cometcattle
Go Hawks!
I never had fry b4 so Im a nervous. I have a very pregnant guppy ( VERY dark gravid spot, very fat). The male keeps harrassing her ie. following her gravid spot and chasing her.
1. How do I know the exact time to put her in the breeding net? Are there any telltale signs?
2. Does she have them all at once, do they launch out 1 after the other? Are the birthes staggered? How long apart?
3. Should I move the male to another tank now ? Would this speed up the birth if she wasnt harrassed? Besides if she gives birth outside the net, the male would be right there to eat them. On the other hand I dont want to stress her out by putting her in the net to soon.
Now it looks like the male is nipping at the gravid spot.
Any suggestions would be apprieciated.
Thank You
1. How do I know the exact time to put her in the breeding net? Are there any telltale signs?
2. Does she have them all at once, do they launch out 1 after the other? Are the birthes staggered? How long apart?
3. Should I move the male to another tank now ? Would this speed up the birth if she wasnt harrassed? Besides if she gives birth outside the net, the male would be right there to eat them. On the other hand I dont want to stress her out by putting her in the net to soon.
Now it looks like the male is nipping at the gravid spot.
Any suggestions would be apprieciated.
Thank You
When a female guppy is ready to deliver her babies, she usually stays in a certain place, like near a leaf or at the surface near the corner. My guppy, Flora, always huddles between a leaf and keeps returning to that place whenever the other fish bother her. The fry (baby fish) are born seperately and unfold from their curled postition as soon as they're dropped. The fry usually stay at the botton (of the breeder net or tank) and wiggle around, since they have to learn how to control their tiny tail. The amount of time between delivering the babies varies, sometimes a few seconds and sometiems a few minutes. I once had a female molly who delivered 5 fry in only 10 seconds! 
If the male is harrassing her, she may be getting stressed out. If the male is nipping at near her gravid spot, that could be a good indication that she's going to deliver soon. Fish often wait right under the pregnant mother for a free and easy meal. Remember, guppies often snack of the fry so it's a good idea to have lots of hiding places for the babies or move the mother to the breeder net when she's ready. Hope this helps! 
