"Virgin" female guppy not getting pregnant

[Rouxster]

I have a beautiful half black female with a blue tint that had fry 3 times. I kept her separate from males the whole time. Since then I've paired her with a gorgeous blue male. They're in a very clean/healthy tank. He dances around her all the time. Though, a month into the pairing her belly isn't getting bigger at all. Is it possible she can't have any more fry or maybe he is sterile? The male is a 4 month old I got from another set of fry I had (not related). I wish they would breed because I imagine they would have amazing fry. Any ideas?

 

[Colin_T]

If the female in question is the one in the picture, she has a fat belly.

Young males are sometimes infertile but once they reach 6 months they should be fertile.

You can deworm them. Intestinal worms will stop fish breeding.

 

[Rouxster]

She does have a fat belly. Though, I've had her for six months and I've seen her have fry 3 times. Her belly is wicked small compared to the times I've seen her pregnant before.

I thought guppies reached sexual maturity at 3 months. Since he's 4 months I was hoping he was good to go. Ahhhhh well, I guess I'll just have to keep her separate and pair them back up in 2 months to see what happens then.

Are their any signs of intestinal worms? They both look and act extremely healthy. Though, if they do have worms, what is the recommended treatment?

As always, thanks to everyone on this awesome website for all I've learned!

 

[Colin_T]

Under ideal conditions guppies can be sexually mature in 3 months but most fish aren't grown under ideal conditions and take 6 months or more to mature.

You can try feeding them more and see if that helps. I feed fish 3-5 times per day when conditioning them for breeding. I also do 75% water changes each day to compensate for the extra food.

There isn't normally any signs to show the fish have intestinal worms. But livebearers are normally riddled with them so I recommend treating all new fish for worms while they are in quarantine.

 

[Rouxster]

I also feed my fish 3-5 times a day with small portions. I have to small plecos and about 15 ghost/grass shrimp to help keep the tank clean. Though, I only do 40% water changes every Sunday. Which reminds me, I've got to go do that to all my tanks right now, lol.

All the fish I have now are from fry that I bred, with the exception of two females. So, I haven't had any of them in quarantine.

As for the worms. Do you have any recommendations on treatment? There are so many chemicals on the market today it makes your head spin.

 

[Colin_T]

You can use Praziquantel to treat tapeworm and gill flukes. And Levamisole to treat thread/ round worms. If you can't find Praziquantel and Levamisole, look for Flubendazole.

Remove carbon from filters before treatment and increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water.

You treat the fish once a week for 3-4 weeks. The first treatment will kill any worms in the fish. The second and third treatments kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs inside the fish's digestive tract.

You do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean 24-48 hours after treatment. Clean the filter 24 hours after treatment too.

Treat every fish tank in the house at the same time.

Do not use the 2 medications together. If you want to treat both medications in a short space of time, use Praziquantel on day one. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate on day 2 & 3. Treat the tank with Levamisole on day 4 and do a 75% water change and gravel clean on day 5, 6 & 7 and then start with Praziquantel again on day 8.

The water changes will remove most of the medication so you don't overdose the fish. The gravel cleaning will suck out any worms and eggs that have been expelled by the fish. Repeating the treatment for 3-4 doses at weekly intervals will kill any worms that hatch from eggs. At the end of the treatment you will have healthier fish.

 

[Rouxster]

WOW! That's incredibly helpful information. I truly appreciate your time typing that all out and sharing it with all of us!!!