Swordy Babies

[Angry_Platy]

My lyretail girl has been getting very fat around the middle for the last few weeks. I have been monitoring her closely as I have been wanting her to have fry for a long time today she is acting a little too placid for a normal swordy so I netted her up (she was very easy to catch too)and examined her.....yup....around her vent is starting to square up (pretty sad getting excited about a square vent on a fish huh). So I moved her to the breeding net (unfortunately all the small/breeding tanks are being used by new fish and the like). I am hoping she won't need to be in there too long (like maybe less than 24 hours) and she will give me fry. The father I am unsure of as she has been in a tank with a yellow comet platy (deceased 2 weeks ago), a red comet/wag platy, a golden swordy (with a black sword) and a white platy (other fish in there are female).....

In the breeding net she has riccia (which I am cultivating).....shes just gone in there and seems fairly relaxed now (after the initial trying to headbutt her way out of there routine). The riccia will male her feel a bit safer and will also give somewhere for the fry to hide if they are born at a time when I can't catch them (in typical swordy fashion).....

SOO excited.....lyretail fry on their way

 

[Polardbear]

I'm so excited for you Angry_Platy! I can't wait to hear an update. The gang here have their fins crossed and are waiting to party.

 

[Little_Orca]

Be sure to post baby pictures

 

[Polardbear]

No babies yet? Perhaps she just hasn't decided it's inconvenient enough yet. You know how they are!

 

[Angry_Platy]

She is SOOOOO fat. Not moving about much when I moved her back to the 30gal temporarily. She is now back in the breeders box. She seems more relaxed and calm now so SOOOON I hope

Damn fish.

 

[Annastasia]

Oooh, I'm so excited! All my guys (and girls) are crossing their fins along with Polardbear's fish.

I just hope she doesn't have them when I'm on vacation and I miss it! Keep us updated.

 

[Angry_Platy]

She was stressing out when I got home this afternoon so I have moved her back into the main 30gal tank. The project this afternoon is to get the fish (3 guppies, a platy and a swordy) out of the 10gal then put her in there on her own so she has room to move around and if she decides to give birth, the fry might have a better chance with only her in there to eat them. She was too distraught in the breeders net to leave her in there (and still fat too)......I might even leave the male sword in there.....perhaps he will "incite" her to give birth. Nothing I have done has managed to do that

 

[Polardbear]

I mentioned party to my swordies and they got impatient waiting for your girl, they decided to make their own reason for celebration. I'm not certain which one, but one of my girls decided to have babies last night. I just spent an hour chasing the little guys around trying to catch some. I suspect it was one of the black girls but I'll have to wait a few days for the non black ones to color up. (All females in this tank were bred to Terrel, my black male so all of them will produce some black babies. The black females should produce both blacks and neons.)

I'm glad you're moving your girl to the 10 gallon tank. She'll be much better off there. I wouldn't leave the male in with her, he might stress her to much and that could end up killing her. She'll have them when she feels safe and secure and when she's ready. Just be patient, it's one of those "tests" they like to put us through.

 

[Polardbear]

And just to make you jealous A_P, here's a picture of my new arrivals. Can't wait to see yours!!!

 

[aquagirl]

Polar they're so cute!

My molly decided to drop some babies on me the other night. I didn't even know she was pregnant. I found... five.

 

[Annastasia]

Congrats Polardbear! They are adorable!

 

[Angry_Platy]

She is in the 10gal now, alone, and still no fry. She is cranky at me right now for 1. Turning the light on to check for fry 2. Moving her from the breeding net 3. Watching her all the time. So chances are, considering her mood, that the wait will be lengthy

Cute babies polard

 

[Polardbear]

She may also be expressing her outrage at being downsized to a 10 gallon tank. Whenever I put Lucy, my red lyretail girl in a 10 gallon she throws a major temper tantrum. She absolutely hates being in the small tank. However, Sally, the marigold lyretail moved to a 10 gallon today in anticipation of fry and she seems quite happy and content. She's calmly cruising (well lumbering) around it at the moment checking everything out. I'm trying to stay away from the tank so that I don't sit and stare at her for hours. I've finally learned that my girls are not going to let me watch them give birth, ever. I think it's another one of their rules. (You could try checking with a flashlight, mine don't seem to mind that as much.)