Guppy Mom

[puddle_inc]

ok, i have a black tuxedo female and she has had that black spot near her anal fin and has been large for months now. why has she still not had babies? is she just fat? what cani do to get the babies out? should i put her in a livebearer trap and see if that makes her have them? i know i did that accidently with a molly once and she had it right off because of stress. should i try to get them out? what do i do!?

HELP!

 

[theotheragentm]

Are there male Guppies in the tank? I avoid breeding traps, period. If you don't know if she is pregnant, do not put her in a breeding trap.

 

[helterskelter]

I keep all my fry in with the adults, but it's only guppy tanks, all fish will eat fry even guppies, but the healthiest will survive.

 

[puddle_inc]

i wish people would help answer questions. every time i ask something, people say something just to make it look like htey know stuff about the fish, but they don't help with the question whatsoeevr. so instead of just acting like your a smart guppy person, could you please actually help with the flippen question!? *cough* kelter *cough*

there are no males in there right now but there were when she started to get big.

i already knew that kelter, and like above, instead of just saying stuff to make it look like you know stuff, could you, oh, i don't know, HELP?

i need to know if somethign is wrong and whats going on. i know some of you think i need to know little things like "big fish eat little fish" but seriously, all i want to know is whats going on, PLEASE.

 

[theotheragentm]

Calm down. You asked if she is pregnant. If there males in the tank, yes, she is probably pregnant. Your question isn't answered, because you can't make fish have babies. They do it on their own. There really isn't anything you can do to make the fish give birth. Provide stable, clean water conditions and the fish naturally give birth. It's possible that she has given birth to a small batch once already and has eaten the fry. No on the breeding trap. Gravid spots I don't like to rely on to tell me fish are pregnant as they should always be there. They are not a sign of pregnancy. They do darken when fish are pregnant, but there is so much variation with lighting and angles.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I hardly think helterskelter needs to write things to "make him look like he knows stuff"; as he is actually an expert on livebearers, both common and unusual ones.

He probably found it difficult to understand what exactly you wanted to know- I too had to read it through several times before I took in that you actually wanted to stress a pregnant fish deliberately to make it drop its fry. This sounds a seriously bad idea to me. She may be stressed into aborting, but it may well kill her, and unless the fry are ready to come out anyway on that particular day, it won't be live fry you are getting. You need to possess yoursoul in patience: she will give birth when (and if) it suits her.

IMO it is perfectly likely that she is just a fat female; a gravid spot is no reliable guide to pregnancy. My elderly females both have them and they gave up having fry nearly a year ago; so do my juveniles who have never been near a male. But even if she were pregnant, you would do her no good by stressing her. Stress is bad for all animals, but particularly bad for pregnant animals. And not something we advocate on this forum.

 

[connorsbala]

Ok,i agree with you about wanting people just to answer the question,not talking about helterskelter or anyone in here but some people just write down what they know,which you know about half the time
Anyways,i imagine shes pregnant,guppies are usually pregnant when you buy them. Feed them bloodworm,if you havent already,that usually pushes the babies out,it does with mine

 

[theotheragentm]

Anyways,i imagine shes pregnant,guppies are usually pregnant when you buy them. Feed them bloodworm,if you havent already,that usually pushes the babies out,it does with mine

I don't believe I've ever heard about any kind of feeding helping the birthing process. I'd be interested in reading about this if you have a source. Maybe it's just that fish will gorge themselves more so on natural foods like bloodworms and it's just putting pressure on the entire abdomen of the fish, but let me know if you have more information on this.

 

[mnbyiuopre]

Anyways,i imagine shes pregnant,guppies are usually pregnant when you buy them. Feed them bloodworm,if you havent already,that usually pushes the babies out,it does with mine

I don't believe I've ever heard about any kind of feeding helping the birthing process. I'd be interested in reading about this if you have a source. Maybe it's just that fish will gorge themselves more so on natural foods like bloodworms and it's just putting pressure on the entire abdomen of the fish, but let me know if you have more information on this.

I would like to know about that too! I've never heard about that ever beforeuntil now, and I do A LOT of research on fish! I feed my fish brine shrimp more often whe they're pregnant as it can help produce healthier fry. Like theotheragentm said I would also like a source if you have one!

 

[modaz]

Hi
the best i can do is tell what i do or should i say did, when i had expectant gups
there are varied views on breeding traps and i used to use them but this time (i've set another tank for breeding,see pics below) i've decided to go for a more natural environment, providing good bottom cover and hiding holes/gaves for the fry to grow in, this increases your chances on holding on to them a bit longer if they a born in the tank when your not around

if you wish then catch the fry once born and then put into the safety of the trap to grow

i used to decrease the amount of light in the tank to induce birthing, just used to turn the light off during the day as natural light would be coming thru the window to give some light anyway, the fish used to settle down as if it was night time, found that this would de stress the situation for the fish and give the fry chance to hide before being eaten

what im trying to say is give your fry chance to hide, the likely hood that she has already given birth is high and the fry have been lost but remember that guppies store sperm and give birth again and again without the presence of a male

i know that its frustrating to see a fish that never gives birth theres nothing more exciting than seeing fry around your tank

i would'nt say that its the case you want to induce her its that you might feel that you want to help, thats what people do when they care.

every living thing on this earth will find somewhere that is comfortable to give birth so that is how you can help

i wish you luck with your fish and their fry (when they decide to arrive)

i dont know what your tank set up is but take a look at pics below to get an idea of what is good for a comfortable environment





i've added some live plants since this photo was taken to add even more coverage
the artificial grass like things are perfect for fry and these are placed in the front as you can see and also right the way round the edge of the back of the tank
another tip but not to do with the birthing issue but more after care, i know it sounds just a little thing but i have that it does work, add a diffuser to create fine bubbles this will distract the females from the fry to give yourself chance to find them as they love to play in the bubbles- found that distraction not only works for children but also guppies as well

 

[modaz]

Ok,i agree with you about wanting people just to answer the question,not talking about helterskelter or anyone in here but some people just write down what they know,which you know about half the time
Anyways,i imagine shes pregnant,guppies are usually pregnant when you buy them. Feed them bloodworm,if you havent already,that usually pushes the babies out,it does with mine

connorsbala......................................AWESOME betta pics up above

 

[puddle_inc]

Ok,i agree with you about wanting people just to answer the question,not talking about helterskelter or anyone in here but some people just write down what they know,which you know about half the time
Anyways,i imagine shes pregnant,guppies are usually pregnant when you buy them. Feed them bloodworm,if you havent already,that usually pushes the babies out,it does with mine

thanks for understanding my point of view!

i've been feeding her live brine shrimp, and omega one flakes. my guppies are in a bear tank right now. i may put her and a couple oters i think might be pregnant and put them in my invert tank? it's got shrimp, snails, and a clam. i am afraid they may disrupt the environment in that tank though.

i'll keep doing water changes and make sure she gets good water and a clean tank. i also have all my fish on a natural lighting scedual, i only have the lights on for a little bit during the day, mainly when i'm working up there, but sometimes when i'm not. there also near a window so they get natural indirect sunlight.

i keep a very close eye on my tanks. i also have java moss for the fry to hide in, plus i check my tanks every day really closely for anything, like fry, or worms, anything like that. i've never seen any trace of fry, unless she eats them as soon as they pop-out.

 

[theotheragentm]

As long as your water conditions aren't going to go south because of adding your fish to the invert tank, you should be okay. How long have you had the clams? I avoided them as everything I read said they were hard to keep. Java Moss does wonders for water quality in a tank, but it grows like crazy. It's not really to reduce water changes, but to keep water cleaner in between the routine changes.

 

[puddle_inc]

i moved the guppies to the ivnert tank. they seem to be swimming more often and stuff. i guess they didn't like a bear tank much. one of my younger females already made a nest like hole in the subtrate, and it's gravel, strong little fish...

i had a dream all of them died though, i seem to stress when moving fish, hehe.

i got some pics of my female and half of there new tank. the old tank will be for in stock snails and java moss (have to have somewhere to put most of it.)


i've had this clam for a few months i believe. it is hard, water has o be rgreat and the water has to be moving a bit. but mine have done good. although i collected most of mine as they were really old, so a couple died of old age (and i'm talking really really old).


i have one left, it is in it's mid ages. he/she has been a great addition to an invert tank, really helps the water.

here are pics of my fattest female and a pic of there tank:

 

[theotheragentm]

How much light do you have on the water lillies? Doesn't that take a lot lighting?