# Breeding feeder guppies



## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

I need tips, been researching them for a few months now, but I'm afraid that the feeder guppies from the store aren't, I heard that if you breed a few generations, the fancy guppies loose their fancyness and become wild.

I want to breed them for my lotl's food  and sell them or give them away as food to others in the hobby here.

So i need tips, methods everything you can throw at me


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I breed mine in a twenty gallon tank with many plants. You should buy a few guppies from as many people as possible to have healthy guppies. If your lucky you get dwarf fancy guppies.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I breed mine in a twenty gallon tank with many plants. You should buy a few guppies from as many people as possible to have healthy guppies. If your lucky you get dwarf fancy guppies.


well i'm not really interested in fancy, just in healthy XD they are gonna be chow afterall


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

lol As far as guppies go, if you have males and females in a tank, you will get babies. Lots of them. No special procedures required. I have three young females in my 15 gallon with some males, and typically get 8-10 new fry on an almost weekly basis. I just let the females give birth in the tank and move fry to a breeding net attached to the side of the tank as I see them. However, if you have more females, you'll have more babies and therefore may want to set up a grow-out tank to hold the fry - a 2.5 gallon with a basic heater and sponge filter would house a lot of fry. I'll probably be doing this as soon as my betta is out of the 2.5 gallon hospital tank, too
The fry appreciate some form of cover to hide in - hornwort, naja grass, and java moss are pretty popular live plants for fry, but artificial plants work well too (heck, I've heard of people using acrylic yarn to simulate plants). 
My fry get pretty much the same food as the adults - I just powder it so that they can eat it. Given that you plan to use them as feeders, you'll want to feed a varied diet of high-quality food. While this may seem counterintuitive, a feeder that is healthy and has been fed well will have a far superior nutritional content than one fed poor-quality food.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

pittipuppylove said:


> lol As far as guppies go, if you have males and females in a tank, you will get babies. Lots of them. No special procedures required. I have three young females in my 15 gallon with some males, and typically get 8-10 new fry on an almost weekly basis. I just let the females give birth in the tank and move fry to a breeding net attached to the side of the tank as I see them. However, if you have more females, you'll have more babies and therefore may want to set up a grow-out tank to hold the fry - a 2.5 gallon with a basic heater and sponge filter would house a lot of fry. I'll probably be doing this as soon as my betta is out of the 2.5 gallon hospital tank, too
> The fry appreciate some form of cover to hide in - hornwort, naja grass, and java moss are pretty popular live plants for fry, but artificial plants work well too (heck, I've heard of people using acrylic yarn to simulate plants).
> My fry get pretty much the same food as the adults - I just powder it so that they can eat it. Given that you plan to use them as feeders, you'll want to feed a varied diet of high-quality food. While this may seem counterintuitive, a feeder that is healthy and has been fed well will have a far superior nutritional content than one fed poor-quality food.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I agree, what do you recommend? I was thinking live brine shrimp


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Honestly, I'm not sure - I just have a habit about gut loading feeder animals from my reptiles. Since my fry aren't specifically for feeders, I feed powdered a mix of Omega One Super Color flakes, Omega One Freshwater flakes, and Omega One First Flakes. I have frozen baby brine shrimp, but for whatever reason the fry don't seem to like them as much - but that's probably just my fry, I've know of others who love them and it's considered to be a staple food. I'm sure that live BBS would be great! Just from what I've looked up, it sounds like BBS, daphnia, vinager eels, microworms, and egg yolk paste are considered to be good fry foods.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I would use a heavily planted tank so fry can hide.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

For ultimate nutritional value, you will want to gut-pack them before feeding them. Feed them a high-quality food soaked in a vitamin supplement such as Boyd's Vita-Chem about an hour before you feed them to your lotl.

You are definitely right to be suspicious of the feeder guppies in pet stores. They are kept in crowded conditions with minimal care and most likely have parasites. >.<


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I would use a heavily planted tank so fry can hide.


I am going to remove the father and mother and take care of fry seperately  even though I have java moss they can feel safe in. Until they become chow


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Water Sprite and Crypts and maybe more make it where you dont have to remove parents. My Guppies even when given the chance will not eat fry.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Sakura8 said:


> For ultimate nutritional value, you will want to gut-pack them before feeding them. Feed them a high-quality food soaked in a vitamin supplement such as Boyd's Vita-Chem about an hour before you feed them to your lotl.
> 
> You are definitely right to be suspicious of the feeder guppies in pet stores. They are kept in crowded conditions with minimal care and most likely have parasites. >.<


Always be suspiscious of pet store fish.  That is what I've learnt here on forums  now I'm a paranoid person that goes to the store, eyes the fish and thinks "I know where you've been or do I??"


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

If you want feeder fish they have platies too.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> If you want feeder fish they have platies too.


The pet I'm trying to feed is an axolotl, there is only two types of feeder fish I'm interested in. Wild or feeder guppies and Minnows, because they are small enough, easy to breed and make a nice meal for him.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Easter mosquito fish or western mosquito fish prefer cold water and will will probably give your Anoxtol a bit of a chase.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> Easter mosquito fish or western mosquito fish prefer cold water and will will probably give your Anoxtol a bit of a chase.


I chose the fish that I have available near me at the moment, or that I can find, besides lotls are slow, at least mine is. Unless they swim near his head he won't catch it. I've been trying to see if he would eat the amano shrimp lol.

Axolotls don't go around chasing their food, they are oportunistic hunters, staying hidden and when food swims by WHAM, sucked in.

I decided to go with minnows-- though I have a small school in his tank and he doesn't bother them XD though I do feed him well.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Mosquito Fish are livebearers.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YYfZOH3a4s To me that is hunting.


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