Is This Tank Okay For Live Bearing?

[ChancesMama]

Hello everyone, I've been preparing for my blue Fancy guppy I bought from Pet Quarters to give birth (she was pregnant when I bought her). And today while she (Fionna) was in the breeder trap, I noticed that my Orange female (yet to be named) was boxed off. I'd never seen a boxed off guppy in person but researched the crap out of all things pregnant guppy because of Fionna. So I quickly returned Fionna into a tank and put the orange one into a breeder trap in the 5 gal. She had a ball coming out of her around 6pm and it appeared to be stuck. I didn't know whether it was poop or a baby and I've never had a live bearer have fry before so I decided to let nature run its course. But when I cam back around 10:30, it was still there. I used a net to ever so gently nudge the ball. A dead fry fell out with the ball attached to his back. I watched her for a while, then turned my lamp off and left her alone with very little light for about an hour. When I checked on her, she had dropped a baby that didn't seem to have a tail. I waited roughly a half hour or so and I decided that I absolutely did not want to leave her in the trap over night. I planted my 5 gallon for the reason of having fry so I'm in hopes that it has enough cover for them to hide from their mother if she has any live fry.
 
I will attach a photo of my female boxed off and the 5 gallon set up. It has a filter, Java moss, Tropica fern, little cave ball type decoration, a fake bush plant that I thought would be nice for them, and I covered the bare bottom with river rocks. I don't have a heater but the water is usually the right temp due to my room being warm, and if I need to I can certainly get a net for my community tank. I just thought it may be better for them and her to be on her own. I was also planning to have a heater before Fionna dropped! this was a surprise! 
 
Do you think that this tank is a good enough tank for her to give birth in so that the fry will survive? I have some penny wart from my bigger tank that I can add to the top if it would help a lot.
 
Please be nice, And thank you in advance!

 

[ag-au]

Looks great! Is this tank separate from the one you currently house her in? If you want you can take her out after she gives birth. Another idea is to put her in a birthing container that hangs on the side of the main fish tank. The fry often have a small hole on the bottom of this side hanging cup so they safely fall down usually a V shape hole where the mom can't access and eat the fry. Another good thing about a side hanging container is that the water from the main tank is in it. The water has hormones from the mother that the fry need to be as healthy as they can be. But you can always take the mom out of the fry tank if you have 2 tanks. They shouldn't die without her. Hope this helps! Ask if I am unclear. Been working too much lately and I can't think on day 12 of 12 straight..

The fry holder has been called "Fry trap". At least that's what I'm finding on auction sites.

 

[ChancesMama]

Yes the breeding trap I have is like that. Has a V shaped thing with a slit in the bottom so that the fry fall into the bottom of the box. But I do have  28 gallon tank that she was in originally. It just doesn't have as many plants a s it should yet so I took a couple out and put them into this 5 gallon for a fry tank. I can definitely take her out when they're born. I just wanted to make sure she is comfortable and that they will live too. She didn't look happy in that breeding box. If she hasn't dropped them by tomorrow morning (well later today I guess lol) then I will put her back in the breeding or fry box. I'm okay with it when I can watch her but I don't want her to get too stressed out. Thank you for your quick reply! I feel better about it already! should I add any Pennywart? It floats nicely on top and has big leaves.This 5 gallon is the one that the fry will be growing in, I have 8 guppies including the mom that would eat them for dinner! lol

 

[ChancesMama]

This tankl is actually really cold now, Should I put her in the maine tank in the trap and leave the guppies she has in the trap until I get a heater?

 

[ChancesMama]

I didn't want to lose her so per the advice of other people that have had this problem and asked and got answers, I very lighty squeezed her. She didn't seem to care all that much and I got a bunch of babies out. about 7 of which that are alive. Probably 5 or so that are dead. The babies are laying at the bottom and move occasionally to dart around, is this normal?

 

[fluttermoth]

Honestly, livebearers are much better being left on their own, in the main tank, to get on with things.
 
Your 5 gallon would need a cycled filter, if you want mother and/or fry to survive, unless you can do daily water changes of at least 50 or 75%.
 
The fry in your first post sound as if they were born prematurely; this often happens when the mother is stressed, usually from either poor water quality or being confined in a breeding trap.
 
I wish you had asked here before trying to squeeze any fry out This is a really bad idea, and is very likely to have caused some internal injuries to the fish, I'm sorry to say.

 

[ChancesMama]

She was already dying so I thought it woould be okay. She did passs and I'll know for next time. I do have 7 live babies though so they are my main priority now. They lay on bottom ansd then dart around once in a while. I got her from a chain pet store thoguh so she was probably severely inbred
I am going to let this 5 gallon cycle and add some water from teh bigger tank. It will most likely be used for the fry when they get a little bigger.

Honestly, livebearers are much better being left on their own, in the main tank, to get on with things.
 
Your 5 gallon would need a cycled filter, if you want mother and/or fry to survive, unless you can do daily water changes of at least 50 or 75%.
 
The fry in your first post sound as if they were born prematurely; this often happens when the mother is stressed, usually from either poor water quality or being confined in a breeding trap.
 
I wish you had asked here before trying to squeeze any fry out

This is a really bad idea, and is very likely to have caused some internal injuries to the fish, I'm sorry to say.

From now on I think I will leave them in the tank fro sure and just scoop the survivors into the trap. I'm sure I will have a lot more babies in the future.

 

[fluttermoth]

Don't forget that to cycle a tank you'll need to be adding ammonia and testing daily.
 
I'd be inclined to just add a little of the cycled media from your main tank's filter as and when you need it. Otherwise you'll have to be constantly feeding the filter it to keep it cycled.
 
It's not normal for fry to be lying around on the bottom; they should be swimming around. I suspect that's because they were premature. I feel I ought to warn you that they're unlikely to make it

 

[ChancesMama]

theres a few that are lively but most of them are not.

My males must have been harassing the female in the tank, poor girl.

 

[fish48]

Ok you got her from a chain pet store what makes you think she was probably severely inbred ?

 

[ChancesMama]

I'm actually not sure if where I got her from qualifies as a chain store, so she actually probably healthy and just got harassed. I did get my males from PetCo though, I don't know where they get their stock from. But had to separate my females from my males until I get more females. I didn't want my black guppy or my pregnant yellow guppy to get harassed. After it happened to Fionna died the same way that my orange one did.(Getting stressed into labor and could not actually give birth and died) So as I said, I separated Marcelline and Cake from the big tank. They were in the five gallon and cake was getting aggressive so I separated them and left Cake to free roam in the 5 gallon pictured above. I went to watch How I Met Your Mother with my boyfriend and when I looked back at my tank there was 11 fry swimming around in it!   I guess I separated her on the right day! I'm now working on getting a heater for the tank to be delivered asap.
 
I do have one baby who is on his 2nd day from the first litter. While I was away after typing most of this, I happened to see a guppy that must have been from Fionna swimming in the big tank. S/He must have been a trooper to make it with my 4 male guppies still in that tank.
 
I am going to PetCo tomorrow to get more female guppies. Let's hope none of them are sick and they re adjust well!