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New-born fry have tiny mouths and huge appetites! They empty their stomachs every 20 minutes! Of course, it is not wise to feed them this often. Feed your guppy fry 4 to 8 times daily in small amounts.

When feeding fry it is important to offer a variety of food. A couple of quality, high-protein flake foods should be given, crushed up finely. Flakes are an excellent food just before lights out. Also, some breeders like to feed a small amount of flakes before each feeding of BBS. They believe that it helps the fish reap the benefits of BBS by keeping it in their systems longer with the staple mixed in.

Baby Brine Shrimp (BBS)
This is generally accepted as the best food for guppy fry. If you have a large guppy-breeding operation, you will want to give them the ultimate - live BBS that you have hatched yourself. If however, you are carrying on a small hobby, look for the convenience of frozen BBS. Make sure though, that it is BABY Brine Shrimp, not Adult Brine Shrimp. BBS has much more nutritional value than Adult Brine Shrimp (ABS) and can fit into the fry's tiny mouths. Remember, anything that is too large for fry to eat will go uneaten, wasted, and it will pollute the tank. The bonus in serving up live BBS is that what is not eaten immediately will survive and be consumed later. Be conservative and keep a watchful eye when feeding frozen BBS since it will rot quickly if not eaten right away.

Temperture and water changes:
A good temperature for fry is 80°F, which gets their metabolism in high gear. However, this is not a necessity -- mid 70's is sufficient. At the higher temperatures, they will eat more and grow faster. This is important when you are born so tiny! After all, the bigger a fish you are, the better off you are in the fight to ward off parasites, disease, and, oh yes, bigger fish = hungry fish!

First of all, this depends on the number of fish per gallon of water. Fewer fish mean less maintenance, basically. The best home for a batch of fry is a 5-gallon bare-bottom tank. It is not too large for them to find the food, and not so small that it allows for a stable, clean environment with a small inside box filter. Changing water at a rate of 50% a week keeps the water quality high, but make sure the replacement water is properly conditioned to remove chloramines and chlorine, and has the same pH and temperature as the tank water, so as not to shock the tiny inhabitants. Some guppy breeders do up to 100% water change will no ill effects.

Water changes themselves seem to spur growth. Nitrates building up in a tank seem to naturally slow the growth of most fish. This is likely a result of the natural order of things. Too many nitrates indicate that there is a population explosion, and slows growth in fish to make up for this. The only way to remove nitrates is through water changes.

The Lighting
Lighting is also an important aspect in the growth of guppies. Many breeders keep the lights on anywhere between 12-17 hours. Strong bright lights are not necessary, but guppies that live in a dim tank will often form deformities of the spine and somtimes the fins. Lights should not be kept on around the clock so that the fish can rest and relax for at least 7 or 8 hours. - fish can not close there eyes :)