# livebearer control in a heavily planted tank



## Brian A (Sep 3, 2002)

I have a 55 gallon that is heavily planted. I started with 2 Guppies and 2 sword tails with some ottos. I now have about 60 fish in there because they just won't stop having babies and there is enough cover for enough fish to survive. I need to find something that will control the population from growing as fast as it is. Any suggestions for something that will help keep them in check?


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

You can put a large oscar in there  just kidding... Nothing much you can do there. Most frys will survive in heavily planted tanks that provide them good hiding spots.


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## Mini4x (Feb 3, 2004)

You might be able to bring them back to your local LFS, or give/sell them to your friends.. I used to send a pretty steady supply of sowrds to my LFS back in the day, they would give me store credit for them.


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## mario (Feb 5, 2003)

I used Tiger Barbs to control my guppies. That worked pretty well, especially with sparse feedings, the barbs will become avid hunters. :wink:


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

I believe in the right to guppy life.


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## Mini4x (Feb 3, 2004)

FISH ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD!!


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

I raise guppies just to feed my oscar...he likes them, crickets, worms fly's anything actually. I do it just to spite those PETA heads...LOL


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

It's pretty easy to find something that will gladly oblige and cull as many of your fry as they can manage to stuff in their bellies. Angelfish, Gouramis, you name it. The trick is finding the balance between new generations replacing the old, and complete obliteration from predation!


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## Brian A (Sep 3, 2002)

I just don't want to get something that is going to kill the adults. I have a dwarf gouramis in there thinking he might do something but he hangs out at the top all the time. All the babies are at the bottom hiding in my mountain of Jaa Ferns. I called all the LFS and they laughed at me about taking Guppies back, I even offered givving them to them. This is definately the last time I get livebearers like this. I guess I could get that fire eel I allways wanted. :twisted:


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Rams, kribs, anglefish, larger tetras, some killies will make short work of fry... 

My gold wonder killies and blackskirt tetras eat my mollie fry like a snack...



Jason


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

I like the ram idea.

They stay low and will pick em off. Angels, as adults, will devour them. They will also beat up your guppies.

How about turning up the intake on your filter?


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Fat Guy said:


> How about turning up the intake on your filter?


 :lol: :lol: I have found fry in my canister filters on many occasions...

Jason


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## gillyweed (Jul 17, 2003)

Yup!

Once, I've found a tiny brittlenose under my AC200 foam filter!!! :? 

gw


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

bettas will handle the small fry, but you'll have to do a little control first since they can't eat the big guys. get a pack of female bettas...bettas seem to enjoy hunting.


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## Brian A (Sep 3, 2002)

I'll have to do some calling about the female bettas. I don't think I have seen any around. I take it that they aren't as aggressvie as the males?


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## Kris (Feb 27, 2004)

how about some shrimp? they hang out on the bottom of the tank...


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Yup I have 2 females in my community tank with the angels... no problems ever.... such cool little fish


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## DanD (Mar 18, 2003)

I'd second the recommendation on a small group of barbs. If you don't like tiger barbs, there are several other species that are commonly available. They're hardy, active fish, look good, and they interact with each other constantly which makes them fun to keep. Dan


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## Mustang5L5 (Feb 1, 2004)

DanD said:


> I'd second the recommendation on a small group of barbs.


I'll let you guys know how they do with convict fry control  

The parents let them get awfully close to their fry (who are not free swimming yet) I'm curious to see what will happen when they start to wander off when they learn to swim. I have a faily large school of em and they love to roam the tank picking up every scrap of food they missed


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## Brian A (Sep 3, 2002)

ok I checked all of the LFS stores in the book and only one carries fmale bettas but theyt are out until further notice. How about giant danios? Would they be any good at population control?


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## Mustang5L5 (Feb 1, 2004)

flash69x said:


> How about giant danios? Would they be any good at population control?


They are pretty much open water top level swimmers. They don't really swim down to the bottom and start pecking around too often.


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

I had a female betta before and it harassed every fish in my tank. The males try to harass other fish but they are so slow compared to everything else they give up. Another suggestion would be cherry barbs.


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## SueNH (Feb 25, 2004)

I keep a betta in my guppy tank. Works wonders on fry control but enough escape so I can still enjoy watching the fry grow up. The betta looks lovely with fresh food and isn't real ambitious. Tends to get the ones that aren't paying attention.


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## compulsion (Mar 2, 2004)

ive got 3 female siamese fighters and one prime male fighter to control my guppy problem, and the ones that survive that are a pleasure to keep, keeps the whole thing more natural if some die, few live. crawl but then again its life.. 

i have a pair of dwarf gouramis aswell.. im sure they like a few.


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## dapi (Feb 25, 2004)

flash69x said:


> I just don't want to get something that is going to kill the adults. I have a dwarf gouramis in there thinking he might do something but he hangs out at the top all the time. All the babies are at the bottom hiding in my mountain of Jaa Ferns. I called all the LFS and they laughed at me about taking Guppies back, I even offered givving them to them. This is definately the last time I get livebearers like this. I guess I could get that fire eel I allways wanted. :twisted:


Hey! I get from US$50-$200 for a pair of my guppies. Start catching the best males and females and breeding for quality.

If you don't want to do that get some Xenotoca eisenii. This livebearer will slowly wittle your guppies down in number and will give birth to large fry every 60 days that turn a bright red and green in colour with the males and should be saleable.


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## blk (Oct 25, 2003)

I've found one male betta does the trick. I have a tank with swordtails, and with the betta around no fry would survive. Without the betta I have fry everywhere and they are getting big.


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## urbanspectrum (Feb 19, 2004)

I've been using black skirt tettras and have no problems, they are very active at hunting down any fry that are in my tank.
seeing that I have 6 female guppies, my black skirts are getting kinda fat. roud:


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## dapi (Feb 25, 2004)

urbanspectrum said:


> I've been using black skirt tettras and have no problems, they are very active at hunting down any fry that are in my tank.
> seeing that I have 6 female guppies, my black skirts are getting kinda fat. roud:


Sailfin characins are also good at this, I have a male and 3 females in with my alfaro. The knife edge livebearers are speed demons, much faster than any other livebearers I've seen and the sailfins make short work of any fry. As a bonus I get a very difficult tetra that is carnivorous into breeding condition and get a good number of fry from them. and at ¥1,980 a fish in the LFS this is GOOD.


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