Pregnant Mystery

[Talvari]

Important... Please let me know, cause I am really confused!

So... I tried getting a picture of *my* female guppy... But she has remained elusive. She likes to hide behind the plants, and I dont want to stress her out too much... BUT... This is what she looks like, except rounder. Pregnant, right?

Edited to Include:

Here is a VERY blurry shot of my female, just for reference....

 

[Talvari]

Okay... Just to speed this up... She definitely looks pregnant to me, which is totally confusing. I'll tell you why.

She is less than a year old. About eight months old, to be precise. I saw the day she was born. A young female guppy was struggling to give birth in one of the tanks at work, while the other fish were pestering her and trying to eat the babies as they came out. I took her out and let her birth in peace... The mother was small, so she only had about 6 babies after I took her out. Two were still born.

I took the other four home. They were ridiculously small and I didnt expect them to live. Three weeks later, all but one was dead.

The fish pictured above is that one. Buttercup (don't laugh!) is a beautifully yellow fish with an almost neon green tail... Amazing colors, seriously.

Today I caught a glimpse of her and was alarmed. I thought she had bloat.... Until she turned and I saw her belly. Shes pregnant, cool!

But wait! Who the heck is the dad? She has not been with another guppy since she was first born!

These are her tank mates, in a 46 gallon tank...

-3 Angelfish (juveniles that I am waiting to pair off... two will be moved.)
-One YOUNG female molly (definitely female, no gonopondium... brought them home the same day)
-12 Cardinal Tetra
-6 Glowlight Tetra
-2 Blue Rams
-1 Bristlenose Pleco
-12 Ghost Shrimp

 

[Fishie]

Weird!! Maybe the Molly did it. Sex the Molly to figure it out but make sure it isn't a bloat. Guppys develop what's called a gravid spot which is a black spot when she gets preggers. Will get big like she is but I don't know. Update if she gives birth or what not !!

 

[Talvari]

Like I said... The molly is definitely female. She has no gonopondium.

Its not bloat... I can see little pink figures in her belly, with the little black spots. She is a more yellow guppy, so her black spot is more pink... And she is alot rounder than the guppy you pictured above. She honestly looks like she is about to give birth any day now and I just dont get it!

 

[Fishie]

Like I said... The molly is definitely female. She has no gonopondium.

Its not bloat... I can see little pink figures in her belly, with the little black spots. She is a more yellow guppy, so her black spot is more pink... And she is alot rounder than the guppy you pictured above. She honestly looks like she is about to give birth any day now and I just dont get it!

Check the molly! I don't get it ether!!

 

[blackmolly]

fishie is right... the only possible father could be the molly. when the fry come out, try and save as many as you can, and see if they come out as molly guppies... mollies and guppies can interbreed.

 

[absolutangel04]

IME, some female guppies do tend to be a little chubby, so maybe she is just chubby...
But yeah, she does look gravid to me. How strange. I do not have a good explanation since you have never had her with a male before. Let us know what happens.
EDIT: Has she ever been with a male of a different species of livebearer?

 

[Talvari]

IME, some female guppies do tend to be a little chubby, so maybe she is just chubby...
But yeah, she does look gravid to me. How strange. I do not have a good explanation since you have never had her with a male before. Let us know what happens.
EDIT: Has she ever been with a male of a different species of livebearer?

Nope... before she was in this tank, she was in a little breeder net in the same tank as Tiger Barbs.

Ill definitely keep you guys updated. Like I said.. Im just so confused cause the molly is most def a girl... No pointy bits!

I may just pop her in the old breeding net. If she is pregnant, then I'll actually get to see the fry. Im pretty sure between the filter, angels, the rams, and the ghost shrimp, any babies she did have would be goners. If shes bloated... Then I can make sure she fasts a bit.

 

[absolutangel04]

Maybe its a phantom pregnancy for fish?

 

[Talvari]

Haha, thatd be odd. Or she decided to clone herself. That'd be pretty cool.

OR... could you imagine a guppy/angel cross?? or a guppy/ ram cross? I know it could never happen... but... Whoa.

 

[absolutangel04]

Lol a gangel or a gam would be pretty cool though.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Just gonna throw this out there. Even though its a big, big longshot. In november i went and saw a livebearer expert (forget his name) speak at my local aquatic society. He said that in some cases of no male being present for fem to mate with, they will change sexes and in rare cases end up impregnating themselve during the change.

 

[blackmolly]

wow... i forgot they could do that lol! that would be really cool if this one did!

 

[absolutangel04]

Just gonna throw this out there. Even though its a big, big longshot. In november i went and saw a livebearer expert (forget his name) speak at my local aquatic society. He said that in some cases of no male being present for fem to mate with, they will change sexes and in rare cases end up impregnating themselve during the change.

Did the guy who spoke give any data? Just curious because I have heard of things like that, but have not been able to find good data about it. Did you give some sources or anything? That sounds like a good talk. I would have liked to have heard it.

 

[PoppaRyno]

He did actually. Sry but have bad memory since i got stabbed in the head. I'll try and find my notes from that meeting

 

[absolutangel04]

Awesome! Thanks.

 

[PoppaRyno]

I do know he said that the fem may not even complete the change due to her needs bieng met when she became preggers

 

[PoppaRyno]

Awesome! Thanks.

Anytime. Always glad to help.

 

[Aron]

There is a really complex explanation for this which I am no way qualified to explain but it is something like the following:

XX chromosomes are female, XY chromosomes male. After a while being kept without males a female guppy can produce young through stored sperm. She can occasionally throw out male babies with XY, female babies with XX and also male babies with XX chromosomes (essentially genetically female but with male organs also). Therefore at some stage in these XX males life, they appear female from birth, but through certain conditions and determining factors will eventually grow a gonopodium and turn male, although previously appearing female and even producing young.

There may be a lot of detail missing from what I tried to say, I cannot remember the whole conversation I once had with my LFS owner!