Will keeping guppy fry in a breeding tank too long keep them from growing?
About the fry: I’ve had ten guppy fry in one of those plastic floating breeding tanks for a few months now. I would give measurements of the biggest and smallest fry, but it’s very hard to get a good measurement. I’ve been afraid to let them into the tank because I don’t want them to get stuck on the filter or eaten or get stuck under the rocks [I have both gravel and those glass marble-type things usually used for beta fish]. I’m planning to remove the marble things soon though.
About the tank: I just bought two goldfish instead of dwarf puffer fish to get rid of my aquarium snails because my local pet store no longer carries them. They’re about 7cm long and loving the snails. I also have one female guppy in the tank. I believe the tank is between 30G and 40G.
SO, my questions are:
1. Will the fry be able to grow full-size after being in the breeder this long?
2. Are the goldfish likely to try to eat the fry if I release them?
3. Are the goldfish likely to be aggressive towards male guppies? [I plan on buying more guppies soon] So far they have left my female alone.
4. In general, what should I do?
Sorry that the explanation took so long; I figure I’ll get more specific answers with more specific details. Any and all advice is appreciated!
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Yes yes yes and NO Clue
oh my
1.. your guppy should have no problem growing even though its a confined space cos guppies are hardy type of fishes.
2. its a NO NO to add guppy wif goldfish cos the guppy will BE eaten by the goldfish regardless of fry or an adult fish!
3. about this im not so sure cos like i said in point 2 never add guppy wif goldfish (trust me on this)
4. what kind of information you need??
1. Yes, they will be able to grow to full size in the TANK, but I’m very sure they won’t be able to grow to full size in the breeder thing, depending on how big it is
2. The goldfish WILL eat the fry, goldfish will eat anything that can fit in their mouths
3. No, I don’t see any reason why they should be aggressive toward the males, or even any other fish that isn’t too small. They might nip a bit on the grown guppies, but I doubt they’ll do any real damage… If the off chance they do, oh well, a free gourmet meal for the goldfish
4. I’d get rid of the goldfish, sell them back to the pet store, Goldfish rarely actually eat snails, but its not unheard of, you can probably get a better snail eater in the form of a clown loach.
Even if you wanted to keep the goldfish, you’d have to upgrade your tank. You’d need at least a 45 gallon for the goldfish, and for the clown loaches, you’d need even bigger, so if you’re willing to try the clown loach method, ask your pet store if you can just borrow them for a while (offer to pay a bit for renting them? haha).
Either way, take the goldfish back, and find an alternate method of getting rid of them. Eventually the snails decrease to a manageable number, and then they help clean your tank. I decided to give up on the battle with my snails. If not, you can just look up methods on google.
Basically, get rid of the goldfish, let the fry lose (make sure there’s plenty of hiding spaces so mom doesn’t get them) and you’ll be good to go. Also, there’s no real danger of them getting stuck in the filter if they’re as old as you say they are. If you’re really worried, put some sponge over the filter intake.
No this will not stunt his/her growth they will just get crammed in.
i let my guppies out of the breeder box after about 5 weeks. at this age they will not get caught in the filter. i think you will be safe. the goldfish will quickly lose interest in chasing the babies as they are vegetarians.
1- the guppies should grow normally in the net as they have the same water condtions as the rest of the tank. So they aren’t stuck in a 1/2 gal tank with poor water condtions
2 – Yes, goldfish will eat anything that they can fit in their mouth.
3 – Yes – they are likely to try and eat anything they even remotely think will fit in theri mouth.
4 – get rid of the goldfish, they may be OK now, but they grow into large messy fish.
Then rear the guppy fry you have already. They will grow and multiply to fill your tank, no matter what size it is. Even though you dont have a male guppy the female will probably have several more broods, the can store sperm for months.
Make a snail trap to control the snails. A puffer would wipe them out, but also your guppies, so it’s lucky you didn’t get one.
Ian