redlessi

A quick update on my guppy situation. After replacing 2 different batches of guppies, I now have 1 male (macho man) and 4 females. I am not really sure which one because 2 look pregnant but someone is a mom. I have spotted 3-4 fry in the tank. :. I did not think it was time for the fry yet but she surprised me. So of course I did not have time to put her in a breeder net or anything and I have not been succesful in catching the fry to separate them either.

So my questions?? What is the likelihood of these surviving in the main tank? I have tried to grind up the flakes, will they get them and eat? One female has stopped eating and still looks pregnant so I think she is the mom, will she have more fry? Should I separate her or just let her be since some fry are already in the tank?

Thanks

bolivianbaby

I've never bred guppies and I had the same experience with my platy. I was able to catch two fry, but that was just luck.

Congratulations on the fry and hopefully one of the resident "livebearing" experts will be along shortly.

redlessi

When I got home from work the mom was struggling and soon after died. She still looked pregnant. I think I saw about 5-6 fry. They are so fast I am not sure if I am counting the same ones twice. I did the partial water change after I removed the mom from the tank. I tried to catch some of the fry with no luck, they are tooooo fast.

How can I tell if they are eating

Hope some of them survive in the tank!!.

bolivianbaby

Can you put some finely crushed brine shrimp in the tank? That should be small enough and some of it has to drift down to them.

redlessi

I dont have brine shrimp but what about freeze dried bloodworms?

ray_sj

Congrats on the fry! If you leave them in the tank with the adults, the best way to ensure they survive is to have a lot of plants, etc. for them to hide in. When they are born, they sink to the bottom for a while, and then they swim to the top and/or look for hiding places. Oh, and make sure you have mesh or a sponge to cover the filter intake so they don't get sucked in.

I used a floating plant to give them a hiding place. A lot of them end up hiding in it, and this is a good way to see how many there are, and catch them for moving them into their own fry tank.

I used frozen or dried baby brine shrimp as the main diet. You can also used finely crushed flakes, a tiny bit of cooked egg yolk, or even mashed peas. I can't mash freeze dried bloodoworms fine enough, so I think that may be too big. What you're feeding them should look like a powder.

Hope that helps!

redlessi

I have sponges on the filters, and plenty of plants for them which they have been hiding in. They are venturing out of the plants but only briefly. I have not had any success in catching them, so I am going to just leave them in the tank. I have ground up some of the flakes but cant tell if they are getting it as the other fish are quite greedy. Hopefully some of them will survive until I can figure out the feedings.............

Thanks much