Population Control Question?

[AshleePureFancy]

Hello! My name is Ashlee, and I am new to this forum. I can always get helpful information from this website, so i decided to join.

Here is my situation:
I have a 30 gallon tank containing 6 Female Guppies, 1 Male Guppy(I had 3, a recent endemic killed them.), 5 Guppy Fry(7 weeks old), and i counted 9 new Guppy fry yesterday. Granted, some of the new fry will surely be eaten, but thats 21 fish! I read only 15 guppies can live comfortably in a 30 gallon tank.

My question is:
Do i need to do something about it, or will natural selection(not sure if that works in aquariums) keep the population controlled? Will some die off or eat all the fry and then live in peace or will they just get really stressed and sick and die?

I remember my mom had a 30 gallon(this is actually the one i now own) when i was growing up and she did absolutely NOTHING but feed them! The tank, as far as I can remember, was always filled with guppies. There were always a million babies and adults would die occasionally, but they were always (seemingly)happy and healthy.

I LOVE my guppies, and i feel like i take very good care of them, i change some of their water twice a week, and i put in extra Stress Coat Water Conditioner to keep them comfortable.. What action do I need to take to keep this from becoming a nightmare?

Thank you very much for considering my question! Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Welcome to AA!

IMO fry aren't going to produce the same bio load as a grown fish or need as much swim space, so I think you'll be OK. As you pointed out, some won't make it long, so a balance will be struck. If you end up with more than you want, maybe a LFS will take them for store credit.

I'm just 2 weeks into my Black Moor's frys hatching and it quite exciting watching them grow up for the first time.

 

[AshleePureFancy]

Thank you for the advice. Yes, I love watching the little ones grow up, and watching their fins and colors develop! I raised my 7 week old fry from birth, having taken them out away from the adults to ensure survival. I was trying to improve my stock back then, hah. But if it does get too crowded, I have 5 and 10 gallon tanks i could put back into use if i really have to.

On another note, I just checked my water with dip strips AFTER i did a small water change and my nitrate and nitrite levels are high! However, I found a very decayed dead fish at the bottom and scooped him out, and i hope that was the only problem. I'm going to do another larger water change and test again.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Thank you for the advice. If anything, I have 5 and 10 gallon tanks i could put back into use if i really have to.

On another note, I just checked my water with dip strips AFTER i did a small water change and my nitrate and nitrite levels are high! However, I found a very decayed dead fish at the bottom and scooped him out, and i hope that was the only problem. I'm going to do another larger water change and test again.

I agree, a couple PWC with a gravel vac near where you found it, because that is why your levels spiked. Spare tank are the hallmark of a good aquarist . If you do put one into use, I'd like to suggest searching fishless cycling here, it'll save you a lot of head/heartache.

Just a suggestion but test strips are not the most accurate way to test water parameters IMO. Myself, I prefer using a liquid test kit like the API FW master test kit. They may seems costly, but the ammount of tests and accuracy actually make them very economical.

 

[AshleePureFancy]

Alright, i will definately invest in a liquid test kit! The dip strips are $11, which isn't cheap anyway! They're just the only thing available at my local Wal-Mart, and the closest pet store is about 45 minutes away, so getting good aquarium supplies is a hassle. It will certainly be worth it though.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[btweak6]

If you get too overrun with fish, you can try out all your lfs and see if they would buy them or trade for store credit. If all else fails then craigslist or freecycle. =D