Guppies reproduce very fast, and they usually spawn at least once a month, which may give birth to more than 200 fish. This implies that you can see more than hundreds of guppy fry every month.
Hence you must introduce some best fish in the tank to control the population of guppy fry.
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How Do You Get Rid Of Extra Guppy Fry?
You may see too many guppies crowding in your tank, which is something you do not want. Then you may wonder what to do or how to control the population of guppy fry?
As guppies can breed a lot quicker, it becomes crucial to take the necessary steps to keep their population under control.
Here are a few steps you can take to get rid of guppy fry:
- Leaving The Fry With Their Parents
If you notice that the fry population is going out of control, you can leave them with their parents. Their parents would not care for them or raise them. Instead, they would start feeding on their fry and reduce their numbers. Also, the juveniles produced would be eaten as they are less likely to be healthy or survive in their adulthood and may have many deformities.
2. Give The Fry To Your Friends
If you have some aquarist friends who would love to raise and take care of the guppies, do not hesitate to give the fry to them. This is another good option to get rid of overcrowded guppy fry. Also, they can be bought as food sources for the bigger fish like angelfish, betta fish, or other predatory fish.
3. Sell Them
You can choose to separate the fry, grow them and sell them on online platforms for up to $40 per pair.
4. Opt For Selective Breeding
Choose to breed only the healthy fry free from deformities, take care of their diet and ideal water parameters (72-81 degrees, pH of 7, and hardness of 7 to 12 dGH). Separate the fry from the adult guppies to help them survive.
9 Best Fish To Control Guppy Fry Include: Best Fish To Control Guppy Population
Are you looking for the best fish to control the guppy population? Though you can take many preventive measures to control the population of guppy fry, there is nothing like introducing the fry-eating fish species in your tank? Here are the nine best fish that can help control the population of guppy fry:
Betta Fish
Betta fish are very aggressive and territorial fish. You can keep them with the guppies in the same aquarium if spacious. Betta fish do not attack the guppy but feed on the guppy fry.
Hence, introducing betta fish in the tank is one of the best ways to reduce the population of guppy fry. Another great thing about the betta fish is that they can be kept in a separate tank and put in the tank of guppy fry to eat them up. This also keeps the betta satiated.
- Read More…
- 12 Reasons Why Guppies Die? + Prevention Tips
- How To Properly Stock A Guppy Fish Tank?
- 5 Interesting Guppy Tank Plants + Pictures
Swordtail Fish
Swordtail fish is another good option to keep the population of guppy fry under control. These fish are most popularly known for their appearance, and they have long tail fins, which give them a unique look.
Also, it is easy to keep them with guppies as they are very peaceful fish. Despite having a calm temperament, they can actively feed on the guppy fry and help reduce their population.
Angelfish
Angelfish is another beautiful and brightly-colored freshwater fish that can be kept in the fish tank. They are one of the most well-known species because of their colorful appearance and beautiful fins. They are often called the king of the aquarium. Angelfish are friendly and calm and are less likely to get aggressive.
Hence they can be kept in a community tank. But do they control the guppy population? Yes! Though they can be peaceful with guppies, they would not hesitate to eat the guppy fry and help in controlling their numbers.
Gouramis
Another good choice would be to keep gouramis with guppies. Though gouramis can not swim as fast as guppies, they may become aggressive if you keep two or more male gouramis together. And they do not become aggressive towards the smaller fish species like guppies.
Gouramis can be one of the best choices to control the fry population as they are huge and can eat a large portion of the fry. This makes them perfect eaters and can be kept with the guppies to keep the fly population under control.
Dwarf Pufferfish
Dwarf Pufferfish can be used to control the population of fry. However, it would help if you were careful with this species as they can be highly aggressive and territorial, so they are not the best fit for community tanks.
It is usually recommended to keep dwarf Pufferfish with other aggressive species like paral fish, but one can also keep them with small fish that are very fast in movement( such as guppies and tetras).
They are pretty greedy and aggressive; they would immediately start eating the guppy fry and stop until they felt satiated. If the fry population is entirely out of control, there can be no better option than a dwarf pufferfish.
Goldfish
When you feel worried about controlling the fry population in the tank, one good option is to introduce goldfish to the tank of guppy fry.
Though goldfish are peaceful species, they can actively consume the much smaller guppy fry if kept together in the same tank. This is the step many aquarists take to give a break to the population of guppies. You may have to bring a large tank for the goldfish.
Platies
Platies are also good fry eaters. An important thing to note is that they are very peaceful and can be placed in a community tank with smaller fish like guppies. They also require similar water parameters for survival as the guppies need and would not threaten adult guppies.
However, they are active fry eaters, making them a great choice to minimize the number of guppy fry. The only way a fry can survive from platies is to hide from them in a safe place until it becomes an adult.
Keyhole Cichlids
Most cichlids, including the keyhole cichlids, can be some of the best fish to keep the population of guppy fry at optimum levels. The best thing about them is that they are timid and can be easily maintained for their survival.
Keyhole cichlids are usually shy and are not territorial or aggressive, and hence they will not be a threat to the adult guppies. Keeping up to two keyhole cichlids would be enough to prevent the overcrowding of guppy fry as they are good fry eaters. However, you must note that they are large and require a tank size of at least 55 gallons.
Blue Acaras
Keeping blue acaras with guppies can give you relief as they would keep the guppy fry population to a minimum. They can be kept in community tanks and would not threaten the adult guppies. As they are cichlids, maintaining them would not be a difficult task for you.
They also have a more extensive lifespan and can live more than ten years if kept in ideal conditions. Though they are good at eating the fry, they usually need a lot of space, and a 30-gallon tank would be better for their survival.
Summary
Controlling the population of guppy fry becomes extremely important as they would undoubtedly overcrowd the tank and pollute the water, reducing the oxygen levels. There are many steps you can take to minimize their population and prevent the chances of further breeding.
You can choose to gift the fry to friends or people who are aquarists, and the fry can be used as a snack for their larger fish. You can also choose to sell them online or allow them to stay with their parents (as adults guppies eat the fry). Keeping males and females separate is another significant step.
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