Guppy Farming Guide For Gbf

Guppies are a popular choice for fish enthusiasts due to their vibrant colours, lively personalities, and ease of breeding. They are also inexpensive, with prices ranging from $3 at a pet store to several hundred dollars for a specialty breed. If you're looking to breed guppies, it's recommended to start with one male and two to three females. Guppies breed rapidly, so you won't need to do much to encourage them. However, you should provide a tank with gentle filtration and lots of cover for the baby guppies, or fry, to hide in. Java moss is a good option for cover, as it's easy to grow and provides an escape for babies from bigger fish. Guppies typically breed every 30 days, and the female will have a dark mark on her abdomen when she is pregnant.

Tank size and setup

Guppies are highly adaptable and can be kept in a wide range of tank sizes. However, they are social fish and should not be kept alone or in a small fishbowl. The general rule of thumb is to provide at least one gallon of water per inch of fish, with a minimum tank size of five gallons for a trio of guppies. This means that for every additional adult guppy, you will need to add one gallon of water to your tank. So, for example, if you have five guppies, a ten-gallon tank would be suitable.

If you plan on breeding your guppies, a larger tank of around 10-20 gallons is recommended in the long run, as guppies reproduce quickly. When selecting a breeding tank, choose one with a gentle filter to prevent the baby guppies, or fry, from being sucked up. It is also important to provide hiding places for the fry, as guppy parents can become cannibalistic. Low-floating plants, such as Java moss, are ideal for this purpose, as they provide cover for the fry, which tend to sink. Some high cover is also necessary, as healthy fry will swim upwards.

In addition to tank size and setup, water parameters and water quality are crucial for the health and well-being of guppies. Guppies thrive in warm freshwater environments, with a temperature range of 74-82°F (23-28°C). An aquarium heater is recommended to maintain this temperature range, as it can help extend the lifespan of your guppies. Guppies also prefer hard water with a pH of 7.0 or greater and good amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other essential minerals.

To establish a healthy habitat for your guppies, it is important to cycle the tank before adding them. This involves developing beneficial bacteria that help maintain water quality. You can do this by adding pure ammonia to the tank and testing the water every other day, making sure to maintain ammonia levels at three parts per million. After about a week, start testing for nitrites, which indicate that bacteria are starting to grow and consume the ammonia. Eventually, you should see ammonia and nitrite levels drop, and nitrate levels rise and plateau. At this point, you have completed the nitrogen cycle and your tank is ready for your guppies.

Tank maintenance

Guppies are a relatively low-maintenance fish, but there are still a few things to keep in mind to ensure your tank is a healthy environment for them.

Firstly, it's important to keep the water in the tank dechlorinated. You can do this by letting it sit with the lid open for about a week to let the chlorine evaporate, or you can buy a dechlorinating kit from your local pet supply store. You should also invest in a chlorine testing kit to ensure the water is completely free of chlorine before adding your guppies.

The water temperature should be maintained between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or 24 to 28 degrees Celsius). You can purchase a small heater to place in the tank if the temperature needs to be raised. Avoid placing the tank in direct sunlight as this can cause the water to overheat. Instead, use artificial light to illuminate the tank.

A filtration system is also necessary for your guppies' tank. Most aquarium tanks will come equipped with one, but you can always purchase a separate one if needed. Be sure to change the filter media when it turns brown. Additionally, an airstone can be added to help oxygenate the water, especially if you have a larger tank or a greater number of fish.

It's recommended to keep the tank lit for about 8 hours a day, with the remaining time in darkness. This will ensure your guppies get the right amount of light and rest, as too much or too little light can cause deformities. You can use a timer to control the lighting or turn the light on and off manually.

In terms of tank decorations, it's best to use live plants as they help filter toxins and add oxygen to the water. Guppies also like to have places to hide, so be sure to include some rocks or other ornaments that serve this purpose. Just make sure to firmly set any decorations in the gravel to prevent them from falling over and potentially hurting your fish.

Finally, regular cleaning and maintenance are crucial. Clean the tank once a week by changing about 25% of the water and replacing it with fresh, dechlorinated water. Use a siphon hose to vacuum up any leftover food or algae from the bottom of the tank. Additionally, monitor your guppies for any signs of illness or disease, and quarantine any sick fish to prevent the spread of infection.

Feeding

It is recommended to feed adult guppies once or twice a day, providing as much food as they can eat in one minute. It is important not to overfeed them, as this can lead to constipation and other health issues. A good indicator of whether you are overfeeding is if there is still food left in the tank after two minutes, or if there is excess food sitting in the water, as this can make your guppies sick.

When it comes to feeding baby guppies, or fry, they should be fed more frequently, with three to five feedings per day. Each meal should be smaller in amount to avoid fouling the water. Newborn fry should be fed brine shrimp to ensure they reach their growth potential. As they get older, their diet can include micro-worms, powdered flakes, and boiled spinach as a treat.

It is also important to note that frozen and live food is digested more easily by guppies than flake food, so larger portions of these can be fed. Additionally, a diet that is too rich in protein can cause constipation and a build-up of toxins in the gut, so it is important to maintain a balanced diet.

Breeding

Guppies are easy to breed, but with a little care, you can optimise your chances of having a healthy, vibrant stock.

First, select the fish you want to breed. Keep in mind the number of fish, their colouring, and the shape of their tails. If you choose two fish to breed who have the same colour patterns, the fry will also have that colour pattern. The same principle applies to fin shape. Generally, you will want to select one male and two or three female guppies for breeding. When there is a ratio of one-to-one, the male often becomes aggressive, chasing the female around the tank. With a one-to-three ratio, the male's attention is split between three females, making breeding a less stressful process for the females.

Guppies are typically four months old before they can be bred. They give birth to live babies and not eggs, and the gestation period will take 26 to 31 days. When your female guppy is ready to give birth, her stomach will be very large and her gravid spot will be a deep black (or dark maroon if you are breeding albino or blond guppies). Her stomach will also square off like a cardboard box rather than growing rounder.

You should select a 10- to 20-gallon tank with a heater and a gentle filter. Guppy fry tend to sink, so use low-floating plants for their cover. Some high cover is also required as healthy fry will swim upwards. Do not use any substrate—a bare-bottom tank is good for fry as it cleans easily and you can record how many fry are alive or how much they eat. Java moss or spawning moss provides a nice hiding spot for guppy fry.

Set the temperature to around 77–80°F (25–26.66°C) while the females and male are in the tank together. Before you place the guppies in the breeding tank, purchase food with a higher nutritional value in order to promote healthy breeding.

Place the guppies in the breeding tank and wait for your fish to breed. Place the male back in the regular tank when you notice that your female(s) are pregnant. You can tell whether a female fish is pregnant by looking to see if there is a dark mark on her abdomen. This mark is called a gravid spot. All female fish will develop this when pregnant, but it becomes noticeably darker when the eggs have been fertilised.

Know when your fish is about to give birth. Some signs of a fish going into labour are: being very still and secluding herself, shivering (contractions), hanging out near the heater, or a change in appetite (including refusing to eat, or spitting her food out).

Remove your female fish from the breeding tank once the fry have been born. While this may seem cruel, guppy fry are born fully prepared to survive on their own. Also, as stated above, mother guppies can occasionally become cannibalistic and will eat their babies.

Keep the tank clean and at a healthy temperature. Fry need to live in a tank that is around 78°F (25.5°C). Keep your tank at this temperature until the fry are fully grown. The tank will also need to be cleaned often. Siphon the tank carefully every time it gets too dirty and do 40% water changes every few days to keep the water clean.

Feed the fry the right food. Guppy fry eat brine shrimp, micro-worms or powdered flakes. They should be fed twice a day. Guppies enjoy both meat and vegetables. You should feed your guppies vegetable flakes, as well as standard flakes. Remember that fry are tiny and if you place too much food in the tank, the excess food that goes bad while sitting in the water could make your fry sick, or even kill them.

Newborn fry should be fed recently hatched brine shrimp so that the guppies reach their greatest growth potential. If you want to give your guppies a treat, place a small amount of boiled spinach in their tank.

Health

Guppies are a hardy species that can be kept by beginners and experienced fishkeepers alike. They are easy to breed and can be bred to display almost every colour, pattern, and fin type imaginable.

Tank Setup

A breeding setup should be designed for easy maintenance. Small tanks will suffice: 25 litres for a breeding trio and 36-45 litres for growing. As a rule of thumb, allow 2.5 cm of fish per gallon to allow your fish to achieve their full potential.

Some enthusiasts opt for higher stocking levels, which is fine if you carry out more frequent water changes. Don't push your luck as you could end up with stunted, poor-quality fish.

For filtration, air-driven corner filters or sponge filters with plenty of airflow are recommended. This strong flow forces the fish to develop strong muscles, especially in the caudal peduncle, which helps the delta varieties hold their tails in a more natural way.

Ideal water parameters are pH 7.2 (normal range 6.8-7.8); 8-12 degrees GH (normal range 4-20 degrees GH); and a temperature for fry of 25.5° C, juveniles (four to eight months) of 24.5° C, and adults at 23.5° C (normal range 10-29° C).

Guppies need 12 hours of lighting each day, best provided using 30-40W fluorescents mounted above your tanks.

Food and Feeding

Guppies are omnivores, so offer as wide a range of quality flake food, live and frozen foods as possible. It is better to feed small amounts every few hours than one large feed. Frozen and live food are digested easier than flake food, so can be fed in larger portions. As a guide, if your fish do not eat all the food you put in the tank in two minutes, you are probably overfeeding them.

If you overfeed your Guppies, the excess food passes through the gut without being properly digested and will foul the tank. Try to avoid feeding a diet rich in protein as this can cause constipation, causing a build-up of toxins in the fish's gut.

Water Changes

Fish create waste, and this waste creates both good and bad bacteria. If waste builds up within the tank, eventually the bad bacteria will outnumber the good and the water conditions will start to fail. Correspondingly, your Guppies' fins and health will deteriorate. Regular water changes are a must. A good rule of thumb is to carry out weekly changes of 25%.

Breeding

Guppies breed rapidly and require little intervention. To breed, keep male and female guppies together in a well-maintained tank. Male guppies are usually brighter and more vivid in colour than female guppies, and they’re usually smaller.

The gestation period for guppy fry is 21 to 30 days. One week before a female is about to give birth, or when you start to notice its belly developing an angular shape, move it to a separate breeding tank. Leave the bottom of the tank bare, and add a few plants like Java moss so the fry have somewhere to hide after they’re born. Once the fry are born, remove the mother from the breeding tank so it doesn’t eat the fry.

Guppies are typically four months old before they can be bred.

Frequently asked questions