Pregnant Guppy?

[jess]

Some are 6-8 weeks, my others are 2 weeks on monday. My 6-8's they all look female. However all have the dark spot near the anal fin while one does not have dark spot at all. Wondering if he could be a male?? My ones that will be two weeks the only thing I can tell the difference is some are getting colours while others arent

 

[Ian086]

I've read that at that age it's the colour that you sex them by. The males develop their colour much younger. Is there a reason why you want/need to sex them so young or are you just curious??

 

[jess]

Im curious. But at the same time id like to be able to seperate them sooner then later if possible. I am giving the majority away and most people ask for certain sexes to avoid the "getting them after their pregnant" issue. Plus i dont think i could handle 6 of my female guppies all getting pregnant at once haha

 

[ChrisJ]

I have 3 fry, nearly 3 weeks old in a breeder net in my 60g. When can I let them loose into main tank with other fish? I know people say when they're big enough not to be eaten, but how many weeks old on average?

 

[Ian086]

I have 3 fry, nearly 3 weeks old in a breeder net in my 60g. When can I let them loose into main tank with other fish? I know people say when they're big enough not to be eaten, but how many weeks old on average?

Personally i leave them for two months, then keep them in my 10g guppy tank for a further month. I then trade them to my lfs. Growth can depend on a few factors, how they're housed, quality of food etc. I use Hikari First Bites fry food. I know people use crushed flake/crisps and i did for a while but i find the Hikari helps them grow quicker....

 

[ChrisJ]

So at 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old they'll get eaten?

 

[Ian086]

That depends on the stock in your tank, if it's only guppies or similar size fish, i would leave it for the 5-6wk mark, just to be safe..Also you might want to put a filter sponge over the tank outlet pipe. Just stops them getting sucked up..You can buy these in lfs for a couple of pound. You could also use some ladies tights instead..It might seem a bit OTT but personally i like to be cautious..
You will know yourself when you see the fry at 4wks..It could be okay...

 

[jess]

These are two of my older babies. Notice how one only has colour on tail fin while the other has its whole tail coloured. So, even tho the tail coloured one has female parts, because of the colouring its most likely to be a male? Vs the plain baby??

 

[jess]

Heres somehat better pics of the majorly coloured one. If anyone has an opinion

 

[ChrisJ]

They both look female to me

 

[Ian086]

They both look female to me

I agree. Another way to tell is the male will have a pointed Anal fin, it can be pointed towards it's tail, the female will have 3 fan shape fins around her anas..

 

[jess]

Ya this whole "all are born female" thing is just throwing me off! Haha. And ive heard of fish that mate with their "relatives" , their fry will be all deformed. And i dont want that happening either!

 

[Ian086]

Ya this whole "all are born female" thing is just throwing me off! Haha. And ive heard of fish that mate with their "relatives" , their fry will be all deformed. And i dont want that happening either!

They won't be all born female. I do think they have a higher ratio of females born, but if she has 30 fry, there's bound to be some males!!.
They will inbred, given the chance. It's no big deal, just separate them as soon as you can and just keep one sex and if you suspect any got pregnant by a relative just let her have them and either let the other eat the fry or cul them. Inbreeding does and will happen in the hobby....

 

[jess]

Im assuming this meansi need to make some more room for babies?? Lol

 

[Ian086]

Im assuming this meansi need to make some more room for babies?? Lol

You could just use a breeding trap(with a seperate compartment) or a breeding net. What's your plan for the fry anyway??

 

[pcdebb]

Im assuming this meansi need to make some more room for babies?? Lol

she looks preggers

Honestly, you really can't depend on gendering guppies by their coloring at such a young age. On average, it will take a couple of months before they develop the anal fin (gonopodium) for the male. I've had my fry start showing color in their tails as early as a month, nothing spectacular, like a black line on top and bottom of the tail.

The conditions in your tank can have some effect as well. I have a 16 gallon bowfront just for the guppies. (started with 6 female/3 male endlers over a year ago in this tank. Wanna guess how many I have now? ) I keep the temp at around 82~84, use RO/DI water (have other tanks in the house too) with a fairly low pH. Keeps them as the breeding machines that they are only loss I ever had is when my heater when on the fritz and cooked some of the females

@jess, unless you monitor the tank around the clock and separate them as soon as you see male developement, there will be inbreeding. It happens more often than you realize. Male guppies don't care (male endler guppies are even worse). all they want is a female to mate with. That is all that's on their minds lol. Off and on over the years I've raised my share, and only had one deformity.

 

[jess]

Well my babies are less then 2 weeks and some have colour. I didnt use that to sex them but was told about if you take them individually and shine a light on them you can see the gravid spot on females. I tried that last night and could clearly see gravid spot on some ad nothing on others so have seperated them based on this. I will be checking again and sorting them as i go but at least its a start.

@ian
I live in a small community where the closest pet store is an 8 hour drive. So when fish become available theres always tons of takers. So needless to say i plan to raise them till i can clearly distinguish the males from females. Then find them good homes

 

[scrogs]

Both fish are defiantly pregnant. If a fish is pregnant staying near the filter and heater are normal habits. Be sure you have a place to put these fry once your guppy gives birth. If you have any other bigger fish in your tank (including the mom) they might try to eat the fry.

 

[jess]

I have successfully saved 36 from the first batch. The current one should by due on the 18th. So when it geta closer to then I will be moving her into a breeder trap ( if it arrives before she pops!) because she is in a tank with other larger fish.

 

[Brenda26910]

I have 3 pregnant females and two are due any day now if the babies are born will the other females eat them? I only have the 3 girls in this one tank.