Feeder Guppies?!?

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Yesterday I went to a mall in Marion, Il, that had a pet store in it. I went there and to my suprise and slight disgust I found a tank full of little guppies labeled "Feeder Guppies." I had an urge to buy a few so they wouldn't get eaten. I don't see why they should be feeders. Sure they're small and have smaller tailfins, but some of them had quite vibrant colors. I think I'll end up buying some. I was wondering if they were as hard to care for as fancy ones. I've read that fancy guppies have become weak through selective breeding and I'm hoping that these are more hardy. If any of you can give me any information on these little fish PLEASE TELL ME!

 

[FroggyFox]

SOME feeder guppies are a lot more hardy than fancies for the reasons you describe. Unfortunately a lot of feeder guppies have health issues because they aren't selectively bred, or are bred from guppies that aren't 'good enough' to be called fancies (either because of lack of color or physical traits). Its essentially the same fish.

Many people prefer to use guppies as feeders instead of goldfish because they think that overall gups are less fat, healthier for the fish that are eating etc

 

[jade71301]

My bf had feeder guppies for about 3 years and lost maybe 3 in alll of that time. One thing though they still reproduce like crazy. The best bet is to get all males, and they seem to be more agressive than fancy guppies are but thats my opinion. They are very hardy fish and easy to care for. They need no salt, Don't have to worry about fin rot as much. I have one with 4 fancy guppies and all of my fancies have fin rot, but not my feeder. The only thing is they are not as pretty as fancies and the males are very small and colorful, compared to the females which are big and whitish color, and always seem to be pregnant lol. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Thank you, that information is quite helpful. I'm talking about the feeders that are like fancies but smaller with short tailfins. I did notice that what appeared to be the males all had bright green spots, two on each side. Also the ones that seemed female were dull white with little vibrancy or variation. You were definitely right when you sead that the females are constantly pregnant. That's why when I get them I'll buy a baby hiding place from another LFS.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I was wondering if, since they are more hardy, maybe I shouldn't have to quarantine the feeder guppies that I get. Their tank didn't look that bad for a pet store. They were all swimming around happy, and completely oblivious to their arranged fate. I don't recall seeing any dead ones. If you think It would be safest just to quarantine them, then please tell me.