How to encourage guppy abstinence?

[PiousPrat]

OK maybe not celibacy, but is there any way I can stop the little blighters being quite so free with their love? I started with 2 females and one male (fish shop advice of keeping more females than males to avoid competition fighting) about 2 years ago and now have far more than I know what to do with, even after giving loads away.

Because I have given away the extras that the tank can't support, I have now run out of people to pass them onto My local fish shop did used to buy the babies off me, when they were old enough to me moved, but he has since shut down and obviously I don't want to just kill them.

I currently have 3 females and 5 males of assorted colours and tail styles and the males don't seem that fussed about fighting over the females as I seem to have 2 subservient males, so there is only really 3 in the running for scaly sexy time.

Is there any way of keeping the numbers of babies down? Do I just have to pass one the females so there is nothing to impregnate? Or get a swordtail or something that will have at the fry? Can you put bromide in fishtanks?

Stick some pictures of Maggie Thatcher on their tank. Actually, that might kill them... The only way to stop guppies from breeding completely is to have a single sex tank.

Is your tank very heavily planted? Removing some of the smaller hiding places would mean a higher rate of predation but you'd still end up with some babies.

Swordtails can get much bigger than guppies, how big is your tank?

I had some floating pond weed type plant that the babies always hid in, but I got rid of that a while ago and while it kept the numbers of babies that survived down, there are still enough wily fry that make it to adulthood. I am down to 2 frondy type plants (sorry, I am useless at remembering the names) which I have moved more into the middle of the tank so there isn't so much of a hiding place in the corners for the babies. The tank used to be quite heavily planted but I had to ditch most of them, as every time I went away and left my Mum to feed the fish, she managed to blow both tank bulbs, so lots of plants died and caused ammonia spikes

I have a Jewel Rio (I think) 180 tank and used to have swordtails for a couple of years but had to pass them on as they became too aggressive and were picking off everything in the tank, they even had a go at my 6 year old plec! I don't think I could get them again as they would have at the other fish as well as the baby guppies and I don't want to lose my penguin tetras or the glass catfish, but I suspect they would be prime targets for the swordtails.

I'm just going to have to admit defeat and pass on the females aren't I?

Thanks for the advice EauRouge

I have a community tank and have never had a single guppy baby survive (opposite problem to you really - I'd love to have a few babies to coo over, but they never make it!) I have a couple of clown loaches, harlequins, cardinal and rummy-nosed tetras and a male betta in there with the guppies. No idea which are the baby eaters, but whoever it is does an efficient job! So might be worth investing in a couple of those? My money's on the betta, he's a right greedy beggar...