After Fry Born

[bobbyami]

Hi My black swordtail has been preggers for about 5 weeks, so im hoping she will drop any day? but how do i know when shes had them? will she look like shes not pregnant? or will she still have a little bulge?

just i have a 6ft fish tank with loads of plants and fish, so i might not get to see them?!

cheers

 

[helterskelter]

She'll lose some weight but as she is already producing eggs to replace the fry with then she'll lose between 25-75% of the weight depending on the fish.

 

[Jozlyn]

You should still see fry some fry when she has as they wont all go or stay in hiding. When my Molly had her fry they were just swimming around the tank happy as can be and only ducked for cover if another fish came near them, sometimes not even then!

 

[jpedersen024]

I try to watch the gravid spot. My platies will get large, but when the gravid gets larger and square-ish that's when I scoop'em into a breeder net for a couple of days. Just raising 2 groups of fry (born this week! ) currently. Afterwards, the spot is noticeably smaller, and lighter in colour.

And I don't know about always seeing the fry..... I've kept platies for a year or two, and am just now (thanks to the breeding net) seeing my first fry. In a 55 g planted, and a 20 g community. Whether they got eaten, sucked into the filters, or just didn't make it in general.... doesn't really matter I guess. There weren't any to be found - ever!

So good luck, but my advice is to pick up a net. Cheap, safe, and a good home for the wee ones until they grow a bit.

 

[bobbyami]

Hi thanks for all your advise.

still no fry this morning.

i have tried to find her gravid spot? but to be honest not completely sure what this is?! i have also tried to look for the fish eyes through the stomach as ive heard this can be done. but as she is black and has a little white stomach, she is also pearly so u cant see anything. i did also shine a torch on her but nothing!!

anyone know what kind of behaviour she may display before hand??

really want to catch her having the fry as we have a trickle filter so they will most definately get sucked in!! we have had cardinals and pink danios down there so im sure fry will end up down there?!

we did buy a breeding box and put her in there a few weeks ago when we thought she looked massive but she wasnt keen! so took her out!!

 

[vinylman]

A net version of the breeding box would probably be less stressful.