Kashim

Ever since one of my guppies got pregnant, the other 5 (both males and females) have been harassing her non-stop. I'm actually surprised she was able to survive 2+ weeks of constant harassment, but today she finally gave birth. I found 4 tiny guppies hiding behind the heater earlier. I'm not sure how many (if any) got eaten, but the pregnant one doesn't look much smaller than before. So I assume there are lots more on the way.

The newborn are surprisingly agile. I saw them get chased several times by guppies (including the mother!), my gourami, cherry barbs and even my neon tetras. About six hours after I discovered the little ones, none of them have been eaten so far. Sometimes they stray from the heater and get chased, but they always manage to escape and run back to the heater.

I don't really know what to do about the fry though. I'd hate to see them get eaten, but I can't really keep them either. My tank is already slightly overstock (55 gallon with 58 inches worth of fish) and the full grown guppies are kind of annoying. But these little guys are so adorable. I was watching them get chased and I was rooting for them not to get eaten.

I put one of those plastic breeding boxes into the water, near the heater so there's only a small gap and the fry can hide better. Tomorrow I plan to catch some of the fry and put them inside the breeding box. The box only has holes in the bottom, so the fry could get out, but from what I've seen, they mostly stay near the water surface. Doing this would very much increase their chances of survival.

Like I said, I don't want my tank to be full of guppies, so I don't know what I should do. I really want to watch those little guys grow though. Any suggestions? I'm considering getting a small 19 gallon tank just for my guppies, but I'm not sure.

heartsongsinger

The mother will eat her fry. Guppies are also constantly pregnant after they get pregnant for the first time. It would increase their chance of survival. If you don't want the fry talk to an LFS in your area. I have one near me that will take the fry off my hands when they're about 1 in. I get store credit for the fish I bring in.