Question: Guppies: Breeding + Food for Axolotls

I was hoping I could have a kind of natural ecosystem with the axy's and a group of guppies. I thought it would keep the axy's physically and mentally active if they were hunting. But the guppy breeding rate was too low, the fry are not much of a meal and adults are too fast. I have 3 axys in the tank and they never managed to catch an adult guppy. I had 2 big fry and one of those did get chomped. I still have the other big fry and one adult guppy in the tank they have survived for 3 months. I just sold the rest of the guppies in the end as the tank felt too crowded and I was worried about the water quality as the fish seem to poo non stop!
 
My axies love guppys and minnows. I can't leave some in there more than an hour without them disappearing.
 
I feed my axolotl guppies but i still find that my guppies reproduce faster than my axolotls can eat them. But then again i do give them easy meals of earthworms.
 
I introduced a few guppies in my tank as a treat for my axolotl. However I think the adult ones are too fast. I removed a lot of guppy fry recently, because I noticed they really harassed my axolotl... I even think they ate his gills.
So this experiment is over... They all need to go.
 
I just started a guppy tank however am considering just ordering them and then keeping them isolated for a few weeks to make sure there are no illnesses. If anyone is in Maryland and is interested in going in on a bulk order (500) guppies let me know and we can get some from Eastern.
 
I realize these fish are not available everywhere, but I have found that golden skiffia (skiffia francesae) make better axolotl partners than guppies. For one thing, skiffia enjoy the same kind of water conditions: slow moving, neutral pH, on the hard side, and no warmer than 24°C. They can live quite happily at 18°C, whereas guppies would most likely get sick at this temperature.

Skiffia are livebearers, just like guppies, and they don't nip. The males may challenge each other by darting towards one another, but they don't bother other species. They are dull-looking compared to the guppies, but they school, which is really cool to watch. Mine don't seem stressed at all. Here is a photo from my instagram:

23164327_1482732845137463_5864394675770621952_n.jpg


If you want to see more, look up @watercritters and if you have questions about skiffia, feel free to contact me : )
 
Hi I am new here,and just finding my way around so I apologise if I have posted in the wrong place
 
Re: Guppies and Monsters

What a wonderful first thread to see posted
 
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  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
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  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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