Pregnant swordtale?

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

leahsanderson

New Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Lincolnshire
Hi new to keeping tropical fish.
I have 3 swordtails in a tank (2 female and 1 male)

Came down to the tank a couple of weeks ago to find 2 baby fry hiding in the rocks!
Didn't even realise any of my fish were pregnant!

Any how just wondering if one of my females is pregnant again I have literally no clue whether it's just fat or carrying babies.

I keep looking for the gravid spot but the only darkness I can see is underneath the gills.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200601_203921.jpg
    IMG_20200601_203921.jpg
    690 KB · Views: 66
  • IMG_20200601_203916.jpg
    IMG_20200601_203916.jpg
    665.9 KB · Views: 57
  • IMG_20200601_203850.jpg
    IMG_20200601_203850.jpg
    914.6 KB · Views: 40
  • 15910407198915187466134635186771.jpg
    15910407198915187466134635186771.jpg
    819.8 KB · Views: 62
Gravid spot will be seen by her anal fin.
How long ago did she gave birth? It is possible for livebearing fish to get pregnant again after giving birth.
What size is the tank?
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. She may also have some fry left in her, when they are stressed or scared they do not drop all the fry but will drop a few at a time. Even over a few weeks, it is a way for the fry to survive. You can help lessen her stress by having plenty of plants and places for her to hide and by dimming the lights.
 
a 15 gallon will be fine for only 3 swordtails a 30 gallon + would be more suitable
 
As long as you have a male in the tank they will almost always be pregnant,with short periods in between. They are almost as bad as guppies which are like rabbits.
 
a 15 gallon will be fine for only 3 swordtails a 30 gallon + would be more suitable
I have to disagree, they normally get 5.5 inches and swordtails do need a 30 gallon tank and 15 gallons is way too small for even one swordtails.

Here is proof:

'It's not uncommon for a male swordtail to reach more than 6 inches (15 cm) in length and the females aren't much smaller. Most females will reach about 5 1/2 inches (14cm) in length – so obviously you will need to provide larger tank for swordtails than you would for guppies or platies'
 
Mine got over 5"
 
have you ever grown a swordtail more than 6 inches ?
Nope, but it doesn't mean that they'll be fine and happy in a 2ft long tank and they don't get to full 6" usually. Trust me, I keep swordtails over a year now and have gotten good advise from lots of people and they all say '30 gallons for swordtails, not smaller although a 29 gallon will be fine too'.
Do I need to show more proof?
 
so you kept swordtails for over a year you haven't got them to 6" which is a possibility when kept in a large tank but not coming and I doubt you've ever seen one that large
the information you give me is based only what you have researched
 
Last edited:
so you kept swordtails for over a year you haven't got them to 6" which is a possibility when kept in a large tank but not coming and I doubt you've ever seen one that large
the information you give me is based only what you have researched
The info I gave you came from lots of other forums confirming that swordtails need a 30 gallon tank with an exception of 29 gallons.
They get large so therefore they need a 30 gallon tank and yes, I did have a 6" swordtail, he was a late male with a small sword on his tail but he was overly aggressive so I gave him back to the store.
Does anyone agree with me here?
 
The info I gave you came from lots of other forums confirming that swordtails need a 30 gallon tank with an exception of 29 gallons.
They get large so therefore they need a 30 gallon tank and yes, I did have a 6" swordtail, he was a late
male with a small sword on his tail but he was overly aggressive so I gave him back to the store.
Does anyone agree with me here?
I agree with you to a certain extent lol
 

Most reactions

trending

Members online

Back
Top