Hi, I just recently started keeping guppies. I have a female that is very pregnant and I have her in a net breeder thing to keep her away from the other fish, so the babies don't become snacks. She is ready to have them anytime now. The sales person at the pet store told me to keep mama fish in with the fry for about a week and then take her out. I know daddy has to come out or he will eat the babies. I already took him out. But has anybody else ever heard that? I thought mama had to come out after she was done giving birth or she would eat the babies too. What do I do?? Thanks for any help out there!!
Guppy Momma Drama
- Thread starter marylousnews
- Start date
If you plan to raise the fry, I would suggest not using the net at all. If you provide plenty of cover in the way of rockwork, driftwood (real or fake) and plants (real or fake, planted or left floating), you will be able to save far more fry. Keeping the female in a net will stress her out more likely, and stress can lead to aborting the fry. Keeping her in until the fry are a week old will almost guarantee you zero fry, as she will eat them just as the male (or most any other fish) will.
I would not suggest you take the advice given by the sales person.
I would not suggest you take the advice given by the sales person.
Hi marylousnews
I use 1-2 Baby Fish Breeder Nets at times kept in my main tank when the mommy guppies are about to have babies
My guppies have babies on average every 28 - 32 days so I note which and when to have an idea of when to place a mommy to be into one of the Baby Fish Breeder Nets
They do not like to be closed in and have jumped out more than once
Converted them from the plate hooking over the side to rubber suckers (type you use to neaten your air pipes in the tank - usually clips right on)
This way I can move them anywhere in the tank and are not bound to just certain areas
The main tank has 6 females and 3 males (guppy wise)
When the fry arrive I wait until it appears that mommy has played her part and then remove them immediately and place them in a separate fish tank (small 2 gallon tank I have solely for the fry)
I keep both Molly and Guppy fry in the small tank
In the past 3 months I have built up just over 70 babies all doing fine (4 of them Mollies)
Sunday was the 1st time one of the mommies had 29 babies
Why have 70 baby guppies?
When their colors start to show I choose the ones I want and donate the others to a nearby Pet Shop
In the past 3 months I have not lost a single baby guppy
Have I left them in the main tank my 110mm goldfish would have eaten them all
If you do not have much larger than guppy fish in the tank with lots of plants then you can leave them in the main tank as OC suggests
Enjoy!
I use 1-2 Baby Fish Breeder Nets at times kept in my main tank when the mommy guppies are about to have babies
My guppies have babies on average every 28 - 32 days so I note which and when to have an idea of when to place a mommy to be into one of the Baby Fish Breeder Nets
They do not like to be closed in and have jumped out more than once
Converted them from the plate hooking over the side to rubber suckers (type you use to neaten your air pipes in the tank - usually clips right on)
This way I can move them anywhere in the tank and are not bound to just certain areas
The main tank has 6 females and 3 males (guppy wise)
When the fry arrive I wait until it appears that mommy has played her part and then remove them immediately and place them in a separate fish tank (small 2 gallon tank I have solely for the fry)
I keep both Molly and Guppy fry in the small tank
In the past 3 months I have built up just over 70 babies all doing fine (4 of them Mollies)
Sunday was the 1st time one of the mommies had 29 babies
Why have 70 baby guppies?
When their colors start to show I choose the ones I want and donate the others to a nearby Pet Shop
In the past 3 months I have not lost a single baby guppy
Have I left them in the main tank my 110mm goldfish would have eaten them all
If you do not have much larger than guppy fish in the tank with lots of plants then you can leave them in the main tank as OC suggests
Enjoy!