Is my swordtail pregnant or sick????!!

[adelsmith]

Okay, so I have 2 swordtails 1 male and 1 female as well as a Molly which I believe is male.
1) So, originally my male swordtail was swimming around the tank and being quite active but yesterday when I added my Molly in he started hiding in the corner with my female swordtail. I don’t know what changed. The Molly is always at the front of the tank and follows who ever is looking in the tank could that be territorial? Could he be bullying my swordtail?
2) My female swordtail is staying in the back corner of the tank and sometimes swimming behind the filter, and so when I got her I noticed her tummy was bubble like and really rounded and her abdomen (middle-ish region) is kind of dark brown. I know that when they are pregnant there’s supposed to be a dark spot near there anus, but the dark is in her whole abdomen, it’s not one spot. And she just stays on the bottom of the tank in the corner and doesnt really move. I don’t know what’s wrong with her? Her stomach is not huge! I am quite concerned.

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm sorry you haven't had a reply yet

Yes, your molly is probably bullying the swordtail. How big is your tank, and is it well planted?

Female livebearers are normally pregnant, all the time. It isn't anything you should worry about; they've been mating and giving birth on their own for thousands of years All they need is a tank that's big enough, well planted and filtered and the correct temperature, not overcrowded, and good, clean water.

However, without seeing a picture of the fish, I can't be 100% sure whether she's healthy or not, I'm afraid.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

As Fluttermoth said, it is probably bullying. If you can post a picture of the fish we can tell you what sex they are and if the fat one is pregnant or has something else going on. And if you see one fish chasing another, you can make a short video of it and post it here too. It might provide some more info.

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How long has the tank been set up for?
How long have you had the fish for?

Have you checked the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and GH?
If yes what were the results in numbers?

How often do you do water changes and gravel clean the substrate, and how much water do you change?

How often do you clean the filter and how do you clean it?

 

[adelsmith]

Sadly, my female swordtail died yesterday morning. When I went to feed her she was gone. Also, my Molly and male swordtail are getting along swimmingly. ;P Thank you for the replies.

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm sorry

Could you try and answer Colin's questions, please?

It is not normal for fish to just die, and it's an indicator that something is wrong with your set-up, somewhere; we should really try and get to the root of the problem, before you lose any more fish.