Does A Male Guppy Know?

[darkmerlin21]

Hi all... real new to this whole guppy thing so this may seem to be a silly question but here goes..

I have a female gup who I THINK is pregnant (she has a large PINK gravid spot that has all these little black dots in it). For the last 3 days she has been hanging out in the corner of the tank by the heater and barely eating. She does not look or act unhealthy in any way though. Anyway.. my male gup keeps swimming up to her and "nipping" at her underside. He does not do this with my other female. He chases her but does not go for the gut, ya know? So, do you think he is trying to get her to drop those babes for a little snack or do the males know when they are close?

Silly maybe but thought I would ask. Thanks.

 

[Annastasia]

... think he is trying to get her to drop those babes for a little snack...

Exactly. That's the most common reason. Also, females secrete pheromones that the males like when they are pregnant, so that may be another reason.

No question is stupid, or silly. Always feel free to ask anything.

 

[darkmerlin21]

Thanks Anna! Is there any way to know how close she is to dropping? I have read that she will hang out by the heater but she has been there for 3 days! Any other signs I should look for to tell me she is gonna drop? I would like to try and save SOME of the fry from their daddy... lol.

Also, I don't have a fry tank yet (getting a 10g today but will have to cycle it first). How long can the fry be kept in the breeder?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer these. You seem to know your livebearers so am grateful for all the help you can give.

 

[Annastasia]

Ah, the dropping question. It's always a hard one to answer, because it varies by fish. Hanging out by herself, hiding, becoming aggressive with other fish, staying in one place and eating more/less are all common signs. Some fish display all of these, some will just display a few, and some will give no indication. It's hard to tell. The more you can clearly see eyes in the gravid spot, though, the closer she is. When you can very easily see them, it's usually within the week, but it can be longer. It's just all fish dependant. You'll get to know your fish though, and see what signs she exhibits right before she drops. Then you'll know for next time.

Guppy fry are amoung the tiniest of the common Livebearers, so they should be able to stay there while you cycle. Try running the filter in the main tank for a while, then you'll get lots of beneficial bacteria. I can't guarantee it will be enough to fully cycle it, but it gives you a BIG kick-start.

You're very welcome! I'm always happy to help.

 

[blitztidus]

For us people who can tell by sight, can you give us a picture of her. that would be most appreciated

 

[Angry_Platy]

As it gets close to her giving birth you will see her vent (where the fry come out) starts to look a little bit open.....you may even see the tops of the fries heads.

 

[bleechme]

I've went through many guppy pragnacies and I've only seen one happen. I don't know if this is true, but they will drop at night/early before sun light? I've seen only one because That one had her babies during the day. As for all the rest, I just wake up seeing babies in the breeding net or in the tank.

 

[darkmerlin21]

Umm.. I do have a few pics of her but I am not sure how to put them here. She still hasn't dropped yet, thought for sure she would today as she was sitting right below the heater close to the gravel and not really doing much.

 

[Annastasia]

The easiest way is to host them on Photobucket or Imageshack, and then post them here. They even have the handy little IMG tags ready for posting. Otherwise, you could go to the Member's Aquarium and Fish Pictures section, and upload them off your computer, then post a link to that thread.

 

[darkmerlin21]

What if I set the pic as my avatar?

 

[Annastasia]

It's a very small version, but I'd say she has a while to go. She doesn't look that fat, and the gravid spot isn't that dark. But it may be a small batch. My guess would be a while longer though, possibly 1-3 weeks, depending on the size of the batch, size of her, and her age. I'm sure it's not as specific as you'd like. I apologize. But it's just so hard to judge one fish against what they should be like, because there is no stead-fast way to look right before birth.

 

[darkmerlin21]

Sorry the pic is not very good but I really don't know much about loading pics other than putting them on my computer and making a disk

Thanks for the info and for giving me a better idea of what to expect. It would be great if she waited a bit so I have the time to set up my fry tank.