Guppy Breeding Tips

• Solitary male guppies may not always be interested in breeding, you can sometimes spark their interest by adding some competition. Add a divider to your breeding tank and place another male guppy into this divided area (separate from the breeding male and females). The threat of this new male will often encourage your breeding male into action.
• If you are using a plastic breeder box do not place the female inside until you are sure she is close to giving birth. While the gestation period for guppies is usually about 28 days it can sometimes be up to 40 days. As you cannot be exactly sure when a female is going to give birth an extended periods in the breeding box can be stressful to the fish, this is one of the downsides to using a breeding box as opposed to a dedicated tank.
• Feed your newborn fry less more often, that is, give your fish numerous small meals throughout the day as opposed to one large meal.
• Even if a female guppy has given birth and has not been in contact with another male guppy they may give birth to additional batches of newborn. This is because guppies are capable of giving birth multiple times from just one fertilization by a male.
• You should purchase your male and female guppies from different stores to prevent inbreeding. Unfortunately the quality of guppies sold at aquariums is of a lower standard than in the past due to large amounts of inbreeding. You can help widen the gene pool by sourcing your fish from different suppliers.
• You should sterilize nets or any other implements that will be in contact with your tanks water. The best way to do this is immerse them in boiling water. Sterilization is even more important when dealing with newborn fish as they are for more sensitive to changes in water conditions.
• Guppies can sometimes give birth of up to 50 babies. You need to be prepared for this scenario by having a place for all your new fish to live. If you don't have the tank space to accommodate all of your new fish you can give them to friends or some pet shops/aquariums may even give you cash or store credit for your donation.
• Java Moss is the best plant to provide hiding spots for newborn fry. It has low light requirements and as it is a floating plant does not need to be planted in gravel.
• Certain types of filters can be dangerous to newborn fry. To prevent small fry from being sucked into a filter you can cover the inlet holes with some panty hose.