Unlike with most fish, fertilization in Guppies is internal. A female Guppy can have more than one lot of babies from one mating, so the mating could have happened a considerable time before birth. The gestation period of Guppies averages about 28 days.
The Guppy produces fewer babies in each litter than most fish, but the babies are bigger in relation to the fish’s adult size than most fish babies. Most strains of Guppy eat their own babies, as well as the babies of other fish.
Most types of other fish will eat Guppy babies (White Cloud Mountain Minnows might not) so in a community tank the babies have a very dangerous life. “Guppy traps’ or similar arrangements are often used to separate the female and save the babies. The baby fish will eat the baby daphnia and grow well.
Raising Baby Guppies
Baby Guppies are able to eat normal fish food of small sizes. I use Daphnia screened through a coarse aquarium net so only the smaller daphnia are given the babies, although the larger Daphnia will not harm the baby fish and will breed in the tank.
Guppy Hybrids
In some cases interspecific hybrids between Guppies and Mollies occur. Guppy-Molly hybrids are fairly drab in colour.
Hybrids can also occur between Guppies and the Endler’s Livebearer. Guppy-Endler’s Live Bearer crosses are colourful.
How to Breed Guppies
Executive Summary About Guppies by Steve Clarkson
Guppies are renowned for there prolific breeding habits. They are livebearers which means the female gives birth to live fry instead of producing eggs. This article will give you the basics on how to breed guppies.
Guppies thrive in aquariums that have a temperature between 75 -80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is recommended that when starting to breed guppies, you have at least 2 females and one male. This will stop a solitary female being chased around all the time when the breeding process starts.
When the male is ready to breed a fin called the gonopodium will become erect, this fin will inject the sperm into the female. The female should be moved to a separate birthing tank where she can give birth to the fry. Females can be attacked by the males whilst giving birth.
When all the fry have been born ( anywhere from 5 -30) the female should be removed as they have a tendency to eat the fry. Don’t be surprised if your female guppy gets pregnant again very soon after birth.
