Guppy Breeding Set-Ups

[icu2]

Looks similar to zebra danio set ups. Is your plan to try and breed your own color mutations? I took down my reef tank about a year ago and set up a simple freshwater for my daughter. I enjoy it more than her, surprise surprise lol.

Yes, a new strain is the ultimate goal... but first I need to see if I can get a good quality trio and see if I can breed and keep a good line going... then
depending on how that goes, I'll get another strain and try a hybrid.

Thanks everybody for checking it out... still waiting for foam filters and all the bulkheads to plumb the 24 containers. I've never drilled a glass tank, so that should
be fun!

[fishin4cars]

Thanks! Wow, those are beautiful! That sure seems like a interesting option... I do the guppies because I enjoy the complicated genetics of breeding,
and want to learn more. I had grand visions of making money when I was younger, but quickly learned better.
But I sure will investigate breeding shrimp... they look really fun. Thanks!!

Here is a link if your interested in looking into them a little more. Good bit of useful info and you can check out some of the different kinds. I didn't order from this site, but may in the future. right now I'm trying the easier to keep ones and a little cheaper ones until I see how they do. BTW, they can live in similar water as guppies so there isn't any reason why you couldn't try both in your set-up. Oh and it's coming along nice. got me thinking about going bigger scale with some of theses shrimp myself.
http://www.planetinverts.com/Will%20...nterbreed.html

[icu2]

Thanks for the link! I'm going to check them out.

I've got the waste lines all plumbed along with the foam filters and air lines installed...





Other people said to use a drip irrigation system to create the flow through system in the tanks, which is what I was going to do...
but then I got to thinking, do these leak? Normally, being out in the garden, I wouldn't think it's that big of deal...
but in the house might be a different story! Anybody use them? How is the connection between the main hose (1/2")
and the smaller emitter hoses?

Thanks!

[Cheryl]

This is going to be a cool set up, looks like you are close to being able to get fish.

Cheryl

[icu2]

Thanks Cheryl!
No fish yet, but we've got water!
The tops of the bottom row of tanks are kind of pathetic, but I have some simple
acrylic ones coming... I wish I had noticed the tops of the containers on row 1 and 2
were not clear , but oh well. I thought the 40w lights were too bright anyways!



I wasn't too sure what to use to feed water to the containers/tanks... it was suggested that I should use a "drip irrigation" type system, but it
being indoors, those just seemed too liable to leak, so I just used 3/4" pipe and lots of fittings ... the water feed lines are the ones in the top
center of the containers.



Here's the plumbing coming into the tanks... the upper ball valve feeds the water coming into the tanks and the bottom one takes the waste
water out... a basic sprinkler valve controller is in the middle of the wall that opens the valve to feed the tanks water, twice a day.



I'll let things stabilize for a week or two, and then find me some breeders! I've been looking at the Blue Glass from Luke Roebuck...

[gray cat]

Steve that is a very pretty guppy. Your set up looks great. Can't wait to see the fish you get in.

[fishin4cars]

Very nice looking set-up! Looks like you'll have plenty of room for raising fry. Are you going to set up one show tank for showing off the males? I like your choice on strain, and I bet it looks better in person than that pic. Body looks pretty washed out in that pic and my bets it has a more metallic sheen and reflective rainbows of color when viewed in person. That blue leopard tail really is attractive. that really is a nice looking guppy, good balance, I hate seeing the ones with huge tails and bent over backs because the spine can't hold up the size of the tail. That one is doing it slightly but I have seen many that were far worse. Also the top fin is nice and flowing but not extended way past the base of the body where the tail starts. Curious on a couple of things, how are you heating the tanks? Room temp? I notice your drip feeding and I'm guessing going central filtration from the overflow? Or, are you using filtration other than the sponge filters in all your tanks?

[icu2]

Thanks Nancy! Hopefully soon!

Fishin',
no plans for a show tank... but that would be fun. Maybe if the breeding program is successful to produce enough worthy of showing...

Heating is via room temp...

I'd be interested in ideas of a central filtration if you have any... right now they are just individually filtered via the little foam filters, and
the overhead drip is from the well... so it's really just a flow through system... times 24.

[fishin4cars]

Steve, I figured you had something on the other side of the wall, actually I think your better off with the drip flow and foam filters, that way if something breaks out it's not contaminating every tank. I know a few years back guppies have were a lot more trickier to raise than they were when I was breeding them Lot of line breeding and such.
Years ago it was recommended to use well aged water to raise guppies, I am not sure if that is the case anymore. I would think using a drip method from a well as long as the water parameters are within the acceptable range you get the best of both worlds. Clean well aged water. :-)

[gray cat]

Steve have you started breeding your guppies yet?

[icu2]

Thanks for the reminder! I bought a trio of red grass guppies... I was never able to contact Luke Roebuck about his breeders
because, from what I heard, he had health issues, so I ended getting the red grass ones off eBay.

I now understand that the red's will throw several colors of offspring, and I'm getting mostly blues... or I got blue females with a red
male from the vendor on eBay... no big surprise there.

So these guys are about 2 months old... from the help on guppies.com, I guess 4 months is the age to start F2, so I'll breed brother/sister,
and mother/son in another couple of months to see if I can get a constant blue strain.

Certainly faster than koi.

[vpkoi]

thats cool , look like a science experiment. nice rack

[icu2]

Thanks!

The flow through design is working great... it obviously doesn't get rid of the crap on the
container floors, but it only takes a few minutes with a 1/2" hose to clean them, and then
I just wait till the next water cycle comes on and it refills all the tanks.

Here's a pic of my make-shift tops... they work better than the solid colored tops. These
are tanks of separated females and males from F1 of my two females. Couple of months
and I'll be ready for round two.

And I broke down and got a dehumidifier and plumbed it into the waste pipe... keeps
the room dry and throws off enough heat that I don't even need the heater to keep
all the tanks at +70*.

[gray cat]

Looks great! I can't wait to see pics of round two. My guppies are doing fine. I just love watching them.

[gray cat]

Any updates Steve?

[icu2]

Thanks for the reminder!
I'm working on generation II.

Just some quick notes on the self changing water system... it's working great. Only thing to be aware of that if
using plastic containers, note that they will bow out. So if you build covers for them like I did, know that the containers will
be wider than when you start. I ended up having to tilt many of them to keep them from dropping into the water. Not pretty,
but it works great.

Pictures to follow.

[icu2]

Some pictures...

Lots of babies that need to be separated soon! The pictures of the males that are still from original pair I bought, but I have
a couple of blues with a sister that are where the babies are from, so I'm excited to see how they turn out!

[BigRedKoi]

Looks like a lot of fun! Good job sir.

[gray cat]

Thanks for the update Steve. Looks like a great set up. The Blue Glass guppies are nice looking & I wish you luck with them. I would love to have so many different types I would need a hundred more tanks.........

I have a pure strain of 2 males & 8 females of the Red Gold Guppy. They are young now. This is what they look like as adults. This is not a pic of mine.

[Aquajoe]

Your best bet to get a quality trio is to go to an IFGA show. There is usually a guppy auction at each show. I'm pretty lucky that the tropical fish club I belong to (North Jersey Aquarium Society) has two members who are top IFGA guppy breeders. Their culls are usually nicer than most fish you will find in a store.