Fish to help control guppy fry

[Nortzy21]

Hello all,

I have a 29 gallon planted tank that is doing very well but I want to find a way to control my guppy population naturally. It seems like every time I look at the tank, I find a new baby guppy. Right now, I have about 5 full grown guppies in there along with a few babies. In addition, I have 8 neon tetras, 7 harlequin rasboras and a bristlenose pleco. My stocking level is already very high so I would be ok with totally eradicating the guppies, even the adults. I know any angelfish would work well for eating fry but would it be ok with neons and rasboras?Again, i wouldn't be sad if an angel wiped out all my guppies since they are so slow and clumsy. Without any guppies, my stocking level would be good. I don't know much about angels...do they need to live in groups? Or can I get just one? Let me know if angelfish or anything else would work well for controlling guppy fry and leaving my other fish alone. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[nirbhao]

You have my sympathy. I have a similar situation.

The fish that seemed most promising for me was an electric blue acara.

Or just take every single guppy to your lfs and see if you can get a little store credit.

 

[Toad]

I have a keyhole cichlid, and he doesn't eat all the fry but he does keep the numbers down enough that I'm not overrun anymore. There will still be a need to rehome some eventually, but not in droves lol

Sent from my SM-G930T using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[kashif314]

Why would u guys keep a fish if u know it can over populate? U don't care for life of poor frys? What is there fault to be eaten by some fish?

I don't understand how can people just feed a fish to another fish. Its like I love dogs but I feed my dogs poor small dogs.

 

[Nortzy21]

Why would u guys keep a fish if u know it can over populate? U don't care for life of poor frys? What is there fault to be eaten by some fish?

I don't understand how can people just feed a fish to another fish. Its like I love dogs but I feed my dogs poor small dogs.

It's not that I don't want the fish. I just don't wanna overstock my tank. There are probably 10 in there now including the babies and that along with my other fish will create too heavy of a bioload if I let the guppies grow out.

 

[kashif314]

I can never sacrifice a life for any of my fish.

All I hear is tank overstocking or fish getting dyed is animal cruelty. And this or that fish should not be in hobby. But more worse is when u feed another fish.

U like a certain fish. So how can u sacrifice poor frys of the same fish u love? There should be a ban on feeder fish too. Imagine urself trapped in a lion cage? How would u feel?

Anyways that is none of my business. I just hope people care for lives of poor fish. Sorry to put my nose in and change the topic.

 

[flchamp89]

Stock males only....problem solved

 

[Brookster123]

Yes I am serious. I can never sacrifice a life for any of my fish.

All I hear is tank overstocking or fish getting dyed is animal cruelty. And this or that fish should not be in hobby. But more worse is when u feed another fish.

U like a certain fish. So how can u sacrifice poor frys of the same fish u love? There should be a ban on feeder fish too. Imagine urself trapped in a lion cage? How would u feel?

Anyways that is none of my business. I just hope people care for lives of poor fish. Sorry to put my nose in and change the topic.

Fry are born into the situations.. one selectively adding the wrong selections to their happiness is a far greater wrong doing. You're entitled to you're opinion.. thought always helps.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[kashif314]

Fry are born into the situations.. one selectively adding the wrong selections to their happiness is a far greater wrong doing. You're entitled to you're opinion.. thought always helps.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

This is what I am saying is that don't let them born in wrong conditions. That is why I got worried when suspected my Angelfish may breed.

In wild fry have chance to escape or being eaten by another fish which is fine because its nature. In a tank they have no way to escape from predators. Its the biggest animal cruelty I see.

Some even feed their fish feeder fish just for there entertainment. I remember the old colosseum of Rome. Men vs beasts and people are enjoying and clapping. This is no different.

 

[flchamp89]

If 100000 guppy fry are born in lake Okeechobee how many you think survive the first 24hrs. There is a reason nature made guppy prolific breeders.

 

[kashif314]

To get rid of guppy fry is very easy. Get all males. Or don't buy a fish which u are aware may over populate the tank.

 

[nirbhao]

No person can keep their fish from eating any eggs or fry in the tank, because that's a genuine food source in the wild. And if you happen to have female guppies who drop fry, letting the fry stay in the tank will lead to immediate inbreeding. Those fry will have short and painful lives. In order to keep a balanced guppy community, you have to have a lot of source DNA (unrelated mature fish), allow the mature fish to eat the fry, and cull any excess fry.

Fish eat fish.

 

[kashif314]

No person can keep their fish from eating any eggs or fry in the tank, because that's a genuine food source in the wild. And if you happen to have female guppies who drop fry, letting the fry stay in the tank will lead to immediate inbreeding. Those fry will have short and painful lives. In order to keep a balanced guppy community, you have to have a lot of source DNA (unrelated mature fish), allow the mature fish to eat the fry, and cull any excess fry.

Fish eat fish.

I think u didn't understand my point. Yes it is possible to keep fry and eggs safe. People who like to save can save that.

 

[nirbhao]

Anyway, since Nortzy doesn't want the fry, adding a predator could work.

Here's the problem with that- you're adding a fish for a very specific problem. Like I said, research pointed to electric blue acara for us. Looking at the fish in person, though, it just didn't fit the tank. This particular tank is bright and high activity- a dwarf cichlid wouldn't fit in. Looking at another predator, we got a female betta. She didn't eat a single fry but attacked the mature fish. Now we're in the process of rehoming her.

If the most prolific female weren't my daughter's absolute favorite fish, those guppies would be GONE.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

A convict cichlid would eat any fry.

 

[Brookster123]

An angel would certainly make sport of the guppies, as long as there is a constant supply I don't see its attention leaving the easy prey.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Toad]

I had a single convict, and while it didn't have fry to eat, it sure ate all the danios I had in that tank (or at least murdered them). [So think through an option completely before deciding]

You need something that has a small enough mouth and temperament to leave the adults alone yet has the urge to eat fry (which is pretty much anything with a mouth big enough to fit one, including their own parents). It sounds terrible but when I used to leave my fish tank alone over the weekends (had a 75g that was almost exclusively guppies) and the parents weren't fed those two days, there were always fewer fry by sunday night.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[abw0004]

I know with tetras, high nitrates essentially spay the females so they cannot have babies. I do not know if that works for all fish, but that might be something to look into. If you do that, you plants will love that, but be sure your fish can tolerate that.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

I know with tetras, high nitrates essentially spay the females so they cannot have babies. I do not know if that works for all fish, but that might be something to look into. If you do that, you plants will love that, but be sure your fish can tolerate that.

You would suggest letting the nitrates get high enough to damage the fishes reproductive systems? That's not good advise. You also realize tetras are egg layers where as guppies birth live young right?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMaier]

Fish eat fish.

The use of predators to manage over population and culling of weak animals is natural design and should be included in any responsibly managed habitat.