why do they keep dying?

[willowthepoet]

last night female guppy number FOUR had her babies and then died. i wake up this morning to find a breeder net full of fry and a dead mother.

i don't understand. she was doing fine before, just like the other three.

i have yet to have a female survive giving birth. what am i doing wrong?

 

[FawnN]

Sounds like the stress of being confined in the breeder net and giving birth was too much for her.

Or it could be combo above and the fact they probably had many batches of fry prior to you getting them home.

 

[kyektulu]

How many batches of babies has she had?
This may be the cause.
Also as FawnN has mentioned it may be due to stress or she might of just been weak due to being inbred as many shop bought fish are. Sorry I cannot be more specific.

 

[DeFeKt]

the adults related?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Something that you may want to consider is purchasing a cheap 10 gal kit from Wal-Mart or PetsMart or PetCo (whichever you choose). All you will need is the tank, filter, and heater. When you notice the female is pregnant, put her in the 10 gal tank. It will be less stress than being in the main tank or a breeder net. Some people keep the tanks bare but I add in a sand substrate, low sprawling plants (for the fry to hide in) and a small cave. I think the 10 gal kit was $20 at Wal-Mart, filter for $10, and the heater came with the tank. Only set it up when you need it. Leave the Filter running on your main tank at all times so it is always cycled.

 

[fish_4_all]

I have had the same kind of luck with every live bearer I have ever had that had babies that came from the LFS. The mother always dies after the first batch. Subsequent females from that batch always do well and I have had babies from a mother that has died have multiple batches and never show signs of stress. I have left them in 10 gallon tanks, put them in breeder traps and other things and the mother from the LFS never survives but here children almost never die.

I think it is more the stress from shipping, pour LFS conditions and age more than anything.

 

[willowthepoet]

that's exactly what happens to me fish_4_all.

they're all fine and active and healthy, and then after the babies..... dead. and the babies are all fine. i haven't kept any babies long enough to see if second-generation would be any healthier.

no, the adults weren't related (actually the last two came from two different LFS so i KNOW they weren't related) and they all died on their first batch, so i'm thinking it was probably the stress of being in the trap.

maybe when the new ones i bought (who were already pregnant at the LFS, yay!) are ready to drop, i'll make some kind of divider to cut a 10-gal in half vertically. i'll see what i can find at home depot, but i think i have at least a week or two.