Gestation and advice for swordtails

[Hapkido-ist]

We've got a very prego swordtail. We just put her in a small separation box in the tank and are waiting till she drops. We only have one tank and it's our first spawn so we're unsure of what we should really be doing.

Any advice?

 

[Zenn]

Well, i had the same problem... my first batch of fry i found at the bottom of my tank, because i knew nothing of preggy swordtails at that time and jumped for joy when i saw my babies, but i had nothing to put them in, so i kept them in a plastic bag (NOT ADVISABLE!) until i got a breeding tank, i made sure i got two though, sometimes the mother can under stress and may need a short period of time to herself to recover before being let back into the tank, please note that the female will not eat after birth due to a hormone released to help her recover... Then basically you have to keep the fry safe until the mature and are big enough not to be eaten by their tank mates...

It is very simple really when it comes to swordtails, but bewarned it is know in 99.9 cases that swordtails will eat their young, because they are seen as quick snacks and so it is best once the mother has off loaded all she can, to remove her away from the babies...

Me, i have a special case, i have a swordtail female who is VERY VERY protective of her fry, so i guess i got lucky and got that 0.1 ratio of a preotective mother of a swordtail

I hope this info is of some help to you

 

[Tempestuousfury]

If you can't get a breeding/rearing tank, you should invest in a breeding trap. The problem with these is that they stress our the mother and if you have lots of fry you won't be able to keep them all confined in such small quarters.

 

[Hapkido-ist]

How do I know when she drops. And are swordtails livebearers?

 

[cometcattle]

Hapkido-ist,

I don't know what they told you at the LFS, but having any, let alone 3 angelfish in a 10g tank is a very bad idea. Keeping them in such a small tank will stunt their growth and they will not be healthy. I suggest returning the or buying a larger tank because you will have problems keeping them in a 10g.

Sorry for being blunt, but someone should tell you this before problems arise.

 

[Hapkido-ist]

Actually living in Korea and trying to start in tropicals is harder than you think (it's all Korean to me). Thanks for being blunt. I don't suppose you have an answer to the question I asked?

 

[cometcattle]

Swordtails are livebearers.

Swordtails females will have babies every 4-6 weeks, they can store sperm for up to 6 monthes, so you could still have babies without a male in the tank.

Before she drops, her stomach will get "squared".

You will be able to see a "gravid spot" on her bottom, near her anal fin.
A gravid spot is the eyes of the babies thay you can see through her stomach. They will move closer to her anal gland as birth comes nearer. The gravid spot can be black or pink. It depends on the color of the mama. My sword that just gave birth was neon orange and her gravid spot was pink.

Right before she drops, you will see a protrusion where the anal gland is. Get ready. I noticed mine about 20 minutes before she dropped.

When she gives birth, it will look like she is pooping. Little pink balls drop out, then uncurl and swim. It's really quite incredible.

My mama sword ate her first 2 before I got the lid off and started netting them. I tried to drop frozen blood worm in front of her to prevent her from eating her babies.

I forgot. Other signs that birth is near: mama stops eating (mine didn't), She'll sit still and suddenly start darting up and down the side of the tank.

If she gets stressed she could misscarry. Mine was in a 10g by herself and gave birth to some stillborn, underdeveloped, and runts.

I ended up saving about 13 or 14. Lost 2 runts in the 3 weeks since they were born. You mama will continue to give you babies every 4-6 weeks, so if you don't do so well the first time, you'll have plenty more chances.

I didn't notice you were from Korea.
Is fishkeeping popular there?
Is it exspensive?

Please keep us posted and continue to ask questions.

HTH

 

[Zenn]

Oh i wish i could see my swordtail give birth, because so far i have missed it and hooked them out of the tank..

Oh that would be a sight...



I think everything i know has been covered already

 

[Hapkido-ist]

Hi guys and gals,

Well she still looks prego, but we haven't noticed any little ones around. It's possible that we missed them before mum snacked out. On a funny not though we don't in fact have a 10 gallon tank, but a 20. We are such noobs. But you gotta laugh. live and learn right. Given our tank size do you think our Angels will be ok?

all the best

 

[LynX]

hmmm my sword tail is orange with a black stomack so i have no idea if shes pregnant or not, will the gravid spot be pink if she is, o and btw i saw my fish swim up and down the tank for like ages before do u think she is going to give birth? o and how do u tell the difference between platy and swordtail fry? cause i got some fry in my tank a few days ago but dont kno if it is platy or sword tail fry

 

[Hapkido-ist]

I still have no fry in sight. The mummy is still pretty agro, and always looking for a snack. Oh well she may not eat the bubs next time, it she did this time. The black tummy is now lighter. O well if they do get prego every 4 to 6 weeks there will be plenty of chances to catch a glimse of fry before they become breakfast.

 

[Jetndfish@75]

I just leave the mothers in the tank. I have lots of closed packed small plastic plants and grass mats, etc for the fry to hide in. Provide the fry with lots of cozy places they can hide, and where the bigger fish can't get at them. I have six female (and three male) swordtails, and am out of town a lot for work, so I don't have the time and resources to try and save every fry. The quick, smart and hard will survive.