Pineapple swordtail gave birth but...

[lauren75]

the fry are different colors. some are white some are orange. is this normal? are they ok? i dont know who the dad is.

https://imgur.com/MKv2J18
https://imgur.com/TMkD5i1

 

[TekFish]

I would say the colour is natural variation. Sometimes colour forms can revert, or occur randomly in other strains. Watch the fry for strange motion and tell-tale signs of disease (refusing to eat, floating in the water, etc) and you should be fine.

 

[lauren75]

they all seem to be happy and healthy so far. i will keep you posted on any changes. thank you for your response.

 

[Colin_T]

it's completely normal to get some variation from livebearers. This is due to the fact female livebearers (mollies, swordtails, guppies, platies, etc) can carry sperm packets from different males. And they use the sperm packets when conditions are good. Basically a female swordtail can have sperm packets from every male in the tank and she uses them when she is happy.

Another reason you get variation is because a lot of swordtails and platies were hybridised to get different colours.

If you have males in the tank with the females, it is a good idea to separate them for a few weeks after the females have given birth. This allows the female to recover from the birthing process and stops the male chasing her around trying to breed with her again.