Breeding Guppies

Yes, Guppies are one of the easiest fish to breed. But that doesn't mean your going to be successful at it. Whether your breeding for fun or breeding for profit. Here are some tips that you may find useful and should help you along your journey.

Male to Female Ratio - You only need one male Guppy for every three female guppies to allow for a less stressful environment on the females. The males will frequently chase the females and can cause a lot of unwanted stress, which can also effect the yield of Fry they produce.

Tank Environment - Lots of plant material in your aquarium will help the Fry survive and give them a fighting chance as Guppies tend to eat their own Fry. Plants such as Guppy Grass and Java Moss seem to work very well in providing the proper shelter for the Fry as they further develop.

Signs of Pregnancy - A female Guppy will be pregnant for 21-30 days and can birth up to 200 Fry. Females have something called a Gravid spot near their anal fin. This Gravid spot will become darker the closer they are to giving birth. Their bellies will also grow very large in size and will become more rectangular or squared off the closer they are to giving birth.

Taking Care of Fry - It will take approximately 3 months for the Fry to become fully grown. When they are first born they can feed off micro-organisms on the surfaces of plants or left over food. Freeze dried Brine shrimp and Blood worms will promote healthy growth as they continue to get older.

A Place to Call Home - Once you have your colorful collection of Guppies, you will need to expand your tank size or the number of tanks you have as you should have no more than one Guppy per Gallon of tank size in order for your Guppies to live comfortably. If your breeding for profit, selling online or contacting your local pet store will be your best options.

Conclusion - Breeding Guppies is a great hobby and you can learn a lot as well as discover new strains or breeds of Guppies. If your planning on selling for profit, your not going to get rich quick. You will most likely just sell enough to keep your hobby relatively cost free. In order to make any sort of decent money, you will need to breed on a larger scale.