What Happens When They Miscarry?

[GinIAm]

I purchased two female guppies on friday. One hugely pregnant, the other looked early into the pregnancy. The newly prego died (stress I think), and the other got skinnier and skinnier, and now looks like she's no longer expecting. Her gravid spot is still there, just smaller.

Did she miscarry? What happens when a fish miscarries? What happens to the fry?

 

[lolobunnz]

The fish could have expelled the tiney undeveloped fry and they could have then gotten eaten or the fish could have reabsorbed them until better water conditions are present and for nutrients.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

One of my first time mothers (several months back) shrunk by half size but went on to keep growing and deliver a large batch of fry.... none were miscarried and no idea why she shrunk. But she had her fry two weeks after that.... so shrinking doesn't always mean miscarriage, but more likely it does.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to our site GinIAm.
It sounds like you have been misled to believe that the color of a gravid spot has some meaning. I am sorry to need to tell you that it is completely irrelevant in my experience. Shape is a far better predictor of fry than any color change at all.
Since you have a freshly set up tank, I am curious about its parameters. Most of us have a water chemistry that we can relate easily using numbers like the present concentration of ammonia and nitrite. Both chemicals should be less than 0.25 ppm in your water. If they are not, that could explain your fish losses. If you have no way to measure the chemicals in your water, try an immediate 50% or larger water change with proper dechlorination of the new water. My bet is that your fish will look far better very quickly, in 30 minutes or less. If not I would be very surprised. I have done 90% plus changes on my own tanks when my tested water parameters were not up to par and the fish always looked far better after that change than before it.

 

[GinIAm]

Our tank is well established with several fish. I added the two female guppies to begin breeding.

Both died in two days, along with my male guppies. The platies, mollies, tetras, gold fish, have all survived. We did a complete water change and treated the tank for disease.

I was really upset that these guppies brought disease into my tank and killed my babies!

Everyone seems to be doing well again,so we introduced 2 snails and two female platies. Both females are looking healthy and newly pregnant .