Barki, A., Institute of Animal Science, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Zion, B., Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Shapira, L., Institute of Animal Science, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Karplus, I., Institute of Animal Science, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

A novel method for increasing fry yield in guppy breeding tanks was tested in the laboratory and commercial farms. It is based on lighting the fry collecting net baskets to attract newborn guppies into these safe refuges, which in turn reduces their exposure to cannibalism. A laboratory experiment revealed a significantly higher fry yield (by 30.2%) using illuminated net baskets than baskets without light. No significant effect of the timing of fry collection (08:00, 12:00 or 16:00) was found. Under commercial culture conditions in two farms, fry yields significantly increased by 13-28% in various guppy strains, using illuminated baskets. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated the efficacy and high economic potential of the proposed method in increasing fry yield in commercial-size breeding tanks. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.