Livebeares?

[richard_mincher]

hi there, i was going to put this in the livebeares forum, but them i though again, so im not sure where it should be but, well:
i have read that some people keep livebearers such a guppies and mollies to produce fry to actually feed their other fish... is this a good idea, if so i really want to get in on this... So my question is will mollis or guppies (fully grown, not fry) get on in my tank, it contains: 1 large common pleco, 1 gold gourami, 2 black phantom tetras, and am getting angel fish, [by the way are the black phantom tetras ok with angel fish or should i move them to my other 'tetra tank,'] will they all be 'nice' to the mollies or guppies? and will they all just 'share' the fry when they hatch... i mean will they all get a feed... this way i do not have to buy fry continously, it's like a mini ecosytem?? by the way, this is just an idea i have come up with afte reading other articles and things... please if this is considered barbaric, tell me!!! thanks in advance...

 

[MegTheFish]

Thats actually a great idea in my opinion, and many people do it. How many gallons does your tank hold? Also, I would like to point out that do you know that your common pleco will eventaully reach 18-24", and that your phantom tetras are schooling fish, so should be in a larger group? You might want to fix these problems before adding any livebearers.

 

[snowyangel]

The angel and tetras(which you should increase the school to about 5 tetras) may become nippy towards male guppy tails as they are long and flowing, mollies might be less tempting. Just becareful as some mollies(like sailfins) can reach 6 inches. Also remember that the parents themselves will quickly eat their own fry so their may not be too many leftover.
An easier meaty and nutrious food source you could try it just buying frozen live food, often found in a freezer in the fish section.

 

[richard_mincher]

interesting...so you reckon i should increase the phantoms to about 5... done! lol, now the pleco, unfortunately i do know he can grow that big, but i just can't give him up just now.. Also i checked and my tank holds: 39gallons (imperial) and 47gallons (US). now the angel fish... i know that they often don't get on so i was only going to get 1... but then i saw in my local petsathome that they have about 3 small angel fish in the same tank, and i watched them for a bout 10mins and they just milled around beside each other, they seem to like each other...? is this a bad idea to get 2? Also i'll try and go for the smallest mollies i can find, lol. thanks for the headsup, did not think about that before, thanks all for all the help, it did actually really help, and please if you have anything else to say, i always need advice, lol.

 

[snowyangel]

Yes angels get along with other angels if given enough space, but if they make a pair (male and female) they may become more aggressive towards other angels and fish as they may want to spawn. Also angels as youngsters are more docile and timid as with most youngsters, but as they mature they claim territories and become more dominant in their tanks. Angels aren't like tetras in the fact that they dont need to be in schools and benefit as much from them.