Starting guppy breeding. Help please :)

[Freshyfishy]

DISCLAIMER : I AM NOT MASS BREEDING!

I have a 25 gallon tank that I want to use as a birthing/nursery tank. My main tank is an 85 gallon aquarium and holds some fish (the current guppies).
First set of questions:
How do I cover the filter intake without buying a sponge filter?
should I remove the gravel from the tank to get a bare bottom and just fill in with plants?
Is this more efficent than a bunch of breeding nets?

I also have some basic questions about breeding

next set of questions:
How do I create pairs?
If I just let them free-breed, will they pick better colors?
If I let them free-breed, is inbreeding a large issue?
How do I pair them up (but not with the same type of guppy) to create a more colorful and valuable guppy?
How do I create my own strain of guppy, and how do I know if its a new strain?
Am I allowed to name the guppies type despite the name everyone else calls them if I sell them?
Am I allowed to name my own strain of guppies?
If I name my strain, will other people obay the strain name or not?
where do i find the best low price BULK fry food?


I have one more unrelated question.
I have a 45 gallon tank that I found. could I put the filter from my 25 gallon (its a HOB) onto the 45? I would do this so the space was larger for the fry and so i could divide and have a birthing spot for females and not risk some being eaten.

My plan for the birthing and fry tank is, basically a collection box. The first female gives birth, I remove and place her back in main tank, I raise fry. Next female goes into labor, I place her in there with the growing fry so she gives birth, then remove her into the main tank. So on and so forth. I was thinking with the 45, I would divide female into one section so other fry are on the other side, have her give birth, then remove divider. I could also just have the female give birth in the net, then release babies and put her back in main.

any better ideas?

 

[emeraldking]

You can use a piece of a stocking to cover the inlet of your filter.
Using gravel, substrate or a bare bottom is of nu issue for breeding purposes.
How to create pairs? That's totally up to you. But if you use a female that you've bought at an lfs, it's probably already mated with a male. So, if you'll put a new male with her, you won't know if he'll the father of the new offspring. Try to get virgin females instead to be sure that the male chosen will be the father of the new offspring.
If you let them free-breed (as you call it), the outcome of the new offspring can be a real surprise. No one can tell you what the outcome will be.
Crossing two different types of guppies, won't always show the desired traits in your new guppy offspring. If you look at just their phenotype (their appearance), doesn't say right away that it's the same genotype (type of genes they carry). And you should know which trait will be dominant over the other one.
You can set up your own new guppy strain by time and multiple tank investment. And select in every generation the most suitable specimens that will bring you to the desired traits. This is called linebreeding. This is needed if you want to create a new guppy strain which breeds true. You can not speak about a new strain yet if you just cross two different types of guppy. For I can tell you that the next generation (if you continue to breed in the same bloodline), specimens will look different from eachother.
You're allowed to give your own strain a name. Once you sell your guppies, others can name them differently. That's the reality.
Where to buy the best bulk food? I'm not familiar with food providers in your area.
Fry risk to get eaten? That depends on the adults. There are guppies which will leave the fry alone and there are guppies that will eat those fry. It really differs per individual guppy.

My impression of you is that you'd like to do a lot at once and fast. Which is okay. But what I got from you is that you're a novice guppy keeper and don't know how to give yourself the time to do things in stages. Setting up a new guppy strain takes a serious investment in time. And you should know at least something of the basic guppy genetics. But you don't need this knowledge if you'd breed randomly.

I always encourage people's enthusiasm. But too enthusiastic can also be a downfall. And that can lead to disappointment...

 

[ghyti]

I have heard guppy breeders say you need 8 tanks per strain if you want to do it right. If you let them "free breed" the line will deteriorate and lose much color. To breed properly you need a breeding tank, a tank to raise the babies, a tank to raise males you want to keep, a tank to raise females you want to keep and a tank to hold the ones for sale. It is imperative that the females be separated from the males before they are old enough to breed. You should only use virgin females paired with the males you want them to breed with. To make pairs, just put a male and female together. Kens fish has bulk food for reasonable prices.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Stainless Steel Mesh Pre-Filter Intake Guards For Aquariums Shrimps Tanks

www.jungleaquashrimp.com