Disappointment Wih Guppies

[mommyof2bettas]

Well, a couple of weeks ago I got 2 female guppies and 1 male guppy. one of the females is appearantly too young to breed because the male is showing no interest in her. My other female was pregnant. I didn't know when she was going to give birth. Today after feeding the fish I realized there was a little fry in the tank! No sooner had I noticed that the male gobbled it up. I looked all around the tank but sadly there are no more frys . The female's gravid spot is gone and she is not fat anymore. I am so diappointed !I think The male wants to breed with the female because he keeps chasing her but she always runs away. I tried putting them in a smaller tank for a few seconds but she still runs away. What should I do?

 

[modaz]

i wouldnt worry he will get her eventually thats if he hasnt already. maybe its a idea to get a couple more females, you dont want him to hound her........she might not see the point since he's only gunna eat them anyway

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I was thinking of doing that. Next time (if there is a next time...) I'll put the fry in a breeding trap. I had totally forgotten almost a month had passed and that she was going to have her fry soon.

 

[theotheragentm]

Guppies are livebearers. This is what they do in nature. They eat and they mate. You will have more opportunities to have more fry. I personally don't like breeding nets or breeding traps as they stress the fish, leading to possible aborted fry. Add decorations for the fry to hide in where the adults can't get to them. Marbles are a simple solutions as they provide spaces in between them when you line them up and the fry can hide there.

 

[modaz]

yeah time flies so quick, i would mark in a diary 3 and a half weeks today then seperate her if she looks heavily pregnant. i would put on the fact that you.ve got some more hiding somewhere. do you have alot of hiding places, i,ve placed a mat of artifical grass like plants around my tank just in case i miss the time when my guppy drops so atleast it helps protect the fry a bit more. i've been observing the tank and even my noen tetras cant get into the thick coverage so i feel alot more confident in knowing that.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I looked around the tank then i lifted up the ornaments I had around but no sign of any... the fish will peck at the ground cuz some of the food falls so I figure they ate the others.

 

[modaz]

sorry to hear that. get yourself prepared for the next lot of fry, maybe a small seperate tank used just for birthing would be a better idea, there so many options, thats what i've done, not like i got the room, but slightly getting a healthy obsession with this joyful and rewarding hobby.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

How long does it take for the female to show a gravid spot after she becomes pregnant?

 

[mommyof2bettas]

anyone??

 

[dwarfgourami]

Hard to tell about the gravid spot, some of them show it all the time. As for the fry being eaten, it's not just male guppies that eat fry, females frequently eat their own. But the good news (NOT) is that they can store sperm after one mating to keep on having fry once a month for about 7 months, so you should never be short of little gups. Just add some floating plants for the next lot to hide in. And the fact that the female tries to evade the male is nothing to do with her being upset about the fry being eaten (female guppies don't give a toss), it's just what females do naturally. So would you if you were married to a male guppy, they just never stop trying.

 

[modaz]

Hard to tell about the gravid spot, some of them show it all the time. As for the fry being eaten, it's not just male guppies that eat fry, females frequently eat their own. But the good news (NOT) is that they can store sperm after one mating to keep on having fry once a month for about 7 months, so you should never be short of little gups. Just add some floating plants for the next lot to hide in. And the fact that the female tries to evade the male is nothing to do with her being upset about the fry being eaten (female guppies don't give a toss), it's just what females do naturally. So would you if you were married to a male guppy, they just never stop trying.

mommyof2bettas- hello again i hope you realize that my comment about her being upset that her fry had been eaten was not a serious statement, some people do give answers that try to make others look stupid, because some might be new to this forum it doesnt mean that they lack experience in this field...................
getting back to the question, yes it is hard to judge how long a guppy has been pregnant unless you've sat and watched the event some do show gravids some dont, i've had gups that never look pregnant and some that look cont.. pregnant but the fry got to come from somewhere,

 

[guppy_101]

Well i'm sorry to here that your guppies were eatin but don't you have any floating plants or places to hide? If not you should because more than likely you wont be around when this happens. Well Im off for now see ya(best of luck next time)

 

[mommyof2bettas]

Hmmmm...
I checked on the girls today, they seem to have a gravid spot, am I mistaken? I think putting them in the smaller tank helped. They are a bit plumper... maybe it's just my imagination, could they become pregnant so quickly?

 

[modaz]

Hmmmm...
I checked on the girls today, they seem to have a gravid spot, am I mistaken? I think putting them in the smaller tank helped. They are a bit plumper... maybe it's just my imagination, could they become pregnant so quickly?

its not case that you put them into the smaller tank its more than likely that they were pregnant all along, guppies like platties store sperm and give birth about 4wk intervals, you will quite surprise how quick they will breed

 

[mommyof2bettas]

Well, I'm glad itwasn't just my imagination, I can't wait for the new fry! I'm adding more hiding places for the babies, hopefully some will survive