# guppy: male to female ratio....



## zero

i was planning on having an all male tank but after a bit of reading and speaking to the bloke in the shop i think im going to have to get a few females to stop aggression. whats the minimum amount of females i can have to males? i really didnt want to have my fish breeding every two minuets but i guess the fry can go to the cichlids!!!


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## clep.berry

Minimum is 2 females per male so that there's always 1 getting a break when big boy goes randy.
Better is 3-4 per male - that should get the male tired enough to behave.
cb


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## zero

thats so rubbish...i wanted a tank of really pretty fish and the only females ive seen so far are rather boring!!! can i really not have any females?


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## luananeko

I keep males only all the time. Its definitely doable, but you have to make sure to have a LOT of males so the aggression is spread out. Any time I drop below 6 males I end up having tails getting beat up. It also helps to have a lot of plants and decorations to break up line of sight so everyone can find places to run to if they're getting targeted longer than a couple minutes.


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## clep.berry

I tried to keep 2-3 males in a tank and stress was killing them. I was following a "Stocking suggestion" confirmed a few times.
Just because it can be done doesn't mean that it should be done - but good luck anyway.
I now keep my last guppy as a centrepiece with my neons - go figure - he's nipping neons.
cb


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## zero

i was thinking of getting around 20 -30 males.....its well planted at one end with lots of caves running along the back with open swimming area, so there more than enough places to hide. i only have 6 at the moment but they seem to just chase my 3 danios!


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## luananeko

Perfect, you shouldn't have any issues with all males then. I would add 3 more danios though, as they are a schooling fish and get stressed in smaller numbers.


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## zero

to tell the truth....i got the danios to help cycle the tank and thought they might die! i didnt really want them for my final tank but if its better for them ill get 3 more. dont really want to add any more fish for another week or so, they should be ok though right for the time being?


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## luananeko

Yes, they're hardy little buggers. They aren't going to drop dead on you just because they don't have full school, but they are much happier and more resistant to diseases when they have proper numbers. If you don't want them in your final tank you can always take them back to the store. Most places will accept them free, or they might give you store credit. I'm a big fan of danios personally, as a good sized school of them adds a lot of personality to a tank since they're so lively.


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## zero

Ok ill take your word for it and get some more....they are always darting about the place....and schooling with the guppies!!


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## jamesk

I have 2 neon tetras in my 10 gallon. They give guppies something to chase, and they never get caught. I also have 1 male and 1 female balloon molly. The male will scare off my 10 guppies, but is too slow to hurt them. If it could.


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## zero

i was going to ask about mollies and guppies as im taking on someones mollie and pleco they cant look after anymore this weekend.


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## jamesk

If you are planning on breeding mollies, you may want to reconsider. They take 4 months to give birth. I have a male and female and I keep them because I think they are a cool fish. Guppies are better for breeding.


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## cheri900

Mollies and guppies will breeed with each other. But they usually are not very healthy. I ended up with a dalmation guppy!


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