pregnant?

[flibble86]

Is this the gravid spot?

 

[flibble86]

The 2 that I named bill and Ben will not leave her alone today at all, chasing her around the tank! Poor girl!

 

[jwh0818]

Thats because you need more females. The ratio is 1 male : 3 females

 

[flibble86]

When i got them I was told that I had 2 of each. Bill and Ben I thought were the boys but I've been informed that they are actually a boy and girl. Obviously, ginger is a girl so if the store was correct that makes sparkles a boy. He's not bothered by her at all it's just the other 2 which are pestering, us this normal behaviour?

 

[Ian086]

When i got them I was told that I had 2 of each. Bill and Ben I thought were the boys but I've been informed that they are actually a boy and girl. Obviously, ginger is a girl so if the store was correct that makes sparkles a boy. He's not bothered by her at all it's just the other 2 which are pestering, us this normal behaviour?

Pretty normal behaviour. My males seem to go mad when my females are close to dropping. You could try putting her in the trap but I would leave this until as late as possible this evening. Turn off the light straight away, this will help keep her calm. The usually give birth during the night, as the tank and the surroundings are quiet and peaceful which they like. Her gravity spot, I never really noticed it in mine. In guppies it's very obvious.
With all livebearers, the male has, what is called a gonopodium, basically his penis. This is what to look for. As was said, you should up the m/f ratio to 1m to 3f....

 

[flibble86]

Once ginger has had the babies and depending on how many survive, I'll look into getting some more females. Have looked again and I still think bill and Ben are definitely boys.

 

[flibble86]

Pretty normal behaviour. My males seem to go mad when my females are close to dropping. You could try putting her in the trap but I would leave this until as late as possible this evening. Turn off the light straight away, this will help keep her calm. The usually give birth during the night, as the tank and the surroundings are quiet and peaceful which they like...

Do you think she looks ready to drop soon then?

 

[flibble86]

She's still hanging in there! Sorry about the poo shot- but it's all she seems to be doing at tho mo!

 

[Mcor]

She's beginning to square off nicely. Hopefully next 2-3 days then. Maybe even sooner.

 

[flibble86]

My daughter's keep checking the fish to check wether she's had then or not. They are very excited!

 

[Ian086]

She seems very round in the first picture and slightly less rounded in the second. They do seem to poop a lot before hand and it will get clear. Keep note of the date and you'll know for next month. I would guess 4-7days away....

 

[flibble86]

I've noticed her behaviour is slighltly different now, she's lurking around the bottom more. Still eating and swimming around but not as active as she was. And the poo! It's everytine I look at her! Suppose she's got to make room!

 

[Ian086]

Hanging around the bottom, the heater and generally being lethargic is a strong sign that she is near, days away. I notice mine stop eating about 2-3 days before she drops but this is not always the case. Her anal passage will also start to swell, when I noticed this, I try and leave the light off as much as possible. The less stressful she is the better.....

 

[flibble86]

I've got a breeder trap which I want to try and put her in as we would like to see the fry grow as I don't feel there is much of a chance to survive in the tank. Might pop it in so they get used to it being in there tomorrow.

 

[Ian086]

I've got a breeder trap which I want to try and put her in as we would like to see the fry grow as I don't feel there is much of a chance to survive in the tank. Might pop it in so they get used to it being in there tomorrow.

Yeah no harm but personally I wouldn't put her in it for at least another 2 days. It's a guessing game right now. We can only give you advice from what we have seen ourselves. If you feel you want to put in straight away, that's your call. You will get to know the signs yourself very quickly. As they give birth every 4wks, you will pick up the signs of each fish and how they react prior to giving birth. Not every fish of the same species behaves the same when they are about to give birth. What you have been told is our personal experiences but your fish may show all or only a few of these signs. I know your eager and excited and that's great to see, the kids especially love seeing baby fish but remember, this is your first time and you WILL make mistakes. As long as you learn from them, that's the main thing. Waiting is such a pain, I know, but trust me, once you have a few females, you will have a conveyor belt of fry and will spot the signs easily. What i do is take a picture of the fish and put the date of the birth beside it. That way you know almost exactly when she will give birth the next time. The less time they have to spend in the traps the better. Some fish don't mind them too much, others hate them. A tip i would give you is, if you are going to use traps, try and get the biggest one you can. The more space and the less trapped they feel the better. Also you will most likely have fry that are stillborn or that die off, so maybe think of a story to tell the kids if they notice this!!. What's your plan for the fry anyway??

 

[flibble86]

Was going to get a smaller tank for the fry to be transferred too whilst they get bigger. Depending on how many survive, I will put some females into the main tank then prob give away the rest.

 

[Ian086]

Was going to get a smaller tank for the fry to be transferred too whilst they get bigger. Depending on how many survive, I will put some females into the main tank then prob give away the rest.

Have you asked your LFS if they will give you credit for the fry, when they're big enough. Most LFS(not the big ones) will give credit. It could help will a few costs.....

 

[flibble86]

Unfortunately I don't have a local shop, nearest is half an hour drive away and that's a massive chain that's why I'm kinda tempted to let her just have the fry in the tank and let nature do it's thing but I no I'll feel bad if they don't survive.

 

[Ian086]

Unfortunately I don't have a local shop, nearest is half an hour drive away and that's a massive chain that's why I'm kinda tempted to let her just have the fry in the tank and let nature do it's thing but I no I'll feel bad if they don't survive.

The only other option than giving them away or letting nature take it's course, is to open a guppy farm!!!

 

[flibble86]

I think she's ready!







I've had the light off for a couple of days.