Swordtail fry

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Courtney Brown

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So excited two of my swordtails where pregnant came home to find 5 baby swordtails , who I have separated is there any chance there any anymore fry my girls still look very young so not sure how many to expect.

I have since moved my 2nd swordtail into the breeders tank as she has black spots in her gravid spot and I think her birthing tube has come out is she close to having her fry?

I have 4 swordtails

2 electric blue rams pair who where chasing and eating fry

2 scissor tail rasboras

1 Orange marbled catfish

1 brisstlenose catfish

And one rubbernose plec
In the tank fry where born in
 
Is your second female swordtail in an actual aquarium or one of those little breeding traps?
Breeding traps are not suitable for female livebearers because the females feel stressed by being trapped in a small enclosure. This stress can cause a premature labour or if the fry are born the female might turn around and eat them as soon as they are born.

If the female is in an aquarium that is at least 18 inches long, then that is fine.

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When moving pregnant fish, try to keep them in water at all times. Use a net to catch them or guide them into a small container of water, then lift them out in the container of water. Being lifted out of the water in a net can put pressure on the babies and cause problems. This is more of an issue with fish that are nearly due to give birth but can affect any female fish that is carrying babies.

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Have lots of plants in the tank, especially floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta). These will provide hiding places for the babies and the female when she is giving birth. The females take shelter in the plants during labour and the babies head straight for the plants when born.

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Female livebearers can carry up to 6 sperm packets in their bodies and they use 1 sperm packet to fertilise each batch of eggs. If there is a male swordtail in the tank with the females, then the females will have the maximum number of sperm packets as well as being pregnant. If there are only female swordtails in the tank and they have been in a tank with males during the last month, they will be pregnant and carrying a number of sperm packets that will be used to fertilise eggs over the next few months.

The gestation period for livebearers is about 1 month and young females will produce small numbers of fry every month. Older females will produce bigger batches of fry but a little less often.

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If the tank is cycled and the filters have developed, you can feed the fish 3 or 4 times a day and if they are full, they will be less inclined to hunting the baby fish in the main tank. However, you should try to get the babies out asap and move them into their own tank with plants and an established filter. :)
 
My pregnant fish go into a actual breeding tank not breeders trap i have managed to get 35 fry from 2nd mum and only 5 from first mum she obviously eat them lol.

What do i do with all the fry all the time will pet shops take them
 
Most pet shops will take fish from customers but some don't. You need to get the babies to a similar size to the ones they sell in the shop and then contact the shop to see if they have room for the fish. The shop might take 10 or 20 (or more) and they either give you cash or credit. You get less for cash and more for store credit.
 

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