Scott MacAdam
Fish Addict
ok i was ofered a 1 gal tank for betas . it this sufficent?? what should i do to breed these little guys? what do i need ??? thanks alot
breeding guppies
- Thread starter Scott MacAdam
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1 gallon is really too small. I'd say about a 10 gallon is good. What you should do to breed them, is get 2-3 females per male. In a 10 gallon...you could probably have 2 males and 6 females....but this would also give you a ton of fry. Or you could have 1 male and 3 females and perhaps some Cories or something for the bottom part of the tank. 
Anyway, it's not hard to breed Guppies at all. They will usually just breed by themselves, as long as they are getting food. The male will usually breed with all the females, and then the female's will get a gravid spot, which is a dark spot (sometimes red in light colored Guppies) right above the anal fin. It's actually the fry's eyes. Females are pregnant for about a month.
Once the fry are born, you can then either...
A) Let the Guppies do a survival of the fittest in the tank. That's where you just let the ones that survive, survive. If you have some plants and hiding places, usually at least a few will survive. Fry are smart...they'll head for the safest place, and figure out some way to get food.
B ) Raise the fry in a Breeder net in the tank. Once the female gives birth, you can transfer the fry into the Breeder net. Then you have to feed them at least 3 times a day, if possible. Hikari First Bites, Tetramin Fry food, and/or Baby Brine Shrimp are good for the first few weeks. Once they get bigger, you can move on to Finely Crushed Flakes, and other Freeze-dried, Frozen, or Live foods...like Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, Bloodworms..etc.
C) Raise the fry in a seperate fry tank. At least 10 gallons would probably be best. Sponge filters are good, because then the fry won't get sucked up. A sand or bare-bottom tank is best, because then there is no chance the fry will be crushed between the gravel. And lots of water changes! Fry are sensitive to water quality, so the tank always should be clean. You can do water changes using a turkey baster, or a siphon made from airline tubing. That lessens the chance of sucking up fry. And then just feed like I described above.
And lastly, make sure you have homes or places to go for all these fry! Female Guppies can have up to a hundred fry per month, so you need to be prepared. You could have hundreds of fry in a matter of months. So, just think it through first.
Best of luck breeding!
Anyway, it's not hard to breed Guppies at all. They will usually just breed by themselves, as long as they are getting food.
The male will usually breed with all the females, and then the female's will get a gravid spot, which is a dark spot (sometimes red in light colored Guppies) right above the anal fin. It's actually the fry's eyes. Females are pregnant for about a month. Once the fry are born, you can then either...
A) Let the Guppies do a survival of the fittest in the tank. That's where you just let the ones that survive, survive. If you have some plants and hiding places, usually at least a few will survive. Fry are smart...they'll head for the safest place, and figure out some way to get food.
B ) Raise the fry in a Breeder net in the tank. Once the female gives birth, you can transfer the fry into the Breeder net. Then you have to feed them at least 3 times a day, if possible. Hikari First Bites, Tetramin Fry food, and/or Baby Brine Shrimp are good for the first few weeks. Once they get bigger, you can move on to Finely Crushed Flakes, and other Freeze-dried, Frozen, or Live foods...like Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, Bloodworms..etc.
C) Raise the fry in a seperate fry tank. At least 10 gallons would probably be best. Sponge filters are good, because then the fry won't get sucked up. A sand or bare-bottom tank is best, because then there is no chance the fry will be crushed between the gravel. And lots of water changes! Fry are sensitive to water quality, so the tank always should be clean. You can do water changes using a turkey baster, or a siphon made from airline tubing. That lessens the chance of sucking up fry. And then just feed like I described above.
And lastly, make sure you have homes or places to go for all these fry! Female Guppies can have up to a hundred fry per month, so you need to be prepared. You could have hundreds of fry in a matter of months. So, just think it through first.
Best of luck breeding!
OP
OP
Scott MacAdam
Fish Addict
tahnks alot for the info!
GSD
Fish Gatherer
1gallon is too small.Mabe get a betta for it!and get a 10-20 for the guppies.
qwikimpss
Fish Addict
Guppies arent overly predacious on their own young IME. So a 10 gallon with 2 females and a male could quickly be swarming with fry....as happend to me. And i didnt do anything to keep the fry alive.
NinjaSmurf
Devils Advocate
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I've got 30 fry just from one female in a month, I'm currently waiting for a female to drop another batch, plus this new female I have right now, whose fry I can't wait to have because she has a tail bigger and better than some of my males... As it is I have at least three more females coming of age, six males, and the main three girls. Over all, lots of guppies. So, either have someone waiting for fry, a bigger tank, or something that likes to eat them, because you will get fry.
Plus, if you are just starting out breeding guppies and really don't care about lines and all that, you don't have to get a male, female guppies are almost always pregnant when you get them at the store, and they can have up to six batches (if I remember correctly) from mating just once.
Plus, if you are just starting out breeding guppies and really don't care about lines and all that, you don't have to get a male, female guppies are almost always pregnant when you get them at the store, and they can have up to six batches (if I remember correctly) from mating just once.
Angel Lady
Pet of the Month Leader
A ten gallon is fine at first then every 28 days or so you are going to have a new bunch of fry. This is something to keep in mind. They add up fast and they require a lot of space once they start to grow. A inch per gallon is the rule of thumb with any fish... 
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