Are my guppies about to give birth?

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Cosmogony

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
2
Hi,

This is my first post here. :) I'm kind of worried at the moment because I have 2 female guppies who got slightly fat and as I gone through some people's preggy guppies I thought mine were ready or about to give birth.

This is my first female guppy:
guppy2.png


I have been owning her for 2 months, she has a large gravid spot which I'm afraid the pictures does not quite tell it due to my poor camera.

This is my second female guppy:
guppy1.png


She has a smaller gravid spot compared to the first one but she has a quite humpy back and prefers wandering around filter and heater, which according to what I read is a sign of birth.

--

Since I do not have a breeding net right now, I have been wondering if I should move them to bowls just in case they give birth until the stores open so I can get them a breeding box or net. I know it is a torture to bowl them since it has no filter and such but I do not want to lose the frys.

My only doubt is that they won't make it till I get a breeding box or net.

(And hi AquariumAdvice. :))

Cheers,
Cosmogony.
 
When their stomach is square which your guppys is it is close well as it get squarer in the stomach it is closer to giving birth the last photos of guppys are huge! I would maybe move them to the bowl when the are about to give birth. Make sure you clean your tank everyday!
 
You have about 1 week to 2 weeks before they give birth because their stomach hasnt square off yet
 
Live bearers: guppies, mollies, platies, etc prefer to be able to swim around while giving birth... I think it helps the process along and stresses the female less. Do you have an extra 10g or can you get one for her to give birth in? Breeding boxes/traps can add unnecessary stress onto the female and she may withhold fry...
I like to put the female i think is close in a 10g barebottom tank so she can swim and fry are safe...
I haven't always been able to do this and it's a toss up if I lose fry or not....
Bowls will cause ammonia build up and limit oxygen.. And stress them more.. It would be like being taken into a closet until you gave birth....

Good luck! Fry are so much fun!
 
As you gain more experience in breeding your specific guppies, take note on their behavior everyday. My gals seem to get really quiet 12-24 hours before dropping. They hide in the back of the tank or in my plants. The will many times go off food the night that they drop, take note that most will do so at night or very early morning. Because guppies reproduce like wildfire, I usually let mine drop in the tank, granted my tank has rocks and enormous bunches of moss for babies to hide in, then I net the fry out and either put them in a net or box. The health and happiness of my breeders is much more important than the potential fry so i prefer not to stress them out by putting the female in a breeder box.
Just my method :)
 
If you have some extra plastic plants you can let them float in the main aquarium. The little fry can hide in all the spaces, and most will survive that way.
 
I would just leave them in the tank. Putting them in another tank or in a breeders box/net is too stressful.
 
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