skater1293
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GUPPY BREEDING AND RAISING INFO
Planning
Before you engage in selective breeding, it is important to develop a plan.
Set goals to begin with, such as increasing the size and adding color.If you absolutely can’t stand the idea of not breeding the colorful fish (if you think your serious about guppy breeding), it is advisable to set up a separate breeding tank.
Housing
Crowding can lead to stunted growth.
Never keep more than 8-12 guppies in a 10 gallon aquarium.
Water quality
carry out a small water change once a day, I think is better than a rather than a big weekly one. Keeping the water quality clean is idealy healthy for fish, expecially fry.
Temperature
The standard recommendation for Guppies is 65-68 degrees F, but in a breeding aquarium you should increase the temperature to 78-80 degrees F. 78 and 80 is best becouse fry grow faster at a slightly higher temperature.
Feeding
Really young Guppies can be fed microworms and small brine shrimp.
It is better to give your fish several small servings per day than one or two bigger ones. If you want your Guppies to grow as large as possible, it is important to feed them a lot during the first few months of their life since this is when they go through a period of rapid growth.
Select parents wisely for each generation
Do not let your Guppies breed randomly. Select your best males and females and only allow them to breed. Harem breeding is not recommended. Collect the best specimens from 1-2 batches, and then move on to the next generation.
Selecting the right male Guppy
Some Guppy breeders automatically allow the first male that matures to breed, but this is not advisable. The first male might not be the best one, and it is also true that the first Guppy that reaches sexual maturity rarely grow as big as the more slowly maturing males.
Selecting the right female Guppy
The right female is not necessarily the best looking female, since you need a female that will produce great offspring – including great male offspring. Breed each of your various types of females to the same good male and raise the different batches separately. This way, you will know which type of female that you should pick for future generations. Use the female type that has produces the very best male Guppies.
Related strains
It is recommended to keep a related strain of Guppies. Too much interbreeding can be harmful for a strain, it is a good idea to occasionally cross two related strains. Preferably use related Guppy strains of the same color. Interbreeding will lead to a high percentage of deformed fish, (e.g.) fish with hernias or bent spines. A low fertility rate is also a warning sign of too much interbreeding.
If you want to breed healthy quality Guppies, you have to be patient. Improving the quality of a strain is a slow process, and it can sometimes be easy to forget about the long row of tiny improvements that you have achieved from generation to generation. (Photographing is a good way of keeping track!) Picking the right fishes for future breeding and providing your Guppies with ideal care is therefore very important. So every once in a while between frys, add a new guppy into your fishtank to decrese the chance of this. Hope this helps, ask if you have any questions.
Planning
Before you engage in selective breeding, it is important to develop a plan.
Set goals to begin with, such as increasing the size and adding color.If you absolutely can’t stand the idea of not breeding the colorful fish (if you think your serious about guppy breeding), it is advisable to set up a separate breeding tank. Housing
Crowding can lead to stunted growth.
Never keep more than 8-12 guppies in a 10 gallon aquarium.Water quality
carry out a small water change once a day, I think is better than a rather than a big weekly one. Keeping the water quality clean is idealy healthy for fish, expecially fry.
Temperature
The standard recommendation for Guppies is 65-68 degrees F, but in a breeding aquarium you should increase the temperature to 78-80 degrees F. 78 and 80 is best becouse fry grow faster at a slightly higher temperature.
Feeding
Really young Guppies can be fed microworms and small brine shrimp.
It is better to give your fish several small servings per day than one or two bigger ones.
If you want your Guppies to grow as large as possible, it is important to feed them a lot during the first few months of their life since this is when they go through a period of rapid growth.Select parents wisely for each generation
Do not let your Guppies breed randomly. Select your best males and females and only allow them to breed. Harem breeding is not recommended. Collect the best specimens from 1-2 batches, and then move on to the next generation.
Selecting the right male Guppy
Some Guppy breeders automatically allow the first male that matures to breed, but this is not advisable. The first male might not be the best one, and it is also true that the first Guppy that reaches sexual maturity rarely grow as big as the more slowly maturing males.
Selecting the right female Guppy
The right female is not necessarily the best looking female, since you need a female that will produce great offspring – including great male offspring. Breed each of your various types of females to the same good male and raise the different batches separately. This way, you will know which type of female that you should pick for future generations. Use the female type that has produces the very best male Guppies.
Related strains
It is recommended to keep a related strain of Guppies. Too much interbreeding can be harmful for a strain, it is a good idea to occasionally cross two related strains. Preferably use related Guppy strains of the same color. Interbreeding will lead to a high percentage of deformed fish, (e.g.) fish with hernias or bent spines. A low fertility rate is also a warning sign of too much interbreeding.
If you want to breed healthy quality Guppies, you have to be patient. Improving the quality of a strain is a slow process, and it can sometimes be easy to forget about the long row of tiny improvements that you have achieved from generation to generation. (Photographing is a good way of keeping track!) Picking the right fishes for future breeding and providing your Guppies with ideal care is therefore very important. So every once in a while between frys, add a new guppy into your fishtank to decrese the chance of this. Hope this helps, ask if you have any questions.
