Pregnant Swordtail

[mrplaty]

I bought two new swordtails today(1 male and 1 female) the female is pregnant but is there any clues to when she might give birth to the fry?

 

[BobK]

They usually give birth after 4-6 weeks. How big is she? A few days before they drop they look kind of square in the middle.

 

[ruffmeister]

better description / picture, how you know she is prego

 

[BobK]

Their bellies get pretty big when they are close. Female livebearers usually have a gravid spot (dark spot located by the anal fin). It is more pronounced in guppies. Depending on the color of the swordtail you have, it may be easy or hard to spot. It's easier to see on the lighter colored fish. The spot is actually they eyes of the developing fry so it gets bigger and darker the longer she's been pregnant. Try doing a search for either swordtails or pregnant swordtails on Yahoo! or Google and then click on the "images" tab.

 

[Sasha]

When you can see the eyes of the fry pressing against the mother's belly (it's easier to see it in the lighter colors) that means she'll deliver soon.

Good luck!

 

[mrplaty]

what do the eyes of the baby fry look like when they are still inside the female?

 

[iobre8ks]

On my preg swordtail you could see four eyes two by the birthing hole and two a little farther back. She looked like she was going to explode and then that night she gave birth.