Basic Guide to Raising Guppy Fries

 Raising guppy fries is actually quite easy. Once they're born, they're able to swim freely without parental care. Infact, their parents eat their own fries ! Guppies don't have nurturing instinct like some fish do. They will try to eat whatever that can fit into their mouth. There are two ways you can prevent the fries from getting eaten : Put them in separate place or put some plants. The plants help the fries to hide from the adults and incase the adults try to chase the fries, the fries can swim through the small gap between plants that slow down the adults. They can safely swim around with the adults after 2 months old in which the size is large enough to not fit into the mouths of the adults. At first, the adults might try to eat them, but after learning that it's useless, they will eventually get used to it.

Apart from those two common tips, there are also tips that I've developed based on my personal experience. Adding juveniles in the tank is one of the secrets to avoid the fries from getting eaten. The juveniles will make the adults assume that it's a waste of energy to try to eat the smaller fish because they've tried eating the juveniles before. I have many fries living in my tank and I haven't seen the adults trying to eat them. Another tip is to grow algae for the fish to eat which distracts the adults from trying to eat the fries.   

To feed guppy fries, you must make sure that the food is small enough. You need to crush them if they're too big. Proper nutrition is very important for guppy fries as it is responsible for their growth, including immunity and strength. It has been scientifically proven that guppies can survive by eating algae alone and that their size is affected by the diet during growth stage  (Source : https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=TC-QMM-93942&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=1032882309&fbclid=IwAR3dgx_dWdEjneCeC-bu7hTCQ9krb6-O-yY_1XhjJlxalLC1VUU76T1LRLM). I have guppies that I never fed when they were younger and as the result, they're very small. My female adult, for example, is the same size as my teen male. Despite the small size, she gives birth to more than 10 fries every month. Having smaller size means they produce less bioload and this can be ideal in a crowded tank.

You can put your fries in a bucket of water without any filter for around a month. Just be sure to change the water every month and put a bit of water every week to provide oxygen. Also put a floating plant to absorb the nitrate from the poops. Put some water from the tank so there's beneficial bacteria in the water.

Other useful tips :

-Albino fries are more likely to get eaten and the survival rate is very low when living in the same aquarium as the adults. I notice that the albino fries are easier to spot and the adults dedicate more time to chase the albino fries compared to non-albino fries.

-Hornwort and guppy grass are known to be very effective plants for guppy fries to hide and to take cover. They don't require any pot or substrate to live. However, they still require UV light and nitrate like any other plants.

-The fries tend to gather in places that are crowded with other fries, possibly because they assume the place is safe enough for fries to live. 

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