Helppppp?? My Guppies?

[Regalz]

Hi again, ( SOOO many people have viewed and not said anything and i'm feeling a little stressed here... )
So i have a guppy that i'm told is due any day now and another due in a few weeks. This may not be accurate as it was via this forum and i'm a first time breeder.
So, i had four females and i chose two for their different colors and they were both very passive wheres i had one that would constantly 'go' at the other girls. I looked in my tank to see the one that is a week ( sorta ) off having a go and chasing the other one. Both girls have been with me since they were fry and its their first time breeding. I also noticed the one due sooner has been going under my viking hat a lot more. But they both usually chill together at the top and since the little chase they are back together. They are both boxy. One has a orange gravid spot and one is a lot darker. Are these signs of maybe labor? I watched some things on you tube with people breeding and signs but they've never said how long this labor goes for... how long does it go for?
I stuffed the tank full of some plastic plants i had around, i have used them before and never had a problem with cutting the fish so they must be okay to use for now. I put a floating grass thing at the top of the tank to provide some shelter there and the tank has substrate, a slow filter that does have much current, loads of fake plants and a few real plants. I have dimmed the lights right down just in case.
Would you say these are signs of labor? How long does labor last before you get babies?
Can i have some help?
( EDIT: )
Ive been watching them and iv'e noticed the non aggressive one is sitting still at the bottom more, then she will move along the bottom, go up to the top, swim around then go back down.
(edit2)
i watched her some more, she came back up and interacted with the other fish a heap then went back down into the viking hat in the dark then came back out again?

 

[AilyNC]

These might help you -

How To Know If Your Livebearers Ready To Drop Fry (Updated 15/04/12)

EDITED (15th july 2009) - SORRY FOR THE SMALL PICTURES, THE ORIGINAL ONES WAS LOST BUT I MANAGED TO RETRIVE THE THUMBNAILS FROM GOOGLE IMAGES. THIS IS THE BEST I CAN DO... TO TRY TO VIEW THEM BIGGER, HOLD CTRL AND USE THE - AND + TO ZOOM IN AND OUT ON YOUR KEYBOARD. Since i took some pictures...

www.fishforums.net

How To Tell If Your Guppy/molly/platy Or Swordtail Is Pregnant.

Hi everyone, one of the most common questions asked is "is my guppy/platy/molly/swordtail pregnant" In this thread I will attempt to explain very simply how to tell she is pregnant and how to estimate how far along she is with the aid of pictures, week by week. I will be using guppies as the...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Regalz]

These might help you -

How To Know If Your Livebearers Ready To Drop Fry (Updated 15/04/12)

EDITED (15th july 2009) - SORRY FOR THE SMALL PICTURES, THE ORIGINAL ONES WAS LOST BUT I MANAGED TO RETRIVE THE THUMBNAILS FROM GOOGLE IMAGES. THIS IS THE BEST I CAN DO... TO TRY TO VIEW THEM BIGGER, HOLD CTRL AND USE THE - AND + TO ZOOM IN AND OUT ON YOUR KEYBOARD. Since i took some pictures...

www.fishforums.net

How To Tell If Your Guppy/molly/platy Or Swordtail Is Pregnant.

Hi everyone, one of the most common questions asked is "is my guppy/platy/molly/swordtail pregnant" In this thread I will attempt to explain very simply how to tell she is pregnant and how to estimate how far along she is with the aid of pictures, week by week. I will be using guppies as the...

www.fishforums.net

Thank you~ I'm still not sure though... are these signs of labor?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hi, sounds like it might be labour!

I think most don't give an estimate for how long labour lasts because it varies, just like with humans or any other creature, labour can be quick and relatively easy, or it can be slow and take a long time. In my experience once I'm seeing unusual behaviour from a gravid mom, especially hiding, she drops fry within 24 hours. But even once they've started having the fry, they can stretch it out and continue having more over 48 hours even, but most of mine dropped all of their fry within a day.

So there isn't a precise timeline, and labour signs can be different too. If you spot unusual behaviour like hiding, always do a water test first to make sure fish aren't acting strangely because something has gone wrong with water parameters. If the water is good, and that female is heavily gravid and boxy looking, and doing typical labour behaviours, you're likely to find fry within the next 24 hours

Good job on adding all the plants for the mothers and fry to hide in, you'll see how useful they are when the fry finally arrive! Please keep us updated

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hi again, ( SOOO many people have viewed and not said anything and i'm feeling a little stressed here... )

Hi, ignore view numbers. A lot of people having viewed your thread doesn't mean people are ignoring you, this forum has a very high ratio of lurkers for some reason compared to a relatively low amount of members. People need to be a member in order to write a response, and right now there are 12 members on including you, @AilyNC and I, compared to more than 500 guests - those are people who can read the thread and count towards your view numbers, but can't write a reply unless they make an account and become a member (and you lurkers should become members! We don't bite! )

Even when a member logs on, it takes time to catch up and read what's happened while we've been offline, a lot of threads happen overnight since the forum attracts members from all different time zones plus any pm's and stuff, and even when members see your thread, it depends whether those members have ever kept or bred livebearers and can help, you know? I rarely comment on cichlid threads even if I've read them because I've never kept them and know nothing about them, so I can't be of any use. So don't worry about view numbers, give people time to see it and respond. In the meantime, always worth using the search function and checking older forum posts about the same issue you're having, if you're worrying.

 

[Regalz]

Hi, ignore view numbers. A lot of people having viewed your thread doesn't mean people are ignoring you, this forum has a very high ratio of lurkers for some reason compared to a relatively low amount of members. People need to be a member in order to write a response, and right now there are 12 members on including you, @AilyNC and I, compared to more than 500 guests - those are people who can read the thread and count towards your view numbers, but can't write a reply unless they make an account and become a member (and you lurkers should become members! We don't bite! )

Even when a member logs on, it takes time to catch up and read what's happened while we've been offline, a lot of threads happen overnight since the forum attracts members from all different time zones plus any pm's and stuff, and even when members see your thread, it depends whether those members have ever kept or bred livebearers and can help, you know? I rarely comment on cichlid threads even if I've read them because I've never kept them and know nothing about them, so I can't be of any use. So don't worry about view numbers, give people time to see it and respond. In the meantime, always worth using the search function and checking older forum posts about the same issue you're having, if you're worrying.

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I didnt think about the guests! It was just worrying since i was stressed and wanted an answer asap so i knew i guess! Im not seeing alot of other labour behaviours though. I did a water change yesterday and the other girl was fine. Should i remove her? she keeps distrupting my labor girl!

 

[Aussie_Bristle]

With my little ladies.. they go and sit In a quiet place by themselves and will chase away others and go back to their spot again. Labour can be within hours and others have done it over a day or two. Being there first time, it could be a bit of a long labour it just depends. Just be careful and watch for any difficulties that may occur being their first birth. Guppies being so interbred the genes weaken. I am not saying this is going to happen, just putting it out there in case anything seems odd.

 

[Regalz]

With my little ladies.. they go and sit In a quiet place by themselves and will chase away others and go back to their spot again. Labour can be within hours and others have done it over a day or two. Being there first time, it could be a bit of a long labour it just depends. Just be careful and watch for any difficulties that may occur being their first birth. Guppies being so interbred the genes weaken. I am not saying this is going to happen, just putting it out there in case anything seems odd.

She is doing the go back to the same spot thing... should i remove the other girl causing it? She isn't aggressive as such though she just moves off until the other girl moves away then goes back.

 

[Aussie_Bristle]

Is the other girl pregnant too?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

-
I didnt think about the guests! It was just worrying since i was stressed and wanted an answer asap so i knew i guess! Im not seeing alot of other labour behaviours though. I did a water change yesterday and the other girl was fine. Should i remove her? she keeps distrupting my labor girl!

It's okay, I know the feeling! I panicked the first time I made a thread and no one responded, but it had 50 odd views. It can be a little creepy to know there's a big silent crowd watching, but not saying anything... lol. But yeah, you get used to it once you know that there are always a lot more guests than members looking.

It's up to you whether you move the other girl, do you have a decent other place to move her to? Is she pestering her constantly, or does she back off when the labouring one chases her off?

 

[Regalz]

Both are pregaunt.
I have a set up tank currently that had a few fish moved out for cleaning as im super nervous with a vacuum. She is pestering her quiet a bit. She will back off and be back at it two minutes later. The labor girl isnt aggressive though

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Both are pregaunt.
I have a set up tank currently that had a few fish moved out for cleaning as im super nervous with a vacuum. She is pestering her quiet a bit. She will back off and be back at it two minutes later. The labor girl isnt aggressive though

I understand the nerves with the gravel vac when it's new to you, but better to just practice with it and get used to it, than to move the fish out each time. Catching fish and moving them around stresses them out, you don't want to be doing it every week when you clean. Can share a video and some gravel cleaning tips with you later to help your confidence.

If you moved the pestering female, would she be safe with the fish from that tank? Or where would those fish go?

I'd probably leave with the labouring momma, they're probably fine together.

 

[Aussie_Bristle]

I wouldn’t move her due to being pregnant. My girls just chase and go back to the spot again and will continue to do this if need be. They are able to birth normally

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Mine also birth in communities, and I've only ever moved out males that chase too much, and only a couple of times, and it wasn't related to labour either, just overly persistent males in general. I keep the tanks heavily planted, and the females don't usually have a problem, and we're talking hundreds of fry over the last year alone. Labouring mums often get a bit antisocial, the other probably just hasn't picked up on it yet.

 

[Regalz]

Ok- the tank has no others in. I have been using a gravel vac for years but I had an accident where I sucked a fighter fish up it accidentally and he died. Since then I’ve just moved them.