Coryd55

I have a empty 20 gallon and a empty 30 gallon. The 20 gallon isn't set up yet but the 30 is. I want to breed guppies so I can sell them to a LFS. I am running low on money and my mom said she prolly wont drive me back and forth from a job. So I need an alternative. I was thinking the 30 gallon as a tank for the breeding to happen and the 20 as a grow out tank. Also what are your opinions on separating the males and females as to keep the females virgins. What benefits does that give. Let me know any suggestions, ideas, all that good stuff.

Thanks

Cody

well it depends. do you want to take a strian of guppies or fancy guppies. if you start with some of the strains of guppies you can make some of you own desinger guppies find some nice females. i would get about ten nice looking females try to get the nicest looking ones you can and then get about 2 males you want ot have more females so the females dont get to stressed from to many males. guppies love to breed so dont worry about not haveing enough males. its not to hard to do is mainly about just trying to get a nice mix

Coryd55

I am not sure if I want to keep a strain. It doesn't have to be because they are just going to a LFS not being shipped individually as high quality fish. They would not be low quality but they wouldn't be super fancy specific strain etc. I think I iwll just pick out some nice females and males and have them in the 29 that is empty. Then I will use the 20 gallon as a grow out tank.

Suggestions or more comments?

Also how many fish could I fit comfortably in the 29. I was thinking like 10 or 12 females and 2-3 males?

Chief_waterchanger

Cory, here are my suggestions towards keeping the females virgins.

When the fry are born you take them immediately to the other tank, but some males have been known to be ready to 'go' as young as 2-3 months of age. What you do to avoid that is as soon as you can sex the fry (usually 3 weeks.. maybe 4) you pull all of one gender out, make sure to keep a check on them daily so that you are sure you got them all. That would then require 3 tanks (one for adults to breed in, one for female virgins, one for males.)

I am unsure why you want them to remain virgins? Is the fishstore going to keep the females seperate? Most stores toss both genders together.

Dino

Virgin females are only needed if you are working toward a set goal ( line breeding).
Selling to a pet shop, there would be no need to seperate the sexes in the young.

Coryd55

Ok. I kept reading about seperating them as soon as possible to keep them virgins but was unsure of the reason. I also figured that I dont need to since I am not trying to keep a line going and it is goign to the store who will just throw them in together. Stocking?

Dino

2 trios in the 29 should get you going well.

By not overstocking and allowing the fish plenty of room, you should get bigger spawns.

ninilie

How do go about figuring out which stores in your area will buy fish? Im guessing you have to go ask each one. Anyone know of one in san diego that buys fish or gives store credit? Sorry dont mean to hyjack but this is a very interesting subject. Please keep us posted on your progress Cory.

Coryd55

Yea. just call and ask if they will take fish and at what age/size. Also if it is jsut store credit or if they will actually pay you or if they only trade. I don't knwo of any in San Diego, I am on opp side of US. And will do.

So 2 trios would be 2 males and 4 females. I might just mix some random colors, rather than make a specific color stick. Also just outbreed and inbreed diff colors and see what happens.

Dino

Most stores do not care as long as they are colorful.

Cody

my lfs guy said the key is that when you look at the fish, would you say yeah id pay a few dollars for that.you just want somthing that you think you would by

Chief_waterchanger

Most stores are that way. Dino and I will have specific strains seperated and not do the jumbled mix of color tanks that most of the stores do, but when selling to the majority of the fishkeeping world they aren't in it for breeding a specific strain to show-quality, only for keeping something colorful that swims.

(Not saying that in a negative way, just pointing out that mine and Dino's motives are not that of the majority of the fishkeeping world, therefore we are a bit biased on the issue. )

guppiemaster892

I would just keep them in the bigger tank so it would give them room and so you can get babies.

ninilie

I bought 3 males and 4 females at Petsmart on sunday. So far i lost one male and one of the females is unaccounted for. I put them in a cycled tank but i guess they were stressed. Now on closer look and after alittle reading im afraid the females i bought might be males. Because they have pretty good color and looks like they have a pointed fin. I guess i will wait and see. Now i understand i should have bought them at two different stores. Not sure if i should go out this weekend and buy a female or two or just wait. We have a nice LFS called Fountains here that i might make a trip too. Its just farther then the chain stores.

Dino

Most chain stores get their fish from the same wholesalers.
Buying from different stores does not mean you will get fish from different sources.

However, since these fish are raised in acre ponds, the chance of them being related is small.

ninilie

Ok that makes sense. Thanks Dino. I will probally go to this other store to buy from since i believe they will give me store credit for a pleco and eel that i rescued and have no room for. Even if they dont give me any credit i will just try to give them to them for free.