help with guppy fry

[Sarahs]

Hi all

I have guppy fry that is about 3.5 weeks old..... when are they big enough to go into the main tank w/o being aten? also.. I dont want to be keeping the expecting moms in a breeders net anymore.. any tricks to keeping the fry alive and catch them ? I have lots of hiding spots .. driftwood, and java moss a few live plants.. and still only a few seem to survive.

Sarah

[Melody]

Your filter might be getting them - is it covered?

I find that once the initial birthing frenzy is over, they pretty much leave them alone. You can't count on that, unfortunately - if it can still fit into the adult's mouth, they may eat them.

If you do add them, make sure it is when the lights are out and the adults have full bellies. If you just dump them in, the adults see it as you feeding them.

The easiest way to save fry is to have a brooder tank for the females. You can either line it with a dollar store mesh laundry bag. so that there is a space around her for the fry to escape to, or just fill the tank with Java Moss. The fry only have to escape her then, not a tank full of hungry fish. Once she's given birth, simply take her out, net & all, and the fry can stay in the tank.

Alternately, if the tank is big enough, you can float a large plastic colander with the female in it - her babies escape into the fry tank through the holes, and its much less stressful than a breeder trap for the females.

You can also divide the tank, herding the female into a small, well-planted section and keeping a divider there. Once she has given birth, take her out and leave the fry in the divided section.

A dark tank can save a lot of fry too.

Good luck!

[Sarahs]

thanks melody..
i have a spare 5 gal, is there any price smart ways of using it without putting a whole lot of money into it...... it has a hood but no light... and no filter .... just for a fry tank?

Sarah

[_Aaron_]

I have found that lots of floating plants help too, as my fry seemed to hide above the plant leaves out of sight

[Melody]

thanks melody..
i have a spare 5 gal, is there any price smart ways of using it without putting a whole lot of money into it...... it has a hood but no light... and no filter .... just for a fry tank?

Sarah

As a brooding tank? The laundry bags should fit right over a 5G nicely - they're a buck at most dollar stores. They have a drawstring so you can secure it around the tank.

For the fry tank you'll need a filter, Zellers and some pet stores carry box filters. You just need a cheap air pump, which you can probably pick up used. For media you can use the big bags of quilt batting in the department stores - somewhere around $4 and it lasts forever.

You can also make your own filters for small tanks - there's some in the DIY section. Both box filters and sponge filters won't eat your fry. Sponge filters are also very economical. You can protect a normal filter uptake tube for fry, by covering it with nylon stockings or an Aquaclear filter sponge. Just cut an 'x' down into the sponge and slip it on. They last for a very long time, you just have to clean them.

I have a small box filter here that you can have if you're ever in my area - then you'll just need the pump.:smile: Might as well share - its just sitting here in a box.

For introducing the fry back into the community, try a couple first for a few days to see if they surive. They'll grow more quickly in a larger tank too.

[Melody]

I have found that lots of floating plants help too, as my fry seemed to hide above the plant leaves out of sight

Agreed, floating plants seem to help the most. The fry can feed up there in peace too. Riccia, Water Lettuce, or even bunches of stem plants do wonders, like Hornwort (the latter is usually reasonably priced).

[Sarahs]

well good news.. I put two fry into the tank and they survived 24 hours.. so i plan on adding the rest over the course of today. but I have 2 or 3 fry that are only a 2 weeks old and arent fast enough to escape the adults sooooooooo i guess another week or so until i can tank the isolation net outta my tank! I'm looking intoa 25gal tank to move all of them into so everyone can be happier!
Sarah

[Melody]

Awesome Sarah - seems like a system is coming together nicely for you. We all wing it at first... actually I still wing it most of the time :laugh: .

[Sarahs]

hey all
Well dad was a 'turquiose' male.. dark dark blue.. and mom is a dark grey body, with yellow/red fins.. the babies are starting to show color... and yellow is the color that is coming out? i thought that blue would be the dominant color.. and input??

Also getting a 33 gal sometime this week/weekend. :) Im excited. i'll be able to keep all the babies!! :D

Sarah

[Melody]

I find blues come in later, but Guppies have such crazy, mixed up genetics that you never know what will happen if they're mixed strains. If the male had a recessive yellow in there, they'll all be yellow. Sometimes the female color or pattern doesn't come through at all, sometimes it all comes from her, sometimes its a mix of both, or a pattern from her and a color from him, etc etc etc (in regards to visible traits that is).

That said, she's probably still having babies from the store - he may not get his hit in for months, or it may be sooner. That first brood would have already been in the making when you bought her, and possibly several broods thereafter will be from the same insemination.

Have fun with the new tank!