Guppy - fatty or pregnant?

[Chickadee56 76]

This was my little stowaway guppy that I posted about a few months ago. Just a little squirt at the time, and now look at her! I call her Big Bertha because she's so much bigger than the other two, always in the thick of things, and always eating. Now I'm thinking she may be pregnant. I tried to get a head-on shot, but she wouldn't cooperate. Trust me, she looks like a balloon. So is she?

The other two are colorful. Does this mean they are always males? Do I have endlers or guppies? I told the fish shop guy to give me "small, plain guppies" and this is what I got. Obviously I have a lot to learn about guppies

I recently got 4 more that are still small. One was just a fry. When I released them into the tank, Big Bertha immediately went after the fry and tried to eat it. It darted out of her reach just in time. I caught it and put it in the shrimp tank for now, until it's big enough to go back in with the other fish. It's growing like a weed already.

 

[Tomsfish34 33]

Pregnant and looks to be due within a couple days if not sooner.
The other in pic is male 100%. I would guess he is an endler, but I am not an expert on them.

 

[Chickadee56 76]

These guppies are in a tank with 6 pristella tetras and 4 cories. Do the babies have a chance at survival? Not to mention from Big Bertha herself.

 

[Jennet55 113]

Is there any moss in there that the fry can live amongst? If not, then mom needs to go in a breeder tank with slits for babies to fall through for some to survive.

 

[Chickadee56 76]

Is there any moss in there that the fry can live amongst? If not, then mom needs to go in a breeder tank with slits for babies to fall through for some to survive.

Yes, I have two pieces of driftwood in there with java moss growing on them. Lots of nooks and crannies in the driftwood. Some plants, but I wouldn't say heavily planted. I'm afraid this will be a case of either survival or fish food, because I have no other tank to put them in. My only other tank is overrun with cherry shrimp babies. How did I get here?

 

[emeraldking55 106]

They're black bar endlers. And yes, she's pregnant. But endlers are also guppies but not the same species. Pure endlers (Poecilia wingei) are also guppies just like Poecilia reticulata (most known as a guppy). There are a few more that are guppies but all of these guppy species (so, no guppy strain) are related and differ in DNA from one another.
Besides the fact that they're related, their sexual organs are also compatible with another which makes an actual mating possible. I wouldn't use the genus as a fact that they can crossbreed for there are members of the same genus that can't crossbreed with guppies. And also don't have compatible sexual organs to make an actual mating possible.

 

[GaryE36 34]

I find breeding traps pretty stressful for fish, and they will fall out as lunch for the tetras. You can try golf ball sized rocks on the bottom of the tank, as that has increased fry survival here. But while Pristellas are one of my favourite fish, they have excellent hunting skills.

 

[Tomsfish34 33]

I used broken terra cotta pot trays on the bottom along with mosses or better yet subwassertang for fry to hide in.
I would also net fry I wanted out to a fry tank.
Findin and catching the fry is one of my favorite memories in my fishroom~!
You don't need to worry if they get eaten as this is just the beginning for them.
My super reds have done the same in a tank with others that eat the fry when they can.
I have over 30 super reds now that have managed to live and are now breeding themselves.
A sort of never ending food chain ala nature.

 

[GaryE36 34]

If I can offer some advice, don't ask her if she's pregnant or just fat.

 

[Chickadee56 76]

Thanks all for this very helpful info. Glad to know the name of the endler that I have. I took one of my cholla woods from my shrimp tank and put it in there. I set it on top of the driftwood nestled in the java moss. Think this is enough? I don't doubt that my pristellas will try to snack on the fry. They are feisty and alert little fish, but I love them.

 

[Innesfan71 9]

Is there any moss in there that the fry can live amongst? If not, then mom needs to go in a breeder tank with slits for babies to fall through for some to survive.

Breeding traps are not advised. They are far too stressful on the fish and many a livebearer has spent her final hours in one. A tank stuffed with plants is a far better option.

 

[Chickadee56 76]

I’m starting to notice that the two males are pestering her constantly. I do have a 5 gallon tank, but it’s not set up and I’d need to get a filter and heater. I’m going to work on this tomorrow. It’s small, but would give me more options in situations like this.

 

[GaryE36 34]

What happens is the female stores sperm in packets, internally. She refertilizes after every brood - for several broods, and for many, for life. But if a new male can get a new sperm packet in, it will take precedence and replace the old packet. There is only a tiny window for that, and so males will become awful seeking their chance.

In a large, heavily planted tank, she can take cover. In most newer tanks, that hasn't had time to develop.

I had a breeding trap when I was a teenager, but then I learned even a spare 5 gallon tank with lots of cover on the bottom and surface works well. I lost a lot of females when I had the breeding trap, while things generally went well without it.

This will sound ugly, because it is. Guppies aren't that cannibalistic, but when I bred aggressive livebearer species (there are a few) and lacked cover for the young, I would buy a plastic topiary ball in the craft aisle at the dollar store. They're like spiky death stars - hollow inside. When the adult decided to hunt, the spikiness deterred them and the fry stayed inside. I could remove the female, and then slowly remove the death star. Voila, a million babies no one wanted!

 

[Chickadee56 76]

I pondered this all night instead of sleeping. What if I set up another tank and separated the sexes? Snails and shrimp too. A female and male tank? I have my snails split up now because they were ganging up on one of the females relentlessly. She had a split shell when I bought her, and the constant mating and egg laying wasn't helping it. She's now in the shrimp tank and perfectly happy.

It wouldn't be foolproof, of course. I'd have to sex them all correctly. But still it would go a long way to controlling the population. I don't want to get into selling, and not sure how many babies my LFS would take off my hands.

Does anyone do this? Would there be aggression between the males if no females around?

 

[Tomsfish34 33]

Separating will help but as GaryE mentioned she will give birth again.
Livebearer females store sperm so in case there are no males the fish can still procreate.
I don't think aggression is at its worst until both sexes are present so separating will help some.
And an all male tank can be colorful to watch.