How to Breed Guppies and Aquarium Fishes

Guppies are freshwater aquarium fish. Enthusiasts have chosen these little cichlids over the years, not only for their pulsating colors and splendid fins, but for their breeding potential. Unlike most cichlids, which are slow-growing fish, the guppy reaches sexual maturity within a few months. Many hobbyists have been able to create their own color strains and today, guppies can be found in colors that range across the color spectrum. Guppies, like the equally popular swordtails and mollies, are live bearers, which give birth to tiny fry

Things You'll Need

  • 10 adult guppies
  • 3 aquariums, 20-gallon
  • 1 aquarium, 50-gallon
  • 2 aquariums, 16-gallon
  • 4 aquarium heaters
  • 6 sponge filters
  • Breeding trap
  • Commercial adult food
  • Commercial fry food
  • pH test kit
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up a 20-gallon rectangular breeding aquarium. Place a perforated divider into the middle of the aquarium, to create two 10-gallon compartments. Place two sponge filters, one per compartment, into the aquarium along with a heater and set for 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 2

      Set up a 16-gallon female grow-out aquarium. Place a sponge filter into this aquarium and a heater set for 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 3

      Set up a 16-gallon male grow-out aquarium. Place a sponge filter into this aquarium and a heater set for 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 4

      Set up a 50-gallon fry aquarium. Place two sponge filters into this aquarium and a heater set for 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 5

      Choose up to 10 adult guppies from your local aquarium dealer. Choose two male fish and eight female fish. Choose fish that display the general colors and fin shapes, which you want to breed for yourself.

    • 6

      Place all of the guppies into the one compartment of the 20-gallon breeding aquarium.

    • 7

      Remove females to the second compartment once they are gravid or pregnant. Gravid females will display a dark area around their anal fin.

    • 8

      Observe the female closely after she has given birth. Females that eat their young during the birthing process must be confined to a breeding trap. This small plastic container allows the young to fall through a false grid floor, into a safe area where the female can not access them.

    • 9

      Remove the fry to their 50-gallon aquarium. You can do this on the day they are born. Scoop fry up in a small plastic container, as a net may damage their delicate bodies.

    • 10

      Change up to 20 percent of the water in the fry aquarium on a weekly basis.

    • 11

      Feed the fry only as much food as they can consume within a few minutes. Feed regularly throughout the day as these tiny fish have a high metabolism and need to eat almost continually. Do not add so much food that pieces can be seen lying on the bottom of the aquarium.

    • 12

      Vacuum the bottom of the fry tank on a daily basis. Be careful not to suck fry into the vacuum tube. Always replace old water with new water that has is of the same temperature and pH. Use a pH test kit to check the new water before adding it to the fry aquarium.

    • 13

      Separate male and female fish into their respective grow out tanks as soon as you can sex them. Observe the fish's anal fin, which is the unpaired fin on the belly. In the male fish, this fin is modified into a spike-shaped reproductive organ, whereas that of the female, is fin shaped. Male guppies are also typically smaller than the females. They are also more colorful, and display more elaborate fins than the female.