# Best predator to eat baby guppies?



## frog111 (Feb 13, 2006)

I maintain a planted tank in my wife's kindergarten classroom. The children love to see baby fish in the tank, so there are platies, swordtails, mollies and guppies all in the tank. All reproducing readily, but it seems guppies are the most prolific. 

I put a blue ram in the tank, hoping it would be a good predator, but I guess it is lazy and happy to eat the flake food, because it definitely isn't keeping the guppy population down.

So in a heavily planted 40 gallon breeder tank, with mostly livebearers, what might be the best fry predator to introduce. Cannot get so big that adult livebearers are at risk, and cannot eat plants or disturb substrate significantly.

I was thinking Bichir, just in terms of the slow growth rate.

Alan


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

By accounts from a colleague who supported a classroom tank, it was setup with all males which had eliminated the possibility of overpopulation.

Consider rehoming the females if at all possible as an easier course of action. Adding a predator who likely will not limit its appetite to a particular species may create a larger problem where other fish are injured, requiring quarantine, treatment or worse.

of course, others may have different views and opinions so consider this with a grain of salt.

Best wishes


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

a smaller sized angel or two?


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## JAYGEE (Apr 2, 2013)

The Toilet?

jk.

I would re home all the females and just keep the males, like stated above. Bag them up and take them to a mom and pop LFS.


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## okapizebra (Jun 14, 2012)

If the population gets too big, just scoop out whatever you can catch and donate/sell them to a LFS. Then continue when the population has grown too big again. I agree that angels would work as well.


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## samckitt (Feb 14, 2008)

Angels are aggressive hunters. They will take care of them, but they will also take care of the mollies, swordtails, & Platies.


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

I have used bettas to remove small fry, very effective


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## jmsaltfish797 (Oct 27, 2012)

an african brown knife would do the trick. Slow growwers and very neat to watch. Shouldn't have any problems with it eating adult fish either.


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

A leopard ctenopoma as they only reach about 6" and will eat small fry.


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## Kado (Oct 30, 2012)

fishboy199413 said:


> A leopard ctenopoma as they only reach about 6" and will eat small fry.


That is a really cool fish and I've always wanted one, but I've read that can eat tetra sized fish.


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

What other fish species do you have in the tank? The ctenopoma are also slow growing from what I hear.

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk 2


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Apistos of some sort?


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## Clemsons2k (May 31, 2009)

Any fish that its going to be aggressive and big enough to eat fry all day will probably go after the adults for one reason or another. As suggested I would prevent the issue and get rid of the females. The kids will survive not seeing babies


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## frog111 (Feb 13, 2006)

Hmm, black ghost knife, I like that idea. 

The leopard ctenoma is also an idea if I can find one. 

I've also considered a puffer, to help with snail populations

Mostly all livebearers as described, plus the blue ram, a synodontis catfish( which is over 15 years old), and pond snails, . At some point I will add a bushy nose or otos as well.

Catching them is just problematic with the density of plants, I am looking for the easy solution.

I'm not concerned if they also eat the sword, platy or mollie fry, some will survive.

Rehoming as suggested is not an option, the wife and students all like having the babies appear. The students really enjoy examine the tank looking for new colorful fish, and a constant supply of baby fish keep them interested in the tank.


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## Kado (Oct 30, 2012)

Not sure how big a tank a black ghost knife requires, but they get really big.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

No knife. They should be kept in nice, big tanks. And they could take out male guppies, too.

Apistos are built for the job. So are angels. So are dwarf pike cichlids. Although they're ambitious enough to take adult guppies as well. A few mid-sized tetras (black skirt, diamond, so forth) might do the job too.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

My Diamond tetras and GBRs do not keep my Mollys population under control. Same goes for Pearl gouramis, Bolivian rams, dwarf puffers and even my Blood Parrots. I am in the same boat  The only other fish I have that i have not tried yet are bettas in my sorority.

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## JoeandCarrie (Oct 26, 2012)

My wife has guppies in my planted 46-ish tank. I added a 1 1/2" Angel about 3 months ago to control the babie pop. It is now about 5" from top fin to bottom trailing fin. It doesnt mess with the Tetra's or the adult guppies. I have very limited babies, and usually only for 1-2 days. He does like sniffing around at the giant whisker shrimp, but they just scoot away. 

Long story short, I would go with the Angel. As long as you have enough open swimming area for it.


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## Avianwing (Dec 15, 2009)

Ask any fellow hobbyist if they have either a Rogue angel which is bullying all the other angels in the tank or on the other side a sissy Angel which is getting beaten up and introduce them. They would decimate the fry.


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