Problems With Guppy Fry And Filter

[becca320]

Has Anyone had this before, Sorry I am really new to this but loving every minute.!!!
I have a small 20gl fry tank which has been set up for Guppy fry which were born about a week ago, They have been fine although I only managed to save about 10-15 of them before being eaten, Anyway I noticed yesterday that some of them have gone missing so checked in the filter tonight and they were swimming on the top of the sponge of the filter !! managed to get them with a tea spoon and they are happy again although there were dead ones there too .. any suggestions would be appreciated , can i somehow put a net across the intake of the filter I.e "stockings?? LOL" will this effect the filters efficiency?

Also if anyone could advise on how far this one is gone would appreciate it .. she seems to have been pregnant for ever , cant get a good pic of her though cos she is in the trap and think that she is stressing a little ( will let her out in another hour if nothing ) if she hasnt jumped she seems to have become good at jumping out herselt LMAO

Thanks in anticipation

Becks. x.

http/i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/becca3201/gup2.jpg

http/i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/becca3201/gup.jpg


sorry still dont know how to downsize pictures on here !! LOL

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Its difficult to say how far gone she is-she might have that spot for ages and not give birth-best way is to be patient and if she gives birth make a note that in a month she probably will again. Yes i've heard tights can stop them getting in the filters-give it a try

 

[fishboy2]

try buying an air powered filter, there only a couple of quid each and wont suck the fry in-or u could take the filter out completely and change the water once every two or three days, only about 20% of the water and they will be fine.

 

[Thomas 2507]

I usually just put some fine netting over the filter. I does effect the efficiency a little but nothing major.

As for the pregnant Guppy, I would guess she still has a couple of weeks to go. When she is ready to drop her belly will be slightly square and the 'gravid spot' will be very dark.

 

[Fried rice]

i agree, the gravid spot needs to get darker before she is ready to give birth, she may start to move slower when she is ready to give birth, and for the filter, i know that my filter you can change the intensity

 

[becca320]

i dont think that i can change the intensity of the filter and it does seem to be quite strong ,,,, hey ho , best use of my stockings i can think of !! they ,may appreciate them more than hubbie LOL

 

[Thomas 2507]

Another alternative would be to just ditch the filter and do daily 50% water changes. More work but probably a safer option.``

 

[becca320]

sounds like a good idea to me will try that one thanks for replying

 

[5teady_2012]

Has Anyone had this before, Sorry I am really new to this but loving every minute.!!!
I have a small 20gl fry tank which has been set up for Guppy fry which were born about a week ago, They have been fine although I only managed to save about 10-15 of them before being eaten, Anyway I noticed yesterday that some of them have gone missing so checked in the filter tonight and they were swimming on the top of the sponge of the filter !! managed to get them with a tea spoon and they are happy again although there were dead ones there too .. any suggestions would be appreciated , can i somehow put a net across the intake of the filter I.e "stockings?? LOL" will this effect the filters efficiency?

Also if anyone could advise on how far this one is gone would appreciate it .. she seems to have been pregnant for ever , cant get a good pic of her though cos she is in the trap and think that she is stressing a little ( will let her out in another hour if nothing ) if she hasnt jumped she seems to have become good at jumping out herselt LMAO

Thanks in anticipation

Becks. x.

<a href="http/i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/becca3201/gup2.jpg" target="_blank">http/i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/becca3201/gup2.jpg</a>

<a href="http/i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/becca3201/gup.jpg" target="_blank">http/i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/becca3201/gup.jpg</a>


sorry still dont know how to downsize pictures on here !! LOL

The filter can be covered with a tights/stocking lol, yeah thats fine, i had to do this on mine before i converted to a sponge filter

The guppy in the bottom picture is not near due yet...

Il tell you this like i do everyone else...

dont go by the gravid spot, the gravid spot can appear dark on females that aint pregnant, and appear light on heavy pregnant ones, all fish are diffrent and the gravid spot is so misleading.. the easiest way to tell is by the size of her belly (it will square off) or by watching for the above list i typed

Depending on the size of your fish and age.. she may not get big and still drop... also sometimes in the gravid spot you can see the babies eyes, this is a good indication she aint far off her drop (once again dont go by the gravid spots color as i said, light or dark, all are diffrent... , but if there is eyes, thats a good sign)

The signs to lok for on a guppy ready to drop are...

Dwelling on the bottom
Hanging around the top of the tank
Hovering near plants (or in them)
Hanging around the filter (if you have a internal one)
Hovering above the heater

When you guppy is heavy pregnant she will look like this.. note how the front and back of belly are dropped (this is what they mean by squared off) - also bear in mind smaller guppies may not get this big, but the same shape will occur

 

[becca320]

thanks ever so much for you help, I cant really tell the change in shape as I have a few that are quite obviously more immature than the others so they all look the same LOL
The one that dropped the fry already though last week looked so much smaller than this one beforehand.... I have learnt to look for her squaring off etc ... I have let her out of the breeder thing, but i am well understocked on females, so will have to try and get some more Asap, them males are bugging her too much .. she doesnt seem to mind too much though ..

 

[5teady_2012]

thanks ever so much for you help, I cant really tell the change in shape as I have a few that are quite obviously more immature than the others so they all look the same LOL
The one that dropped the fry already though last week looked so much smaller than this one beforehand.... I have learnt to look for her squaring off etc ... I have let her out of the breeder thing, but i am well understocked on females, so will have to try and get some more Asap, them males are bugging her too much .. she doesnt seem to mind too much though ..

they will eventually stress her though, you really need a ratio of 1 male to every 2-3 females

 

[becca320]

i Know will be going out shopping tommorow any ideas for LFS South/West Yorkshire ???

 

[5teady_2012]

i Know will be going out shopping tommorow any ideas for LFS South/West Yorkshire ???

Im from the north east so not familiar with that area sorry

 

[BlackSwords11]

I had that problem only with an external filter. I lost most of the fry before I realized what was happening. I wrapped a thin fabric with small holes, but all of the particles would get stuck to it. You could try that.