Pregnant In A Breeder

[Kevinator]

We have 4 or 5 Pregnant fish (2 Mollies 2 guppies and a swordtail). When should I put them in a breeder trap or net, we have both? I don't want to put them in there to soon and keep them in there too soon because of premature birth and the chance of dead of fry. How long should I keep them in there if they don't give birth?

 

[GuppyDude]

I would suggest a separate breeder tank, but if this is short notice, you can use the net trap (and only the net trap). The plastic breeder traps are a bad idea. In the future though i think you'll be more successful by setting up a 5-10g tank especially for your pregnant females to have their fry in. I've found when doing this that not only are fewer fry actually eaten by the mother, but both the mother and fry seem to be better off. The fry thrive and grow quickly in the large safe environment, and the mother has a greater chance of surviving her delivery if her level of stress is at a low.