When Do You Know They Are Pregnant

[alexta6]

I have both Platies and Guppies in two separate tanks. The guppies are with ghost shrimps and otto catfish. The Platies are with two crabs and one powder blue gourami.

This morning i found out that the platies gave birth and the eggs hatched already b/c i saw two very small frys in the tank. hardly noticeable. i did not even know when did it happen? my female platy was pregnant for a long time w/o spawning. so i thought maybe it was just fat and not pregnant. i finally saw today. TOO LATE that the last two got eaten while i was looking at it by both its parents and the gourami.

Q: do you know when platies and guppies will spawn? what are the signs? and what should i do? i do have a plastic breeder.

Thank you very much!

 

[IceMan569]

i not an expert

normally u will see a black spot thats the first sign

on both kinds of fish

i think some can breed once and have a couple batches of kids but not sure which all can


yea most will ate there kids



i normally get some java moss or other plants ( so babies can hide in it )


hope it helps

 

[alexta6]

Wat black spot?? where at?? i can't tell where...

 

[dwarfgourami]

Platies and guppies don't lay eggs that hatch outside their bodies- they're livebearers, so give borth to live fry. Once a female has been impregnated, she can store sperm and give birth roughly once a month for about 7 months or even more. Female livebearers have a gravid spot- a darker spot just above the anus (though in some colour variants, like black guppies or red platies, it can be almost impossible to see). When she is pregnant, this grows big, and she grows fatter. Expect her next pregnancy in 4-6 weeks. Signs that she is ready to give birth include being almost square in the body, irritable, trying to hide away or sinking to the bottom. At this point, do NOT put her in the breeder trap, but be ready to save the fry and put them in. Alternatively, keep the tank heavily planted with some floating plants on the top for them to hide.