Guppy Breeding

[Arnold Immanuel]

Hey Guys,

Good day to you all.
So I've been in the hobby since a little kid and have had fish since a while now.
Something unusual happened with my female guppy when she gave birth this morning . The fish gave birth to nearly 40 fry out of which just 4 are free swimming and 1 has a crooked back and the rest are either curled up and moving in circles or dead.
I might be a little late but any suggestions or if someone could tell me what has happened here I'd really appreciate it .
Please refer to the picture I've attached of how they are laying on the bottom .

Thanks in advance.
#StaySafe

 

[Colin_T]

They were born prematurely.

Did you move the female recently?
If you did, that is probably what did it. You can't move pregnant (gravid) livebearers when they are close to giving birth because you can damage them and they have internal problems from it.

 

[Arnold Immanuel]

They were born prematurely.

Did you move the female recently?
If you did, that is probably what did it. You can't move pregnant (gravid) livebearers when they are close to giving birth because you can damage them and they have internal problems from it.

That could probably be it. I just had to move it from the community tank . As of now I have reduced the water level in the fry tank also making sure there's some movement in the water . Do you think it'll help ??

 

[Colin_T]

Changing the water level in the fry tank won't make any difference.

It is preferable not to move pregnant fish because you can stress them and even damage the unborn fry. If you have to move pregnant females, carefully catch them in a net and then use a plastic container to scoop the female and net up in some tank water. Move her (in the net in the bucket of water) to a new tank and then carefully pour her into the new tank.

If you moved the female to a smaller aquarium that would stress her.

If you used completely new water in the new tank it would stress her. If you set up a new tank for her you should fill the new tank with water from her current tank, so the water is exactly the same.

If the new tank does not have any plants in it will stress her. Put some plants in with her. Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) is the best plant for livebearers. It normally grows on the surface but can also be grown in the substrate where it grows into a lovely light green shrub.

If you don't have any live plants then add a heap of artificial plants to provide her with shelter when she goes into labour, and to give the fry somewhere to hide when they are born.

Make sure the new tank has an established filter in it so the water stays clean.

Do not put the female into a tank with males until at least 1 week after she has given birth otherwise the male/s will stress her out.

Try not to move the female for at least 1 week after she has given birth so she can heal up. If you have to move the female after she has given birth, use the method above for moving pregnant females.

Most female guppies do not eat their young if the female is well fed and there are plants in the tank, but will eat them when they are confined to a small breeding trap.

 

[Arnold Immanuel]

That was really informational will keep all this in mind. Thanks a lot colin.

Update: initially there were just 5 swimming ,as of now I see around 9-10 of them free swimming.

 

[Retired Viking]

I had a guppy/shrimp tank and had plenty of plants and floating anacharis. I stocked it with 8 young guppies. I found I had 1 male and 7 females. In about 3-4 months I had at least 80-90 fry in my 30 gallon tank. I did not remove the fry or pregnant mothers just left them in the tank.

 

[Salty&Onion]

What is your GH, KH and pH?