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breeding live bearers

2K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  tommaso889 
#1 ·
so i want to start a cichlid i found a 4 foot tank and my mum said what do you need a tank the size for .
so i want to have a go at breeding platy's or guppies. i know to get more females than males and they will pretty much do the work but i have a few questions.

1) the tank ive found is 18x12x12 (inches) is this big enough if not how big will i need for platy's or guppies

2) will the tank need a stand or just be able to be put on a normal desk or table .

3) will i need a breeder net or should i just put the adults in another tank until the fry are okay not to be eaten.

4) if i need a breeder net how do they work i have seen some on the internet but they dont say how they work lol?

many thanks
 
#2 ·
1) the tank ive found is 18x12x12 (inches) is this big enough if not how big will i need for platy's or guppies
18x12x12 = 2592 = 11.2 gallons

Might be a bit small to keep any sizable amount but I imagine big enough for 7 or 8 guppies or platys, but not enough for the fry too.

2) will the tank need a stand or just be able to be put on a normal desk or table .
1 gallon = 8lbs so your tank will be about 90 - 100 lbs with everything in it, so if you can find a table that can safely support that I don't see an issue.

3) will i need a breeder net or should i just put the adults in another tank until the fry are okay not to be eaten.
I like the 2 tank idea as it gives the fry room to swim around and be more comfortable plus the high bio load of all those fish in one tank might be a tad high.
 
#3 ·
i have decided to get platy so i went on aquadvisor to find out how many i can get and i can get 7 platy's and i would have to do a 33% weekly water change. but i do not think i will keeep that many as i want to put them in my comunity tank until she is pregnant again as i want to keep some of the fry to go in the tank so ill probably get 1 male 2 females :) another question what will happen if the fry breed together lol?
 
#4 ·
in breeding happens
 
#6 ·
not all. but the more they inbreed the higher the chances
 
#8 ·
behavior wise they would be ok as ones at the top and ones at the bottom.you'll need 6 cory's but your tanks quite small and i think the water params aren't suitable as well.platies like water with some salt in it where as cory's can't stand salt. although some platies which are fully fresh water bred from birth can be kept with cory's but still you'll need a larger tank for that many fish.
 
#10 ·
Most Platys don't really need salt in their tank like mollies would, I've been running a community aquarium with about 6 platys in it without salt for about 5 months, and they are all happy and healthy, I think if you stick with one of the fancy breeds it will do fine because they have probably be captive bred longer. But kitten is right your tank is a bit small to do both types of fish as she said corys like to stay in groups of 6 or more but if you absolutely have your heart set on them then alot of places will tell you they may do ok with just 3 fish, although its highly not recommended.

Btw platys are a great fish to do a fish in cycle (start off with like 3), if your like me and don't like to keep a tank empty 4-8weeks just so you can cycle.
 
#11 ·
i use plecos for the cycle.they have never failed me.
 
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