Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!

Question: Guppies: Breeding + Food for Axolotls

HowToAxolotl

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
45
Reaction score
0
Location
Philadelphia Area, Pennsylvania
Firstly I have to say this site spoils us. I tried looking around for a good guppy site and could find nothing that compares to the knowledge of the site and the people on the forums! Then again I may have missed something - there are thousands of guppy sites! :( Just wanted to say thanks up front.

So my guys are getting bigger and with that their appetites are huge. I want to try guppies so I set up a little tank and bought some from the store. I read a bunch about people breeding them but for their purposes they were using them for show and breeding them for.. breeding. I couldn't find any information on breeding them for food other than what I found on this site.

I currently have them all in a tank and am wondering if they'll all be okay in there. I'm going to buy some java moss or some other plants for the fry (no pregnant ones yet, I just got them today!) to hide in but I read people going to great lengths to try and save them all with nets, other tanks, etc.

I'd rather put them ALL in the same tank but I have a feeling I'd lose all the guppies in one go. Is it even possible for them all to co-habitat together without them getting eaten? I have 29 gallon tank now that is just over half full of water with my axos in them. They're not fully adults yet, they're just under 7", but their mouths are damn big so I know they can eat them if they want to. But the question is, after quarantine, would they all be safe together and breed and the axos eat the fry no problem? Or is it better to keep them separate?

And if they're separate, should I be focusing on saving all the fry in a breeder's net or just let nature take it's course and have them survive and then feed THOSE to the axos?

I didn't know where else to ask this. I hope someone can help or point me to somewhere I have overlooked. :)

Excellent, EXCELLENT thread. I had the exact same questions! I am still unsure with the guppy farm, but I def. going to be starting a worm farm!! :D
 

herbt91

New member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Florida
I've been breeding guppies for years just make a small pile of rocks and a few plants and the fry will have enough cover to hide and before you know it you'll gave more guppies then you know what to do with
 

narny101

Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Messages
122
Reaction score
1
Location
australia, melboune
I just read you guys talking about mosquito fish ( I found some and kept them as pets..) and I thought that they spread illnesses that could harm your axie?
 

conradryaan

New member
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Messages
49
Reaction score
3
Location
Coeur d' Alene, Idaho
I started a breeder tank of cherry shrimp have and two batches of baby shrimp so far but am waiting before I start feeding them to my axies. I personally think shrimp are much cooler than guppies and they are super easy to take care of!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
 

auntiejude

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
3,685
Reaction score
58
Location
England
I just read you guys talking about mosquito fish ( I found some and kept them as pets..) and I thought that they spread illnesses that could harm your axie?

They should be safe if they are tank-bred - wild-caught fish are the ones that might carry disease.

I have a tank with guppies, cherry shrimp, amano shrimp, some snails and vampire shrimp, with a view to feeding the guppy fry and cherries to my axies - all tank bred.
 
Last edited:

renaissancegirl

New member
Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Location
Minnesota USA
I used to get guppies just because I liked them. I had read several things about how to breed them and how to save the fry. I found it easiest to get a mix of fancies and commons I always put more females in then males but I found the best luck with ten or more females and three males all in the same tank. I would get 5 commons and 5 fancies for females. I suggest at least one common male. I just let nature take its course as long as there is something for the fry to hide and I ended up overrun.
 

willowcat

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
202
Reaction score
9
Location
Minnesota, U.S.A.
Just curious why is does anyone use Guppies or feeder fish (Rosey Reds)? For the convenience? These fish contain Thiaminase. Thiaminase causes loss of appetite and impedes the digestion of vitamin B1. :confused:
 

Dominick

New member
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
47
Reaction score
1
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
I've bought 10 guppies yesterday, to brighten up my fishtank. My axolotls have become two lazy bums, and I hope that they'll get a bit of exercise by chasing the guppies.
I've noticed that all of my six females are pregnant, which is a good thing I suppose... But I wasn't really prepared for setting up a nursery tank.
I placed them in a really small container, somewhere around 2.5 gallons, and I placed an old filter. But I think it's too strong... The preggo guppies can't seem to sit still, the current is constantly shooting them around.
So i'll have to go out and buy something with less power i'm afraid.
 

auntiejude

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
3,685
Reaction score
58
Location
England
But I think it's too strong... The preggo guppies can't seem to sit still, the current is constantly shooting them around.
Do the same as in your axie tank - direct the outlet towards the wall, place something in front of the outlet, or make extra holes in the outlet pipe.
 

auntiejude

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
3,685
Reaction score
58
Location
England
Just curious why is does anyone use Guppies or feeder fish (Rosey Reds)? For the convenience? These fish contain Thiaminase. Thiaminase causes loss of appetite and impedes the digestion of vitamin B1. :confused:
Because they are easy to breed and survive a decent length if time in the temperature of an axie tank. And they are not fed as a staple, just as an occasional fun meal.
 

Dominick

New member
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
47
Reaction score
1
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
Do the same as in your axie tank - direct the outlet towards the wall, place something in front of the outlet, or make extra holes in the outlet pipe.
Ofcourse! Why didn't I think of that?

At the moment I placed 4 of my pregnant guppies in the nursery tank. But I don't really know how to handle this. It's hard to see which one is the closest to giving birth. And because I can't predict it in terms of days/weeks there is a good chance dat one of them will give birth and the 3 others will just prey on the fry... :(
 

auntiejude

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
3,685
Reaction score
58
Location
England
At the moment I placed 4 of my pregnant guppies in the nursery tank. But I don't really know how to handle this..... the 3 others will just prey on the fry... :(

You provide lots of cover for the fry to hide in - moss, low plants etc. I don't segregate my pregnant females at all, I believe it's stresfull for them to be cooped up in a little birthing box. My fry survive by hiding, and I make sure they have plenty of liquifry and small food (crushed flakes mixed into water in a syrige and directly put into their hiding plants). TBH they have up to 30 fry at a time, if a couple get eaten it's not the end of the world, as long as the majority make it to a couple of weeks they'll be too big for adult guppies to eat then.
 

willowcat

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
202
Reaction score
9
Location
Minnesota, U.S.A.
Well I have been thinking for the last couple of days of how to reply and if I should even reply. I don't want to argue and really don't want to start a cat fight. I am into Aquaculture. One of the species that I raise is the Rosey Red (feeder fish). I sell them commerically. So......the "convenience" (and cost savings for me would be.....umm...umm....a good thing). But since I raise an animal (AxoIotl), I am therefore responsible for the animal. So If I had kids should I allow them to ride their bike down a four lane highway every once in a while, for a "treat"?
I know.... you raise your kids and I raise mine......for the convenience.:kiss:
 

auntiejude

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
3,685
Reaction score
58
Location
England
New question - I have tried putting some guppies in my axie tank, but the guppies just sit in the top inch of water and the axies don't see them.

I know guppies would prefer warmer water, but is there a way of persuading them to 'interact' with the axies? My axies will snap at anything that moves (plants, fingers, each other etc) but they just don't see the guppies.
 

willowcat

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
202
Reaction score
9
Location
Minnesota, U.S.A.
Most aquatic animals; fish, bbs, Copepods, Daphnia, (basically all water bugs) are attracted to light. That is one of the methods on how I harvest "bugs" out of my grow out ponds. Most fish will seek current also. Here in Minnesota, after a long hard winter, when the lakes and rivers start opening up, it can be prime time to harvest minnows because of the lack of oxygen in the lakes. Called--Freeze Out. In the wild, newly open water, either by light or current, attracts hords of fish. They just cram and stack themselves like cord wood. So when using current, one is actually adding oxygen to the water. If you could figure a way to put a small amount of light on the bottom or current without effecting the axies, because we know, both light and current can be stressful to adults. But, I feel, if done in moderation and correctly, it could be done on a micro scale, with positive results.
I am working, as we speak on a system that will keep my live foods on the bottom in my grow out tanks for my Axie hatchings. You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!
 

willowcat

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
202
Reaction score
9
Location
Minnesota, U.S.A.
Hey Auntie,
Just thought of something, about the fish. This really doesn't apply to zooplankton (water bugs). In the summer months, bait dealers have to handle minnow (fish) differently than in winter. The winter is very forgiving, and the summer is a tougher road to travel in trying to keep the fish alive. There is a term that is said: "Staying Down" --meaning, is the fish staying on the bottom? When a fish "stays" on the bottom it has sufficient oxygen. When the fish comes to the top that is an indication of the oxygen being depleted. On my bait truck I run disfuser stones, with PURE oxygen. The reason it is so tuff in the summer is because of the water temperature. Warm water does NOT absorb oxygen. The cooler the water, the more the water can be saturated with oxygen. So, I am not questioning your Axie tank temperature for their sake. But, my questioning is about tank temperature, because of the species of fish you harbor. I don't know a lot about Guppies, except that they are warm water species. Since that is the case then I am left to wonder about their location in 60 degree water. They have to be staying at the top because of temp, oxygen, light, or because of the fact that fish school to stay out of danger. Minnows do transmit a fear mechanism to their brood partners. Fish are smart. Their whole life is a life that is being chased. They probably figured out the Axies motive, quickly, by the big grin on the Axie's face. The next time you introduce a unschooled Guppy, watch him. I almost guarantee, in the beginning, he will swim anywhere he wants until he, quickly gets schooled by the Axies. One or two swipes from Big Bertha and little Guppy will move to the farthest reach from Big Bertha............upper water column.
 

spud62

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2013
Messages
36
Reaction score
0
Location
Newcastle
Looking to buy a tub of earthworms for my axies, does anyone know of a good place to buy ? , thank you
 

willowcat

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
202
Reaction score
9
Location
Minnesota, U.S.A.
I have "heard" that the person two post above you really has a handle on worm culturing.

In fact, Auntie if you read this, I want to say to you and everyone that is listening: I apologize to you or anyone else that I may have some how offended. Now having said that--- You are a valuable asset to this site. I would like to continue the talks about the effects of Thiaminase poisoning. I do not want to continue my questions in a condemning fashion, "IF" I have led anyone to that conclusion. This poisoning is a serious subject and we "all" should be on a level playing field in discussing the problems that comes from it.
May I count you in?
Trace
 

Glowstick

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2011
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Buffalo
Guppies can survive in water as low as 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Mind you I'm not sure how well the fry will be, but I imagine they would be okay as long as they're acclimated to the temp.

I have even kept my tank as low as 55F and although the guppies aren't VERY mobile as they would be in normal temps, I have not seen any deaths other than Axolotl consumption.
 

Glowstick

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2011
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Buffalo
Looking to buy a tub of earthworms for my axies, does anyone know of a good place to buy ? , thank you

stick a piece of cardboard on the ground overnight.. you will have worms by morning. (during fair weather conditions.. of course!) I started a worm bed for axolotl consumption this way and I have enough left over for fishing! :talker:
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Top