# Colors



## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

So I was looking at all of my guppy fry (about 40 at this point I think) and I noticed that all of them are a bright yellow color on their entire body. Keep in mind they are only about 4-5 days old at this point, so I am not expecting much in sense of coloring. I noticed that 2 of the fry are a grey/brownish color instead of the bright almost glowing yellow the other 38 are. Is it normal for guppies to have a couple babies that will be completely different colors or might they end up being cull candidates?

**Correction, 2 of the now 39ish have the dark color....I just watch one of the babies my female held onto and had in the 20G (she had 9 in there) after I moved her back, watched one guppy eat the tail off of it and then the female ate the rest of him. So we are down to 39 lol.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

My swords produce all colors from the same mom;marigold,yellow,black and yellow,black and orange,orange and white,and black, orange and white.I'll even get the odd(1 out of 200) albinos.Swords can store sperm for upto 7 months(they can have fry every month for 7 months with not seeing a male from the beginning).Possibly guppies are similiar.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

I know guppies are the same as they can store sperm and use it for I think 4 pregnancies. But is it possible for them to have fry from different males in one batch? Like I said, its just weird that all of the fry look the same (I know they will get some differences as they get bigger, but at least the base color of the bodies is almost a glowing yellow) yet 2 are very dark in color, almost black. Crazyness


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Oh yea!They will mix up the sperm from different males as they can.
I don't cull any of my swords(unless with deformity)as even my marigolds have kio,and black fry.So the appearance of the fry is only 1 side of a 3 sided coin.Both of the parents genes are still present.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Interesting. Didn't know that one!! I wasn't planning on any actual culling at all. I was planning on raising these ones till they are about 2-3 months old, selling some off, then starting over. And whatever babies I get till then will stay in the big tank and may the best survive lol. Don't have the room for hundreds of babies haha. Well my adult yellow, guess we will just see what she has from now on here. Glad I have some virgin tequila sunrises in with my cobra, hopefully they can give me some cool patterns/colors when they mature, which should be in a month or so


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

In order to track or control colors you must keep ALL other males seperated from females.The fish in my avitar came from mixing colors for 2 years.Now I get a good amount of kio and showas from my marigold females.Even the lyre tail will pop out from time to time!


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Well other than the new 5 day old fry, the cobra is the only male I have in the tank. I moved my blue tux up to my sons 3 gallon tank because he was picking on everything that went with him. So he is excommunicated now. I have 4 sunrise females from my first batch of fry, they might be mature now, but the only male they have been with from when they were a month and a half old is my cobra. I'm gonna see what the new fry look like when they start getting older. Might keep a male from them in my other 3 gallon I got for my daughter (who by the way isn't even born yet haha anything to have a tank) Gonna try to get the cobra pattern to repeat so I can keep introducing new colors.


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## nate2005 (Apr 24, 2013)

jamnigh said:


> Interesting. I was planning on raising these ones till they are about 2-3 months old, selling some off, then starting over. And whatever babies I get till then will stay in the big tank and may the best survive lol. Don't have the room for hundreds of babies haha.


Have you ever sold them before? Is it hard to find buyers for them?


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

My first batch I had 20 fry, kept 4 females from the group and sold the other 16 of them on Craigslist for $10 lol


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If you breed good stock,and are recognized at your LFS they will take fish in trade for store credit.Last time I traded swords I got $1 each.......for 200!That buys alittle bit of food,filter media,or as I do turns swordtails into $100+ saltwter fish.Get a scientist to do that(turn swordtails into emperor,or majestic angels)!It's not magic,go back to first sentance.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Haha nice!! I found a place that will take them in for store credit, just dont know how much. But they sell their guppies for $6.99 each!!! So it should be a decent price I can get for them. That will end up buying a new light fixture and CO2 kit for me


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

My trades average out to 25% of selling price.
I've paid attention to what sells and for how much.Sometimes I get like 75 cents but that will be for mostly marigold and not as large as I have supplied before.
Eitherway I don't breed for profit but because my fish allow me too.And I enjoy the "measure" of sucess I get from taking fry to 1-2" fish.I've bred long finned white clouds and gouramis and both were sell outs at LFS in under 2 weeks.
Always build a good repor with your LFS of choice{I have like 10-15 in my area},and don't be afraid to tell them "how much" you know or how long you've been doing it.I've been a customer of my #1 LFS for over 30 years and have been in contact and actively trading with owner for longer than any of his employees have been around(some actually did work for him 20+ years ago.)I got them by ten +!


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Yeah same here, I dont breed for profit. I breed because the guppies refuse to listen when I say I dont have enough room haha. Plus it is a great feeling to see the little fry grow into the 3/4inch guppies before I start getting rid of them lol. And hey, if I can get some new stuff from them for them, why not!?!

I just moved into a new area, found two actual fish stores (petco and petsmart wont take my fish). One of them sells the guppies for $2.99 and they wont take my fry. The other one sells them for $6.99 each and they said just bring in what I have and they will give me store credit. So it might be a little more expensive there, but I think I am gonna head over this weekend and buy a few plants from them, introduce myself, and start building a repor with them


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Ya none of the chains will ever take anything(beyond extradinary and uncommon) from you.They only want your money,not your business(they are two different things).I own my business and sometimes I do extra for nothing,but that brings people back.Look for indepently owned shops and look for "quality".The LFS I deal with is certainly more expensive than my local petco/or petsmarts,but also has better staff and fish.
You don't want to sell/trade your fish to the cheapest seller regardless.Breed for quality/trade for quality.


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## nate2005 (Apr 24, 2013)

every little bit helps. it can be an expensive hobby


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Completely agreed on that one. The two locally owned fish stores around me, I have been into one of them and I have called the other. The one I went into, they wont take them in, which is a shame because I really liked it there. They were cheaper than petsmart/petco on most things, but it was really nice inside, the employees were all avid aquarists, and they had a decent stock. Downfall, the fish were not a lot of money, hence they wouldn't take my guppies in because they couldn't turn for a big enough profit. The one I have just called I am gonna go into this weekend (its payday Friday...gonna spend some on my tanks  )They are more expensive, but from what I have gathered through reviews and calling, they are the best of the best. And they have already given me the "Yes we will take any and all guppies you have, as long as they are an inch big, and we will give you store credit, maybe even pay you for them". 

I agree nate!! If I can get rid of 35 fry for a buck a piece, thats getting me closer to a nice hood


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Congrats of the upcoming aquarist/girl. I just looked at your pictures. Must say, that is one handsome Cobra. His colors just pop. Also, where did you get the little beach chair setup. It's adorable. Good looking tank.

Is that one of the new flat heaters in the back of the tank. If so, how do you like it? 

One more question. The sponge on your filter uptake,,,,,does it trap detritus? I know it keeps fry from getting sucked up the intake, but will it also prevent all the nasty stuff from going into the filter? 

Hope you have a great day.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

We got the little beach stuff from Petsmart...my wife just had to have it lol. Its probably gonna be going into a different tank soon when I revamp with some driftwood and live plants.

And yeah, the cobra is my favorite. He was the only one left at Petco the other week when we went...I asked and the guy said he was the only one that came in with the shipment, so they gave him to me for the sale price of the assorted fancy tails. Hoping to replicate the pattern soon 

The heater, not too keen on it I must say. When I had it in my 10g tank, it bumped the temp up to about 82 degrees, which was fine since it was all fry in it and I was using my 10g heater in my 5 gallon tank lol. So I thought if I put it in the 20g it should keep it around the same if not lower...well it heated my 20g long to about 86 degrees, thats when I realized it and turned it off. So now they are just getting heat from the light and our house air, and the tank water is staying at 76-78 degrees at all times.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about that type of heater. I have one that is not adjustable in a 5g and you never know what the temp will be. Goes from 72 to 82. I am still looking for an adjustable heater for the 5. Guess I will have to try craigs list.

Hope you have a very nice day


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Yeah the one I have isn't adjustable. It sucks because I want and probably should have an adjustable, but spending $40 on a heater is hard for me to do lol.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Me too. Especially after putting out so much for a new well pump. Do they even make adjustable heaters for 5g tanks. I would use a 10, but they are too tall.

Oh well. Think I will go take a nap and worry about it later. 

Hope you have a very nice day


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## pineappleswordies (Apr 13, 2013)

You should check amazon. I saw some 25w adjustable ones. I signed up for the Prime free trial and bought stuff cause the Prime membership gives you free 2-day shipping. I bought my stuff then cancelled the membership after I was done. It lets you keep the 1-month free trial but doesnt re-charge you cause the membership is cancelled. Got 21lbs of stuff with free shipping.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Sounds like a good idea. Will try to check it out later this afternoon. It's raining, so it's a good day to clean house. 

Have a great day


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

Guppy breeding is serious hard work. I myself have tried it some time. But I had not enough space and lost track.
If I see an aquarium in pet store with more than 100 male guppy of the same shape and color, and another one next to it, also with another male guppy color but all the same, I think to myself: What a good result. I see in my mind the many small aquariums with a number. I see the breeder as he sorted his young fish by sex as early as possible. I think of the patience he must have, until they are grown and the males show their characteristics. Usually not as expected. He must not lose track. (Of which parents). May have to be crossed throughout the back. To proper accounting is required. After a long time then gives the desired result.
I buy some king cobra, because I like them. I get also females. Good quality. From another aquarium, Will it be the right to continue the line? The breeder would want that? I could offer the same fish as a customer in a year, without much hassle.
When later I see my young fish grow, and it shows that the male look different, I would not be surprised. This is natural. In the present case, the juvenile fish will all be bastards, but the yellow color is dominant. Seldom comes the dark color through. Perhaps these dark interesting for further breeding.
I wish you good luck and much patience.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

See I guess I am not trying to be a true breeder as I'm not going to be keeping track of parents and offspring or anything along those lines. I am mainly just letting nature run its course and only pulling a pregnant female out when my fry tank is empty. Any fry born into the larger tank, nature will run its course, if any survive, hey awesome! But I am only keeping my male yellow cobra in there along with 5 females to try and see what happens.


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