Is My Guppy Pregnant?

[MzDee86]

Hi Everyone I am new to keeping tropical fish and I have guppies males and females in my tank and I am not sure if one of them is pregnant or not just wondering if anyone can help shed some light on it for me as id like to separate her before she gives birth so her and the fry are safe
this was the best pic I could get
 

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, she's pregnant; most female livebearers are pregnant all the time, even if there are no males present, as they can store 'packets' of sperm from their last mating. It's hard to be 1005 certain, but she looks like she has only a week or so before she's due. You want to watch for her belly developing a distinct 'square' shape; once that happens they usually give birth within 24 to 48 hours.
 
How are you intending to separate her? If you don't have a spare ten gallon or so sized tank, with a cycled filter available, you'd be better off leaving her in the main tank.

 

[MzDee86]

thanks heaps for your help I was intending to separate her into a breeding box that attaches to the inside of the tank but only when she is ready to give birth within a day or two before hand

 

[fluttermoth]

I really would advise you to leave her in the main tank. You look like you have plenty of plants in your tank, so some fry will be good at hiding and won't get eaten (guppies aren't voracious fry eaters anyway).
 
Breeder boxes/nets are really too small for the mother fish to feel comfortable and may stress her out to the point where she aborts the fry, and they're too small for the fry to grow properly.
 
Guppies are the rabbits of the fish world (actually, they're much worse than rabbits!); unless you have multiple tanks for growing on fry, you cannot keep or save them all, so it's really best to leave them alone to get on with it.
 
Bear in mind that each female can have 30 or 40 fry (or more; I've heard of 70 fry in a brood!), every 30 days, and those fry can start producing fry themselves at three or four months old, so you could end up overrun in a very short time.
 
Leaving the mothers in the main tank will, hopefully, mean that you end up with a manageable amount making it to maturity.
 
I know it might sound harsh, but the very reason livebearers have so many fry in the first place is that, in the wild, so many of them get eaten.

 

[Doomchibi]

Yes, she definitely looks pregnant. What fluttermoth said about the square shape is true, and also if you look at her lower stomach, that spot darkening on her belly is another sign. You should separate her soon, but try not to do it too close to when she is going to give birth or you will stress her out more. If you are putting her in a breeder net, make sure the holes aren't much bigger than the tip of a pencil or the new fry can often get through, and if possible you should keep the mother away from the fry so she won't eat them. (though it would be better for her if she was not immediately put back in with the male or he will start going after her again. I usually keep the mother in a different net for at least a few days to a week so she can recover.) Good luck

 

[fluttermoth]

I still wouldn't advise the use of breeders nets or boxes.

 

[the_lock_man]

Just to add a little more to FM's advice, since guppies are so easy to obtain, and therefore so cheap, it is exceptionally difficult for a hobbyist breeder to move guppy fry on.
 
Much better, overall, to let Mother Nature have her own way.

 

[MzDee86]

thanks for all the advice I did move her into her own net breeder as I noticed one of the other guppies is hassling her so now she has her own space its 15.5x14x15cm and with a little area down the bottom for fry to fall to safety I have noticed she is breathing really fast and it looks like she hasn't got a lot of energy to swim around the big tank

thanks again for all the help

Deanna



 

 

[bluesword23516]

I love guppies! Has she dropped her fry yet?  And that's how I have to let mine be, I let mother nature decide who survives, but where my tank doesn't have a lot of plants (saving up for some though) they tend to get eaten.  I put string in and tie it up so it floats and they hide in there, but when levels get critical I take them out and place them in a separate tank. 

 

[MzDee86]

I love them too she had her fry they are  about  3 days old now they managed to escape their net so they are hiding in the plants I have floating up the hop of the tank

 

[the_lock_man]

I love them too she had her fry they are  about  3 days old now they managed to escape their net so they are hiding in the plants I have floating up the hop of the tank

 
No real point having the net then, if the fry are surviving naturally

 

[bluesword23516]

The net will keep them safer though. My fry could survive, but eventually I had three left so I had to take them out of that tank.

 

[MzDee86]

I have put them back into the net and they seem to be staying there I noticed the numbers have gone down I think some where being eaten so I moved them I can't wait to see what colours they will be I have one that's got black dots

 

[bluesword23516]

Most of mine had black patterns on their tails, I have two that are showing color and I am super excited! Thats always my favorite part!