Didnt really think it through

[Tiber]

When I set up my tank a couple of months ago, I had a very open mind about what fish to add first. I have always liked Plattys so I ended up buying a mix of 10 random livebearers. There are a mix of guppy, molly and plattys.

They have thrived in the tank and are wonderful, very active fish. But I have to admit I hadn't thought through the breeding aspect of livebearers (I hadn't had a tank for many years).

Today I found my first fry. What I assume will be the first of many. Its also quite a heavily planted tank so there are a lot of hiding places.

It's a 200l tank and there is currently nothing in the tank except the livebearers and 2 juvenile electric blue rams so there are no imminent issues, but I have to admit that whilst I love my live bearers, I don't particularly want 50 of them and am currently a bit stressed out.

Is it cruel to get an angel or something to keep population under control or is this pretty normal?

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.

Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

 

[Tiber]

I do have a test kit. But that doesn't really help with the question of how do people usually handle livebearer populations?

Is it a matter of being a bit heartless and having larger fish which will take care of the problem naturally?

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

I do have a test kit. But that doesn't really help with the question of how do people usually handle livebearer populations?

Is it a matter of being a bit heartless and having larger fish which will take care of the problem naturally?

He would like the information to make the best informed choice for your tank and your wants/needs. It might seem arbitrary, it is anything but. Given the stock you have and the needs of those particular fish, an Angel, like you want will not likely work because 1)tank size 2) water parameters 3) Angels like other Angels to live with... you might just end up with a miserable/dead "predator". If we have more info, we can help set you up for the best solution to achieve your goals.

 

[Tiber]

He would like the information to make the best informed choice for your tank and your wants/needs. It might seem arbitrary, it is anything but. Given the stock you have and the needs of those particular fish, an Angel, like you want will not likely work because 1)tank size 2) water parameters 3) Angels like other Angels to live with... you might just end up with a miserable/dead "predator". If we have more info, we can help set you up for the best solution to achieve your goals.

If there is solution which is something other than just letting the poor things get eaten then my water parameters don't particularly matter.

I said an angel or something, not specifically an angel, nor would I get a single angel for that matter, it was a quick line at the end of the post. But I don't particularly like the idea of turning them into food for the next several years to be honest.

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

If there is solution which is something other than just letting the poor things get eaten then my water parameters don't particularly matter.

I said an angel or something, not specifically an angel, nor would I get a single angel for that matter, it was a quick line at the end of the post. But I don't particularly like the idea of turning them into food for the next several years to be honest.

There are other solutions.

1) Net out the fry, or trap the mother in a breed box before she has them. Move fry to a secondary grow out tank, raise, and sell them.
2)Remove Females: Even without a male live-bearer's will still have fry as they store sperm from the males they encounter for a "Later date"
3) Introduce a larger, peaceful fish to keep fry population under control. Especially if you aren't going to do anything with the fry. This again, needs more information from you so that the best fish can be suggested for the task. One who will be a good "friend" to your adult fish but will happily snack on any little fry that it finds in the plants.

If you don't want the fry then you'll have to employ one of the above solutions. I have had many fish and have had many reproduce, egg layers mostly, I do not always remove the fry. I have had fish have hundreds and hundreds of fry at a time. I do not have dozens of empty tanks to grow out the fry, so they become food for the adult fish. When/if I want to raise a batch of fry, I will move the adult pair to their own tank to do their thing.

 

[GaryE]

If you have several species, they often compete, and overpopulation isn't an issue. My swordtails don't eat their young in properly sized tanks, but they eat other livebearers' fry, and vice versa.