As your guppy fish breed, you must decide whether to leave the newborn fry with the mother or separate them into their own space.
Reasons to Separate from the Mother
Predation Risk
Mother guppies may eat their fry, considering them as an easy meal.
Separating the babies reduces the chances of the mother preying on them. This helps maximize the number of fry that survive.
Better Nutrition
When left with the mother, the fry has to forage for leftover food scraps.
Being isolated allows you to feed the fry frequently with powdered foods for their nutritional needs. This supports faster growth.
Easier Monitoring
With fry separated, you can directly monitor their development, keep track of survivors, and watch for signs of disease.
It’s much harder to do this when they remain with the mother.
Reasons Not to Separate from Mother
Natural Upbringing
Leaving the fry with the mother allows more natural socialization and development.
The mother fish may even protect the babies from other adult guppies.
Less Work
Maintaining a separate tank or breeding box for fry requires cleaning, feeding, and close monitoring. Letting them stay with the mother is lower maintenance.
Final Thoughts
So, in conclusion, there are good arguments for both sides.
Separating newborn guppies from the mother takes more effort but can increase survival rates.
Leaving them together provides a more natural upbringing with the risk of some predation
Consider your specific goals and setup when deciding what’s best.
Leave a comment