6 Best Breeder Boxes for Guppies – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks
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Whether you’re intentionally breeding guppies or not, if you have male and female guppies together, you will definitely end up with guppy fry. Unfortunately, like many fish, guppies can (and will) eat their fry. Breeder boxes are a fantastic way to protect your newborn guppies, and they can also be used to protect females from amorous males or separate bullies for a “time out” period. Regardless of why your guppy tank needs a breeder box, you’ll find something that’s perfect for your needs in these reviews.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall | Lee’s Aquarium & Pets Multi-Purpose Guppy Breeder |
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Best Value | Penn-Plax Tank Divider |
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Premium Choice | Penn-Plax Breed ‘n’ Show Tank |
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Penn-Plax Aqua-Life Deluxe Net Breeder |
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Underwater Treasures Guppy Breeder |
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The 6 Best Breeder Boxes for Guppies
1. Lee’s Aquarium & Pets Multi-Purpose Guppy Breeder – Best Overall
Size: | 6”x4.1”x0.4” |
Price: | $ |
Features: | Three-way isolation |
The best overall breeder box for guppies is the Lee’s Aquarium & Pets 3-Way Multi-Purpose Guppy Breeder. This breeder box has air pockets on the side of the box that keep it afloat, keeping you from having to deal with suction cups. Although, this also means that you won’t be able to maintain the box in a single location if your tank flow moves it.
This three-way breeder box allows newborn fry to separate themselves from their mother, thanks to a lower section below tiny slats that only fry can fit through. The slatted lid will keep your adult fish securely in the box until you’re ready to release them. This box provides optimal water flow, ensuring your fish are receiving fresh, oxygenated water.
- Air pockets keep the box afloat
- Three-way design allows fry to stay safe
- Slatted lid keeps fish inside
- Provides optimal water flow
- Can’t secure the location without suction cups
2. Penn-Plax Tank Divider – Best Value
Size: | 11.38”x9.63”x1” |
Price: | $ |
Features: | Trimmable design |
The best breeder box for guppies for the money is the Penn-Plax Tank Divider, which isn’t actually a breeder box at all. This tank divider can be trimmed to fit your tank, and it allows you to turn your tank into two tanks in an instant. This tank divider is ideal for tanks up to 10 gallons. This will allow you to separate out your females from your males, or your fry from your adults.
Although it keeps your fish separate, this divider allows unrestricted water flow, ensuring that fish in all areas of the tank are receiving fresh, oxygenated water, thanks to the perforated screen design. This is an easy, quick, and convenient way to make a major modification to your tank, and the best part is that it’s a budget-friendly option. Since this is not a true breeder box, though, you will likely have to manually move fish to ensure they’re on the right side of the tank.
- Budget-friendly option
- Can be trimmed to fit tanks up to 10 gallons
- Allows you to create two tanks from one
- Perforated design allows unrestricted water flow
- Requires you to manually move fish to the appropriate area
3. Penn-Plax Breed ‘n’ Show 4-Way Tank – Premium Choice
Size: | 5.5”x5.15”x5” |
Price: | $$ |
Features: | Hinged lid |
The Penn-Plax Breed ‘n’ Show 4-Way Tank is the most expensive breeder box on the list, but it’s still extremely affordable. This four-way breeder box features a hinged lid for safety, as well as three levels of space within the box, allowing you to keep your adult fish secure, provide your fry with a place to take shelter, and allow waste to drop from the box. This design also works well as a breeding trap but makes it easy for you to release the fish if needed. Each of the levels can be removed if desired. The hooked plastic side will allow you to hang this box over the side of most tanks.
- Four-way design
- Hinged lid
- Ideal for protecting fry or used as a breeding trap
- Easy to quickly release fish
- Most expensive option
4. Penn-Plax Aqua-Life Deluxe Net Breeder
Size: | 6.75”x5.5”x5.85” |
Price: | $ |
Features: | Faux plants |
The Penn-Plax Aqua-Life Deluxe Net Breeder is unique in that this breeder box contains small faux plants, which will help your guppy fry get used to using plants for safety. This box floats at water level, and thanks to the free-sliding suction cup back, this box will adjust itself to stay at water level as the water level changes. The net material ensures adequate water flow, while the raised rim around the top prevents jumping, keeping your fish securely inside. Although this box does contain faux plants, it does lack separate chambers that will allow your fry to escape from the adult fish in the box with them.
- Contains faux plants
- Floats at water level and has self-adjusting suction cup back
- Raised rim prevents jumping
- Net material supports adequate water flow
- Lacks separate chambers within the box
5. Underwater Treasures Guppy Breeder
Size: | 6.7”x3.5”x3.5” |
Price: | $ |
Features: | Suction cup attachment |
The Underwater Treasures Guppy Breeder is a convenient breeder box that can be used as a multipurpose chamber for breeding or protecting fry. The slatted lid will keep your fish safe while allowing water and airflow into the box. The interior chambers provide fry with a place to stay safe while in the box with their mother. It also keeps them securely in place as they grow.
Suction cup attachment allows you to place this box anywhere you need it in your tank. It also has air pockets on the sides that will keep it afloat if desired, allowing you to use this box as a floating box or a secured box. Some users of this box have reported some difficulty getting the pieces to fit together properly, however.
- Multipurpose chamber for breeding and protecting fry
- Provides water and airflow into the box at all times
- Can be attached or allowed to float
- May be difficult to fit the pieces together correctly
6. Underwater Treasures Fish Net Breeder
Size: | 6.8”x6”x1.2” |
Price: | $ |
Features: | Suction cup attachment |
The Underwater Treasures Fish Net Breeder is a great option for a guppy breeding box. The net material ensures that water flow is maintained for the fish that are in the box. However, since this is not a clear plastic design, it may obstruct some of your view into the tank.
Four suction cups allow you to attach the box wherever it’s needed in your tank, but this box is not designed to float if you prefer that. This box allows you to create two side-by-side chambers, as well as providing space in the bottom for the fry to stay safe from the adult fish.
- Net material ensures excellent water flow
- Suction cup attachment
- Allows you to create multiple chambers
- May obstruct some of the tank view
- Cannot float
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Breeder Box
Things to Consider When Choosing a Breeder Box
Although not indicated by the name, breeder boxes have a variety of uses. They can be used for breeding purposes, as well as a place for females to birth their young. They can also be used to separate out aggressive fish or help new fish get used to the tank before you set them loose in it.
Your intended use for your breeder box will help you choose the best one for your needs. A single-chamber breeder box may not be ideal for protecting fry if they’re in the box with their mother, but it is an ideal way to secure one or two fish for breeding or safety purposes. A box with multiple chambers, on the other hand, is ideal for providing space to fry and females, keeping them safe from the other fish in the tank and ensuring the female isn’t harassed by other fish before, during, or after birth.
Breeder Box Sizing
You may be surprised when you see a breeder box for the first time that these boxes tend to be relatively small. The intention of breeder boxes isn’t to take up a ton of space in the tank. It’s simply to provide a secure location for a fish or multiple fish to thrive. A large breeder box will take up a lot of space in your tank, reducing the available space for other fish while providing more than enough space for one or two fish. If you have a specific size in mind for your needs, make sure to read the size of the box you’re interested in. Otherwise, you may end up with a box that surprises you with its small size.
Conclusion
Of the products we reviewed, the best breeder box for guppies is the Lee’s Aquarium & Pets 3-Way Multi-Purpose Guppy Breeder, which provides three-way isolation for the protection of your fish. For a budget-friendly option that will allow you to provide a lot of space, the Penn-Plax Tank Divider is the ideal way to create a separate chamber quickly and easily within your tank. While the Penn-Plax Breed ‘n’ Show 4-Way Tank is the most expensive option we reviewed, it’s still an extremely budget-friendly breeder box that provides multiple chambers and safety features for your fish.