how do i know?

[charlie23]

hello
I have two really fat guppys in a breeders tank, and they have been in and out of there constantly for the past two weeks, they look as though they are about to pop, i thought they mite be expecting ickle babies, but they dont seem to be doing owt, so how would i know if they were?
pleeeaaase help!

 

[sylvia]

Can you see the dark or 'gravid' spot near her anal fin? If you can, she will soon give birth. You'll be able to tell when more accurately if you can see the fry's eyes and the white around them will show usualy a couple of days before birth. I wouldn't move them in and out too much. Being kept in a breeder is stressful enough as it is. It's best to just provide the fry with lots of cover and many will survive anyway. Also try feeding some mashed shelled pea in case of constipation.

 

[charlie23]

i know this might sound stupid, but could you tell me what you mean by a gravid spot please?

 

[charlie23]

one of the fish does have a gravid spot but shes had this for a couple of weeks!

 

[glolite]

Don't panic Charlie my 4 guppies are all pregnant with gravid spots. They slow down a bit when pregnant and can give birth every 3 to 4 weeks. When they are near to having their babies, the female will start to search around plants or rocks etc for a good place to hide their babies. Good luck and keep us posted

 

[sylvia]

A gravid spot is a dark patch, which appears just around where the fry come out of, when a livebearer is pregnant. It is basicaly the fry you are seeing, their eyes specificaly. They have this spot through-out a long period of their pregnancy but you can only see the color around their eyes a few days before birth. However, you should also see changes in behaviour as mentioned.

 

[charlie23]

thanks for your help!
And a big smiley hooray, we have baby fishies! 20 of them! we would have had more, but mum fish managed to eat a couple of them!
but the babies are now safe, and swimming around happily!
we'll soon have to get a bigger tank!

yippee!!!!!!

 

[Lezlee]

Hi Charlie, I dont know if I can be of any help as I am new to this breeding thing myself. I have also posted questions regarding "How will I know when they will give birth" but have had the same sort of replies as you. I really couldnt tell if they were about to give birth or not so in the end I put the females in a little breeding tank and now have about 18 fry. I think a lot of it is just left to chance. Sorry I couldnt offer any more than that though. Good Luck

 

[Lezlee]

Hi Charlie, just read your post, congrats on the new arrivals, arent they cute. I cant stop looking at mine. Did you see any of them born and did you know when they were going to be born.

 

[charlie23]

hello,
I wasnt sure when she was going to give birth, we just put her in the breeders tank and waited.
Unfortunatly i didnt see her give birth, i kept checking on her, and there was nothing, then we looked about 30 mins later, and there was loads of babies!
so thebest advice i can give now, is leave them in the breeders tank, and sit back and wait!

 

[charlie23]

I have another problem now, a couple of my fishies have white spot, i think, weve put some stuff in the tank, but we are a bit worried, if you put the amount per gallon in that ur sposed to will it kill the babies?
As weve only put a tiny amount in, its only to fishies that we can see that have it.