How to tell if my livebearers are pregnant?

Kyfish · 05-08-2011, 07:15 AM

I have two female guppies, and two female swordtails. One of the female swordtails was huge up until about two days ago I came home from work and she looks very thin. Did she give birth and all the fry get eaten? I have a femail guppy that is swollen up pretty big, but I cant see any fry eyes in her. Is there any for sure way I can tell shes pregnant and when shes about to give birth?
Thanks

Scalare · 05-08-2011, 07:38 AM

Your female sword probably did give birth while you were at work and yes the fry were
very likely eaten, if you have a small tank you could use to isolate the expectant moms
the fry would have more of a chance of survival, if there were some plants for them to
hide in would increase their chances as well. guppies are almost always pregnant, she
needs to be isolated in another tank or a breeding trap, though the breeding traps do
seem to stress out the mom fish. timing is difficult, a matter of guesswork

Pete

BBradbury · 05-08-2011, 08:38 AM

Good morning. Livebearers have a way of delaying birth if conditions aren't right. When Livebearers give birth, they have a lot of fry. Unless you have an extremely small tank and underfeed your adult fish, I doubt all of the fry were eaten.

To ensure good tank conditions, get some Water Sprite and float it in the tank. This will provide good hiding places for the pregnant females from the males and for the fry.

Livebearers will do best in 20 G tanks and preferably larger, they need a lot of room to swim. I have several tanks of Fancy Guppies and don't keep them in a tank smaller than 30 G and have a lot of plants.

Livebearers are extremely active and burn a lot of calories. When I see pregnant females, which is all the time, I feed a little more often. A little bit, two to three times a day is good and feed a variety of dried brine shrimp, tubifex worms and small algae wafers. Add any of the other name brand, tropical foods to the menu too. It's been my experience over the years that well fed adult livebearers seldom bother the fry.

BBradbury

jrman83 · 05-08-2011, 09:03 AM

It's possible that the Swordtail was full of eggs, but not pregnant. If tank conditions are not right livebearer fish can discharge the eggs. I agree that all of the fry could have been eaten if it gave birth, Swordtails usually have a very large amount of fry.

If you want help with the Gups, just post a pic.

05-08-2011, 07:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
Kyfish Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 6 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	How to tell if my livebearers are pregnant? I have two female guppies, and two female swordtails. One of the female swordtails was huge up until about two days ago I came home from work and she looks very thin. Did she give birth and all the fry get eaten? I have a femail guppy that is swollen up pretty big, but I cant see any fry eyes in her. Is there any for sure way I can tell shes pregnant and when shes about to give birth? Thanks

05-08-2011, 07:38 AM	#2 (permalink)
Scalare Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 26 Name: Pete Location: Norfolk England My location Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 25 Times Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: How to tell if my livebearers are pregnant? Your female sword probably did give birth while you were at work and yes the fry were very likely eaten, if you have a small tank you could use to isolate the expectant moms the fry would have more of a chance of survival, if there were some plants for them to hide in would increase their chances as well. guppies are almost always pregnant, she needs to be isolated in another tank or a breeding trap, though the breeding traps do seem to stress out the mom fish. timing is difficult, a matter of guesswork Pete

05-08-2011, 08:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
BBradbury BBradbury's Photo Gallery Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 585 Name: BBradbury Location: Greeley, CO Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 101 Times Said "Thanks" 9 Times Was Thanked 246 Times in 231 Posts	Re: How to tell if my livebearers are pregnant? Good morning. Livebearers have a way of delaying birth if conditions aren't right. When Livebearers give birth, they have a lot of fry. Unless you have an extremely small tank and underfeed your adult fish, I doubt all of the fry were eaten. To ensure good tank conditions, get some Water Sprite and float it in the tank. This will provide good hiding places for the pregnant females from the males and for the fry. Livebearers will do best in 20 G tanks and preferably larger, they need a lot of room to swim. I have several tanks of Fancy Guppies and don't keep them in a tank smaller than 30 G and have a lot of plants. Livebearers are extremely active and burn a lot of calories. When I see pregnant females, which is all the time, I feed a little more often. A little bit, two to three times a day is good and feed a variety of dried brine shrimp, tubifex worms and small algae wafers. Add any of the other name brand, tropical foods to the menu too. It's been my experience over the years that well fed adult livebearers seldom bother the fry. BBradbury __________________ Low Tech Water Building Keeper Last edited by BBradbury : 05-09-2011 at 04:38 PM.

05-08-2011, 09:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
jrman83 ....has no life.... jrman83's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 9,468 Name: Ben Location: White Plains, MD My location Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,396 Times Said "Thanks" 478 Times Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts	Re: How to tell if my livebearers are pregnant? It's possible that the Swordtail was full of eggs, but not pregnant. If tank conditions are not right livebearer fish can discharge the eggs. I agree that all of the fry could have been eaten if it gave birth, Swordtails usually have a very large amount of fry. If you want help with the Gups, just post a pic.

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