Pro Tips: Reproduction

The fish farm is bursting with fry! Why? As you purchase your fish, the colonies become less crowded and power dynamics change. It stimulates females who were holding fry to give birth.

Would you believe "undercrowding" can be an barrier to fry birth as well?

I had one pair of pure Arizona Rattlesnake Endlers, alone, in a seven gallon tank for several months - and the mature female would not give birth. I had a hunch the large tank, without a colony for protection, made her feel too exposed.

The pair were moved to a well-planted 1/2 liter vase. In a month, I had about 20 fry. Going forward, this female was quite prolific, and birthed many fry  in a 2.5 gallon tank. Not all fish require large tanks to be happy - and there's your proof.​

Sometime a pair just will not reproduce, especially if they were not raised in your water system or introduced to it when they were very young adults. Older pairs may not adjust to new water conditions or may be too traumatized by shipping.

Sometimes older females, arriving pregnant, drop fry and then pass soon after. The good news here is that the fry will be acclimated to your water.​

Triggers for encouraging reproduction include proper tank maintenance, an influx of clean water, temperature and light changes, increased natural plantings and removal of community fish that may harass the guppies and/or eat their fry.

Speaking of harassing, remember to keep a two females to one male ratio in your guppy tanks, otherwise the males will harass the females to death. No females  =  no fry.

Three males to one female = bad ratio for reproduction! Photo Credit: Cheryl Clifton. All Rights Reserved.