question on pregnant swordtails

[swordtail_man05]

hello. im brand new to this site/forums so if this doesnt belong in this exact section, please forgive me i am from ohio though.

my question is how can u tell if a sowrdtail is pregnant? it is a silver swordtail i got from petland close to where i live and is the only survivor out of 3 and incedintally were the first 3 fish i got for the tank. at the moment, its a 5 gallon tank but i will be getting a 14 gallon tank after xmas.

anyways, she is bulging out on her underside right below her gills and extends to her "butt" if u would.

any infromation is extremely helpful and appretiated

 

[dkpate]

Welcome to AA!
Does your swordtail have a gravid spot? A blackish spot near the bottom fin.

 

[dkpate]

Success with swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri, with pictures

Scroll down the page to the closeup of the gravid spot.

 

[swordtail_man05]

yes it does.

 

[dkpate]

I would say she's prego then. Check out that website I posted, there will be more information in there than I can give you lol.
Good luck with your new babies (when they arrive)!

 

[swordtail_man05]

i have looked at the site that you linked and indeed she is prego. i find this amazing since she had quite a tramatic night a few days ago. she decided she was going to jump into the front of the filter! luckly, i heard her splashing around and went to investigate and when i removed the filter cover, she jumped again only to land behind the stand on a poster i had rolled up. i quickly gathered her up and put her back in the water. and she is completly fine (as far as i can tell). she eats and zips around just like the others in there with her.

 

[dkpate]

WOW! Maybe she has ADD too? LOL!
She sounds like a feisty little momma!

 

[swordtail_man05]

indeed she is. she's rather calm now and hasn't had any adventures since the jumping incident. i think she learned her lesson lol

 

[Fishtankfiend]

I had a similar incident with a swordtail, i accidently left the lid on the hood open when I left the house. When i came back i found a dried fishy friend on the carpet. I'm glad you found her in time. If you can, put up some pics of the little ones.