Major Guppy Overpopulation!

[scottrunsxc]

A couple years ago I got a 5 gallon tank with about 5 guppies in it. They've gradually multiplied and I've gradually expanded. I now have a 2 gallon tank, (2) 5 gallon tanks, a 10 gallon, and a 20 gallon all of which are beyond capacity. It seems that over the last month or so the population has REALLY exploded. All of my girls are pregnant/having babies. I'm scared to even speculate how many fish I have.

I'd love to find something that can live in a 20 gallon tank and loves to eat guppies! Is there any other way you guys can think of to cut my population. I've given as many away as I can find homes for, I don't have any heaters on that would promote breeding, I've fed probably 100 to a friends turtle (but that friend moved away), I actually bought a turtle but he was friends with the guppies (apparently a vegetarian turtle) I managed to find a good home for the turtle, but I've still got myself a mess with the guppies. Is there any suggestions you guys can come up with? Anything that can comfortably live in a 20 gallon tank and enjoys feeding on guppies? I can't bare to start randomly killing them, but it honestly seems like the most humane thing to do. They cannot continue to reproduce at their current rate without causing major problems.

Thanks in advance for your help. Lord knows I need it!

 

[Danno]

Guppies reproduce expodentially. The way it is going you will need a 100 gallon tank! You need to start culling fry, i.e. SMUSH. I can't think of anything that is aggresive enough that fits in a 20 gallon tank.

 

[Zeoth]

If u ever get a bigger tank (75gal or higher) U could feed them to Oscars. They will eat praticaly anything that fits into thier mouths! Or have u tries selling them to ur LFS? They somtimes buy fish from ocal breeders.

 

[dc3]

A puffer??? or a pair of Angles - they INHALE guppies... both will fit in a 20g... for now, then you can blame your pre-existing MTS to get a 40g

 

[OrganizedChaos69]

Large angelfish. Leopard Gouramis, Or Black Ghost Knifefish are some that can help.

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Mmm, I remember that some people keep Angelfish with their guppies, as the fry (and parents) enjoy eating the guppy fry. However, they do need a bigger tank then a 20g, I'd say at least a 30 gallon?
Along that vein though, a lot of fish will gladly eat the guppy babies, and therefore keep the population stable.

Some catfish may also do the same thing - many are predatory, and would definitely appreciate the fry. Again though, I'm not sure on which ones fit in a 20g.

Ohh, and hey, there's some oddballs that fit. Dwarf puffers are one, and are adorable and have great personalities.
Or, you could go completely different and get something like a crayfish, haha.

 

[scottrunsxc]

Thanks for the input, I'll definitely look into some of those options. I was leaning toward the angelfish, but it appears they like a deep aquarium. My tank is a 20 long, which is fairly shallow I really don't want to upgrade to a bigger tank and I'd hate to put something in a tank that's too small for the fish.

 

[scottrunsxc]

I thought I'd stop by to give an update on the situation. I moved all my fish around, cleared out the 20 gallon tank, except for the baby guppies and went to find something to eat them. I talked to a guy at PetSmart, told him my situation, and he suggested a Jack Dempsey. After getting him home and doing a little research I was concerned about the tank size, but he seems to be doing quite well so far *fingers crossed*. He's been mowing down the population. I was actually happy to find another 20-30 new babies in another tank. I'm planning to give them a few months to grow before moving over to the feeding tank. I'm trying to work it out so I can keep him a constant food supply Thanks again for the help.

 

[Danno]

You put a Jack Dempsey in a 20 gallon tanks........?

 

[scottrunsxc]

Yes. I thought I made that clear? Thanks for the constructive comment.

 

[Amunet]

Pretty sure that fish is going to outgrow the 20gal. I've never owned one before, but read up on them and if I remember right, they can get pretty large.

 

[poopsydrew]

But all you said was you were concerned about tank size. Your tank isnt big enough. Just becomes he "seems to be doing ok, with your fingers crossed" doesnt mean he is. Why dont you just see if the lfs will take it back or get a larger tank. Keeping it in that tank will only stunt it and lead to a shorter life. Why dont you do whats right for the fish here instead of what you want.

Drew

 

[Zeoth]

Pretty sure that fish is going to outgrow the 20gal.

Ur not pretty sure- ur 100% correct. Jack Dempseys need tanks of a minmum of 75 gallons or higher. Some ppl on this forum reccomend a minimum of 120 gal even( though I'm a bit sceptic of that figure ) Plus Jack Dempseys r very aggresive fish, hence thier names, although there have been reports of some midly tempered JD's.

 

[MikeMorris]

Wer u at scottrunsxc?
I could take some off ur hands

 

[Danno]

Yes. I thought I made that clear? Thanks for the constructive comment.

That was constructive actually. Those puppies get to 9 inches long.