Guppy fry – how to grow and feed fry

Growing guppy fry is a fun and fulfilling hobby for both novice and experienced aquarium keepers. Despite their reputation for being resilient, these little, vibrant fish still need the right care to develop into robust adults.

The environment and feeding practices that work best for guppy fry can have a big impact on their growth and survival. You can make sure that your guppy fry grow well and get eye-catching colors with the correct method.

We’ll go over the fundamentals of raising and feeding guppy fry in this guide, so you can give your new aquarium companions the best care possible.

Guppy fry in a community aquarium

In a communal aquarium, fry of any breed typically have a very low survival rate. A large number of them pass away within hours of birth. Why is this the case?

• A large number of natural enemies, including adult representatives of the same species, incl.. parents;
• Few plants and small shelters;
• Lack of food because.. adult fish often eat everything;
• High population density in the aquarium;
• Aquarium equipment – filters and compressors. These vital devices often suck in, kill and/or maim small fish;
• Poor water quality. The immunity of fry is much weaker than that of their adult relatives, so what is normal for adult fish can cause illness and death for babies.

Therefore, it is preferable to try to catch the fry from the common aquarium and not let them survive on gravity if you are pursuing the goal of preserving the offspring but could not remove the female in time. If you have no such objective, you can observe natural selection in action firsthand! The most intelligent and quick will prevail, but don’t expect exceptional outside data from the survivors!

The degeneration of the breed is a common phenomenon resulting from uncontrolled reproduction in a communal aquarium. Generation after generation, the fish’s look deteriorates. Breed traits vanish. As a result, we advise periodically investing in new producers—fresh blood.

You must replace the water in a common aquarium twice a week in an amount equal to or greater than one-third of the overall volume if you wish to attempt saving the fry. Keep a close eye on the systems’ operation because all external factors—such as lighting, temperature, filtration, and aeration—are crucial during the maturation process. Furthermore, three times a day, slightly larger portions of a small fraction must be fed to the fish. Increase the quantity of naturally occurring shelters, or small-leaved plants, where the fry can readily become lost, if at all possible.

Caring for guppy fry

Taking care of fries is easy; all you need to keep in mind are a few basic points:

• Equip the aquarium well;
• Feed well;
• Maintain the water at the required parameters and do not change them abruptly.

Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Aquarium equipment

For the purpose of growing guppy fry, a filter, compressor, lamp, heater, and thermometer are the bare minimum of equipment. Two-in-one gadget use is more practical. You need to use a fine-grained sponge and turn on the filter at the lowest possible setting. The heater will be replaced with an incandescent lamp that is constantly supervised and has temperature monitoring. But this kind of lighting can encourage the growth of algae.

Water parameters

Although there aren’t many significant differences between fry and adult water parameters, they should be compared.

The following environmental conditions are necessary for the fry:

Guppies as adults favor:

You must select average indicators that are appropriate for both adult fish and babies in the same aquarium to ensure the latter’s good survival.

Fry from a breeding tank

Once they grow to a length of 1.5 centimeters, baby guppies born in a different container can be transferred to an adult aquarium. Now that they are big fish, very little—or almost nothing—threatens them. Every fish develops at its own pace, just like any child, so there is no set age at which relocation is necessary. For this reason, some will go to an adult jar at one month old, while others can continue in kindergarten until they are three years old! While some of the brood are colored, reaching a length of 1 cm, others have an ugly, untamed look for an extended period of time.

Prior to moving:

1. Equip as many shelters as possible in the adult aquarium;
2. Slow down the filter, it can still cause damage to small fish, although it is no longer fatal.
3. Accustom the fry to water from the adult aquarium. To do this, over 2-3 days, add water from the adult aquarium to their nursery and equalize the temperature in the two containers, if this has not been done before.

For guppy fry, a nursery that is joined to the adult aquarium is ideal. You can quickly and easily resolve the moving issue with its assistance.

A balanced diet and a well-prepared environment are the first steps in providing the necessary care and attention for raising guppy fry, which is an enjoyable experience. Your young guppies will grow healthily and have brilliant colors if you provide them regular, small feedings of high-quality food, keep the water clean, and maintain the proper temperature. You can successfully raise them into vibrant, gorgeous adult fish with the correct method.

Feeding

You must begin feeding the guppy fry as soon as possible after birth because they will only be able to consume the yolk sac’s contents for a few hours during the first stage of life, known as the neonatal period.

The fry’s main food sources during this time and the next seven days are live dust, microworms, and the yolk of boiled chicken eggs crushed into dust.

Live dust can be purchased from pet stores, breeders, or through home breeding.

During this time, feedings are done five to seven times a day, roughly at the same times. It is crucial that the guppy fry during the daytime hours at this point lasts for at least 20 hours!

Fry between the ages of 7 and 50 days are already less fussy eaters, content to eat anything that fits in their tiny mouths. Teenagers are a good fit for dry food mixtures, which are widely available at pet stores. On the other hand, babies grow noticeably faster and acquire a characteristic bright color sooner on high-quality live food. It is advisable to offer the fry bloodworms, crushed tubifex, and brine shrimp nauplii during this time. Currently, feeding them three times a day is sufficient, and daylight hours should be gradually reduced to the typical 10 to 12 hours.

When guppy fry reach 60 days of age, they are deemed conditionally adults, and their feeding schedule should align with the general aquarium fish diet.

How guppies grow

The unequal development of children from a single litter has already been discussed. Nonetheless, these are the average growth parameters:

• 1 day 2 – 5 mm.,
• 1 week 7 – 10 mm.,
• 1 month 10 – 20 mm.

Guppies take two to four months to reach sexual maturity. And at the age of fifteen days, the female anal spot—the first indication of sexual differences—becomes visible. As soon as the first signs of sexual differences are noticed, you must settle them if you plan to select males and females. Precocious fish can, after all, begin mating before they turn two months old; this occurs and is not unusual!

Young males and females shouldn’t be kept in the same jar because this will cause unchecked degeneration and inbreeding!

Potential difficulties

Every aquarium owner faces challenges; even seemingly straightforward tasks like raising the young and breeding live guppies can become unanticipated problems.

• Beautiful and diverse selective forms are often unable to produce offspring, produce few fry or their offspring do not copy the appearance of their parents.
• Poor care leads to diseases, stuck tail, deformation of the spine, loss of aesthetic appearance and other troubles.
• Too many fish in the aquarium can also cause diseases. Therefore, think in advance about how many fry you will keep for yourself, and for the rest you need to decide the fate in advance.

14:04

What to do with guppy fry

What to do with the fry is one of the most crucial questions a guppy breeder eventually has to answer. There are numerous ways to resolve it:

1. Beautiful and healthy fry will replenish the colony of your guppy in the general aquarium.
2. Guppi fry are selected according to external signs for further breeding and selection. In this case, females and males are contained separately.
3. No matter how cruel it sounds, but nature created them so. Guppies and other inhabitants of the aquarium will be happy to slack fry, like any other living food. Only in the freshness and quality of newborn fish can you be 100% sure!
4. Having reached the size of 1.5 – 2 cm, individuals can be delivered to the pet store or sold on the bird market or specialized sites (Yula, Avito, etc.) Be prepared for the fact that mongrel nobles will not sell for more than 10 – 15 rubles. But the cost of beautiful purebred males can reach several hundred.

Fish in a Jar, good luck with your breeding and growth!

Paying attention to the special requirements of guppy fry is essential for their successful rearing, particularly in their early life. For their development, it is imperative that they have access to clean water and a healthy environment.

They will grow stronger and healthier if you feed them frequent, small meals that are high in nutrients throughout the day. As they get older, it’s critical to monitor their behavior and modify their care.

Your guppy fry will flourish under the correct conditions and grow into colorful adult fish that will enliven and beautify your aquarium. As you watch them develop and improve the general well-being of your aquarium community, the process can be satisfying.

Video on the topic

Feeding fry, starter feed, if there is no brine shrimp

WITHOUT INFUSORIUM AND WITHOUT ARTEMIA | starter food for small fry of egg-laying fish

Growing molly fry in a jar

What to feed swordtail fry Transplanting swordtail fry

What to feed fry? Starter food for fry of egg-laying fish.

What to feed growing fry and fry of live-bearing fish?

CORRECT FEEDING OF GUPPY FRY