Pregnant Guppies?

[dolphins218]

Hello,
I'm new to breeding guppies and I have a 80 litre tank with 7 females abd 3 males in with discus, gouramis, corydoras, bumblebee catfish, ancistrous (can't spell) and temporaroly a small Ghost knife.
About a couple of months ago i found a fry swimming around and separated it into a breeding net to ensure it didn't get eaten but never found any more. Yesturday the same thing happened, i found a single fry swimming around, it is now also in the breeding trap with the older one. I was just wondering how to tell when the Females were ready to drop so that i may be able to save a few more fry, and also how to save the fry. Here is a picture of one of the larger females

 

[fluttermoth]

The females do a thing called 'squaring off' very shortly before they give birth; this means their belly gets a sort of square or cube shape to it, especially round the front; yours isn't close just yet (another couple of weeks I'd guess; guppies give birth every 30 days, depending on temperature).

The best way to save fry is not to use breeding traps of any kind (they're too stressful for the mothers and can cause them to miscarry, and too small for the fry to grow properly) but to really heavily plant the tank so the fry have 1: plenty of places to hide and 2: lots of microorganisms from the plants to eat.

You want the tank almost full of plants if possible; or certainly lots at the top (livebearer fry spend most of their time near the water surface). Fine leaved plants such as elodea or cabomba do a good job and are cheap, and can be left to float if you like.

Hope that helps and good luck with your babies!

(Oh, and )

 

[dolphins218]

I do have a fair few plants in my tank and i never put the females in the breeding trap but i have got the fry in there to stop them getting eaten but the other fish (the gouramis seem very interested in them).
are you saying that i should take the fry out of the breeding net and just let "nature take it's course" so to speak? I'm just really wary of the fry getting eaten by the gouramis and knife fish who love hanging around in the planted hiding areas.
Thanks btw

 

[fluttermoth]

Of course, some fry will get eaten, but guppies have so many fry that you'll be overrun a few months down the line anyway!

I find that fry kept in breeding traps always end up being stunted and not growing properly. Better to raise a few good fry, naturally, than lots of unhealthy, stunted ones, IMO.

Don't forget that every female guppy you have can have 40 or 50 babies every 30 days, and their daughters will start producing more at around 4 or 5 months old and they can store sperm for six months, so even if you spearate the sexes, you'll still have six broods from every female!

I think you should be glad that the gouramis will be picking a few off here and there; where would you put them all?!

They're not called 'millions fish' for nothing

Incedentally, I'm not sure the guppies and discus should be together; one of the two species won't be happy with the conditions, as discus like very soft, acid water at about 28°C and guppies prefer harder, slightly alkaline water at around 23/24°C.

 

[blackghostknife]

Hi

Welcome, also a newbie here, I also just recently started at this forum, regarding the question, I bought books and read many articles on the above topic, according to the experts a gravid spot under the guppies belly start to get very big and rounded, she will in the last few hours, separate herself from the rest of the other fish to give birth.

Hope this helps

also, please see below!

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=200198

 

[dolphins218]

Incedentally, I'm not sure the guppies and discus should be together; one of the two species won't be happy with the conditions, as discus like very soft, acid water at about 28°C and guppies prefer harder, slightly alkaline water at around 23/24°C.

Unfortunately the water round myself is fairly hard anyway, my water is currently at 26[sup][/sup]o[sup][/sup]C. Speaking to the pet shops around here including the one i work at they are saying that the discus that i have got have been bred in the harder water. I try to maintain my pH to around 7