Who Do The Fry Belong To ?

[Charlieboy]

Hi, Im just looking for some help off somebody to identify my fry?. On Thurs evening I noticed my female guppy had her tail bitten. She had a dark gravid spot but wasnt particularly large. On fri morn she was found dead in th tank. Very late last night 1 fry was spotted in the corner of the tank, after almost 2 hours and very close observation we ended up with 7!. They are very "clear" with large head, tiny eyes and a long tail (our 1st fry). Do they belong to our guppy? Only other female in the tank is a white mollie who was added at 2pm yesterday and an orange swordtail or was added at same time. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[LauraFrog]

Clear with a large head is likely to be guppy, yes. Molly fry are the largest livebearer fry and they have usually got black eyes and some markings at birth. If the swordtail is orange that is a dominant colour so most likely her fry would be orange or pink (paler than her) at birth.

 

[Charlieboy]

Thanks for that Laurafrog. I have been looking at mollie fry and can see that they are much bigger than ours. It was sad to lose the mam but she left us with a pleasant surprise. Is it common for a guppy to die during/after birth ?

 

[AstonN24vantage]

sometimes. for most livebearers it is hard to give birth without getting very stressed. sorry about your loss

 

[Charlieboy]

Thanks ! Im really confused now though because this morning i have found 7 more fry ! (but lost 2 of the first lot) .The tank went through a gravel clean yesterday too so I dont know where these have been hiding

 

[OldMan47]

Swordtail and guppy fry are both small compared to a molly fry. If you have nothing but eyes and a tail, it could be either one until it gets a bit bigger and you can tell.
Molly fry are far from the largest livebearer fry, Laura. Try a Google of Ameca splendens or Xenotoca eiseni. I have both and their fry are twice the size of molly fry.

 

[Devorax]

After a search through the gravel now we have found more fry but they have not survived.. My white molly looks alot thinner than she did yesterday ! Some fry are grey but others are white. I have looked at pics of white molly fry and they do look similar but are quite small with small eyes. Guess I just got to wait !!!!

 

[Charlieboy]

Well my fry are still alive They are still white with slight marble effect markings so i am guessing that they do belong to the molly after all. The survivors of the 1st ones found are darker and must be guppy fry as the molly was not in the tank then. They are all in a breeding net (mesh) in the main tank at the moment. How long can they be left in her for ? Any help would be appreciated as this is all new to me ......thanks

 

[OldMan47]

A breeding net must be treated as being very temporary. There is almost no room for the fry to stretch out and swim in a spot like that, which they must do to develop their muscles. In a week or a little more, I would be trying to move all of the fry to another tank or at the very least try to move them out of the net and allow them to seek refuge in plants and other cover in the main tank. The extreme confinement of a breeder net or trap is a terrible place to try to grow out fry. They have an immediate purpose of saving the fry but after that, provisions need to be made for the fry.

 

[Charlieboy]

A breeding net must be treated as being very temporary. There is almost no room for the fry to stretch out and swim in a spot like that, which they must do to develop their muscles. In a week or a little more, I would be trying to move all of the fry to another tank or at the very least try to move them out of the net and allow them to seek refuge in plants and other cover in the main tank. The extreme confinement of a breeder net or trap is a terrible place to try to grow out fry. They have an immediate purpose of saving the fry but after that, provisions need to be made for the fry.

Looks like i better find a tank from somewhere then! My breeder net is quite large though (roughly 6" square) but i want to give them the best start. I do ahve a 20L tank but i have my pregnant guppies in there at the moment and will be overstocking main tank if i move them. Be needing a fish room at this rate !!! Thanks for advice

 

[omega59]

sorry for your death of the fish, but congrats on the fry. hopefully they will survive and will be healthy

 

[Charlieboy]

Thank you ! They seem to very active, eating well and have grown since they were born. Fingers crossed. I now have them in their own tank which is 20L, cycled, with plants and sponge filter. Will it be ok to put the new fry in here as well? (when they decide to arrive)

 

[miss_rawr]

as planty of other people have said i'm sorry for your loss =(
but it's nice that you got some babies =D
hope they do ok!

 

[Charlieboy]

Thanks ! They are doing well, unlucky number of 13 but going good. They are eating well and have got alot bigger. Just wish i knew what they were

 

[HCpetraitis]

Can you give us a picture. Also, if they are almost clear, there is a chance they came from the white molly, but most likely they are the guppie's babies. Congratz though!