dissapeared Guppy?

Hi,
i have a 17 gal. tank with 30 guppies, and recently i found out that
one of the "fathers" had dissapeared, i didn't notice because it had
sons of the same color, but when i examined it in detail, it wasn't
there!

I first searched all over the tank for a dead body, moving the gravel
just in case he had been able to bury itself, but i have not been able
to find anyone... I read a message where somebody talked about male
guppies being devoured by the female o_OU

Is this true? Do guppies canmibalize themselves once they become
adults?? Where could be the male guppy?

Thanks.

With 30 guppies in the tank the chances of you ever finding a dead
guppy are pretty small. I don't know that they actually kill eachother
(at least I've never observed any guppy murders) but they will eat a
dead tankmate fairly quickly when kept in large numbers. When I kept
guppies I would lose about one a month, stocking levels fluctated with
births and deaths but were usually around 10 to 20 guppies in a 10g
tank.

-Daniel

Hmmm...
I think it probably happened while i was four days out of home... so
probably it died and got eaten...
thanks.

Hmmm...
I think it probably happened while i was four days out of home... so
probably it died and got eaten...

Guppies can eat there own young at times, but other than that I have
never experienced guppies eating other guppies although I bet if they
were hungary enough they would eat already dead guppies. What you
describe could just take time. I wouldn't worry about it yet - give it
some time and think about it in the background and maybe something will
surface in your mind that helps you find him. These things can happen
and in the long run the creature often reappears, I am not talking
superstition it's just plain mindboggling enough when these things
happen, that's all. Recently I couldn't find one of my musk stinkpot
(sorry, off topic) turtles even after tearing the tank apart and the
next day I found them all, so don't panic - at least not yet. Good luck
and later!

P.S. - I have a lot of fancy guppies myself and what is happening to
you often happens to me at least back when I actually worried about it.
Now I just make a mental note of not finding one of my favorites and
they practically always show up later and I don't even bother to expend
much energy looking for them let alone tearing the tank apart. It just
happens. Some of my stress is also relieved now because my fancy
guppies multiply like crazy too. Good luck - and later!

30 guppies will probably polish off a dead guppy within hours. Any
dead fish is automatically fish food.

Originally Posted by

30 guppies will probably polish off a dead guppy within hours. Any dead fish is automatically fish food.

Yeah, I've seen that in action. On my way out one morning, saw a dead guppy at the bottom. I had to get going, so I was going to get it out when I came home from work. Came home, looked, and no dead fish.
This 10 gal tank has only guppies, about 10 adults, and 20-30 half grown and younger fry.
And if I want to get the tank partly cleaned, as in most little bits of algae or what not, I don't feed them for 3 feedings, then the fourth is a smaller feeding. And I feed morning and night. Then I do the gravel vacuum. Works pretty good. I only do partial cleaning by fish once a month. 20-25% water change weekly, with a gravel vacuum.