Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discussion

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Total trash.
All the guppies look like .... Well, trash.
They are a random mix of badly matched colors and fins. They've got ick, are under fed and more often than not, deformed.

They had a male fish with a bent spine, blue tail fin, yellow dots, black stripes, big head and he was missing an eye. He was the healthiest one in the tank, which was covered in algae.

It's the same story at both pet land and pet co. Then the guy who owns his own pet store doesn't like to deal with live bearing fish.... And his supplier only sells the same random mixes, much healthier mind you.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Left to my mother to feed them, my fish got rather neglected this weekend.
The lights were left on, and not once did she feed them...

Side note, males actually look a good deal larger. They fed on what they found while I was gone. Algae, scuds, and some mosquito larvae.

lesson learned. mother can't be counted on for something so important...

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Tomorrow I'll do a 75% partial and remove all sand in two tanks. Then I'll set up my two mating pairs.. Tiger Endler male crossed with the g1 cross. And a brother sister g1 cross.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Eh .... The Cory had another idea it seems.... I've got eggs all over the place, these still look viable.
So, I'll hold off on the tank re scape till later. I wold like some baby corys =D

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

lol, they ate about 99% of them. The others are still there, but look like they've died.
I'm getting a new tank tomorrow. Either a 33 gal, or bigger.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

I got the 40 gal breeder, but it is too wide and not long enough. Oh well. It'll have to do. Should'a went with the 33 gal for the same price, it's longer and not nearly as wide. But my eyes got too big for me and I went with the most gallons... What a shame.
I can only divide this tank 4 ways, so 4 breeding pairs it is.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

With the 4 divides, I've decided on the breeding pairs.
New fancy guppy/g1 female
Brother/Sister(g1s)
Tiger Male/G1 female
BBEndler/ G1 female

split half and half, it gives me two that directly are line related, while the other two give me a little more variability in the blood line. I'm only doing this because I lost the blue female, so I do not have her to recross into the line, so I'm going to find another direction to take it.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

A friend bought me two more fancy guppies and placed them into the tank while I was gone .... So, there goes the plan I had.
So, not it's a sort of free for all in one half the tank, while the other half is split between the Tiger Endlers and the only remaining breeding pair not effected by my friend's wonderful, but misguided, generosity.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Currently I plan on allowing an unrestricted breeding plan, all fry will be collected and males will be left in the parent side, while the females will stay isolated and virgin. The males will then be sorted and permitted to either pass into the next breeding round, or will be removed and added to the community tank. Fish not sporting my desired preferences will be removed in favor of those preferences. After males are in full display I will do a similar purge of females. While all females who show colors are to be screened for desired tone, females who are the dull gray, as some certainly will be, will be permitted to stay as well. Grays will be paired with specific males while the rest will either go into the free-for-all, so also stay for the selected males.

Mean while, my Selected division which is a male endler and a female blue guppy/tiger endler cross will be permitted to keep breeding. I'll await the first drop and make a few selective picks. I'm going to try for blue sword tails, lol.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Decided to flip a coin.
If heads I'll add sand, plants, decorations etc.
If tails It stays a bare bottom tank, with some potted plants.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Well~ Time to go clean some sand and get ready the tank for a scape. (came up heads 8 out of 10 times)

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

So, new sand... And the tank has entered a new cycle. I'll assume the very wounded fish will not make it, but he may yet.
I made my own pots out of clay and sand. Cheap, but effective.
Images to follow.

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

yea
I thought about a market for stuff like this.
I could do it, but doubt I could find buyers =P

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Yay =3 I have some fry!

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Fry have crossed all across the tank. Those eggcrate barries with the screen on them didn't work.
So. I'm just gunna call it a day.
I drained the tank, water mold and what not. Likely gunna leave it outside for a while. May either reset up a 10 gallon or two, or may just give up on fish altogether. The 40 had effectivly crippled the dresser it's on and has been nothing but trouble...

 

Re: Working on my own strain of guppy. - Journal and discuss

Cleaned and sterilized the tank. New sand. Fish and decor either removed or treated with an antibiotic medication.
Tank resetup. Water remained clear over night. Fish no longer scratching on the sand.

I'll have to post an update on the new lines I added to suppliment the existing blue's. Not that there is any lasting difference between lines, all are pretty much mixed up. Tiger Endler's are still in one compartment, and the endler/guppy partiton remains fry free. Those two will not be messed with.