the above for three generations would take about 12 months before your first cross. Also the more lines you run, the more diversified your gene pool will be.

Out-crossing
This refers to the mating of two unrelated Guppies. While inbreeding reduces the variations of your offspring and line breeding helps keep your gene pool intact, out-crossing corrects or adds a gene to your strain.

For example, you may want to get a bigger dorsal fin, improve the colour or rectify a defect in the caudal fin. Or you may even want to create a totally new strain.

Having said that, out-crossing is best not attempted by a novice for if you get it wrong, you could lose the strain traits altogether.

With out-crossing, it's critical to ensure strains are compatible - some colour strains mix, others don't. For instance, crossing a variegated snakeskin with a half-black red results in a very mixed-up Guppy. You really need to keep the original strains pure.

Out-crossing demands plenty of tank space and patience to carry out the required backcrosses to end up with the results you want. You'll need to use established strains whose genetics are stable, meaning that all offspring look identical.

Finally, try the cross both ways - female to outcross strain and male to outcross strain; you may not know whether the trait you want is X- or Y-chromosome linked.

Backcrossing
This is where you breed, say, the male of a strain that you want to rectify a problem back to one of his daughters from the outcross, or the female of the strain back to her son from the outcross.

The aim is to restore the strain to its original format, but with the trait fixed.

You may have to perform this a few times. The way to check is if the sibling-to-sibling mating produces replicas of the parents with the trait fixed.

( www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk)

GUPPY COLLECTION P1

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METHODS TO HELP THE FISH ADAPTATION TO NEW ENVIRONMENT

     (from 7guppy )

    The first step, you have to prepare your water tank as follows: get a glass tank or barrels, tubs, buckets or anything can loaded clean water (preferably water or well water is not acidic). Add a little grain of salt (not iodized salt) about 2 tablespoons for 20 liters of water. Then take to outdoor one day before buying fish.
    Next, when buying fish, the way you make it adaptable to your water is particularly important. The following experience will be of great to help new players avoid the loss of money and time ... When buying fish you should a little extra water of the tank where the fish you buy are living.

THE FIRST DAY to bring them go home, you prepare a small tank of about 20 x 15 x 15 (LxWxH) as the glue of betta then load extra water from the shop , move the fish in the bag to the tank gently  and place it up a little tall, to remove impurities later. Note that you do not pour the water in home into tank because of seeing the water was turbid. This step is very important because the fish can be shocked and fish will die after a few days (there are many reasons such as: pH differences, the various toxic components ... ). Let's just keep status of this tank

BY THE SECOND DAY you start to change their environment by gradually filling the tank by previously prepared water. Adding about 20% of the water in the tank is fine and perform 2 times per day in the morning and afternoon, not to feeding the second day. Fish will start to get used to the new water.
    

ON THE THIRD DAY, you use a small tube (recommended air pipe) to suck the dirt off the bottom of the tank, sucking about one quarter of the water in the tank is okay. After that, filling the tank new water corresponding sucked out. Now you should feeding a little fish daphnia (called pink ceiling) or dry food is up to you. Keep in mind that very little food for fish because exuberancy food lead to loss of aquarium hygiene, easy to make illness and death at this stage. in the first day and shouldn't feed. At this stage, guppies need quiet and get acquainted with the environment and the ambient temperature.

THE FOURTH DAY , and the next days do similar the THIRD day  but do 2 times a day and fed once in the morning. After five to seven days you move fish and water into larger tank and add 100% of the original water. Now as you have succeeded!

    When the fish use your water source, you can change depending on the water fish tank dirty or not, but not necessarily 100% water change in the tank. Change the water often helps fish healthy and avoid illness. Diets can be divided into 2 to 3 times a day, preferably in the morning (for fresh prey: bo bo, worm, mosquito larvae ...) and afternoon (fresh or dry food) . After 1 to 2 months the young fishes are born is great achievements that you have because of the patience.