Cody

COBettaCouple

are they showing gravid spots? it's hard to tell how far along they are and is sort of a guessing game from when the gravid spot appears.

Cody

i do have some pictures that i could post that are easier to tell....ahh the were preg when bought so i dont know for sure...would you like to see the pictures

Cody

COBettaCouple

Hmm.. ok, guppy owners - what do you say? i think they're pregnant, but not going to drop real soon. I've not had guppies yet, only platys though so i could be wrong.

pappyy3

Hard to tell .. but the female is definitely gravid (pregnant) and I'm only guessing but may drop within a couple of weeks.

If you want to save the babies, It's a good idea to put her in a tank of her own with plenty of hiding spots for the fry (plants etc .. either real or fake).

It's also a good idea to take note of the date she drops her babies. You'll find she will drop babies again about every 4 weeks - like clockwork!

Cody

well i know there gravid, i have two males and two females they were both gravid when i bought them..they have grown in roundness and there gravid has increased in size and gotten darker..when they start breeding in my own tank, i can right down when i first notice a gravid spot..i mainly just wanted to see if any one whose had guppies before could estimate.

Chief_waterchanger

If they were already 'hit' when you bought them you just have to keep a watchful eye on them. Guppies gestation period is 28-32 days, so it shouldn't take too long to notice fry.

NOTE: Guppies can hold their fry for 4-6 months if they feel the conditions in the tank are too unsafe.

Cody

hey i like the help but i know the gestation period i know all that stuff ...I'm not stupid i looked into it i just wanted to know if someone who's had guppies fry before could ...guess from personal experiences i know it could vary but just a educated guess

Chief_waterchanger

I was saying in a nice way that there is little chance of guessing even with an educated guess at how far along guppies are.

Among the over 1000 guppies I have, I am quite sure that once they start producing it is all but impossible to make any form of educated guess or otherwise towards what week they are in. They pretty much stay large in the one year most female guppies are producing consistantly.

COBettaCouple

the first fry drop is the most unpredictable for livebearers. even if you see a gravid spot or the fry eyes, it's really up to the fish when the first batch drops. we didn't know one of our platys was pregnant when we first got started and she held her fry over 6 weeks because we didn't know about cycling the tank properly then. the water conditions in the tank along with her finding a place that feels 'safe' to her, water temp, the other fish are all factors in when exactly that she'll drop.

Cody

thanks guys...and girls...they have gotten way bigger in the last few days...its insane how fast they grow!!!..im excited to see what veritys the fry willl turn into..i really need to get some more females though the 1:1 ratio works but it wont last for long and the poor females......my favorite lfs was on a shortage of females...last time i was there..i was going to wait untill they had some fry and giving my buddies down there a present...and then getting on more female proubably....and the females are from the same tank ...and the males are from another tank so i know they havent meet before ...but when should i start to be concerned about in breeding

timg

If you have done your research properly you will know that guppies along with most of the live-bearers can not just hold the fry, but also the sperm from the male, so you will need to be patient and wait until they actually stop breeding again before introducing your males to them.

In-breeding is very difficult to stop, unless you separate the fry into sexes as soon as you can sex them, and ensure that none of the young males come into contact with the older females. You have a job on your hands over the next few months at least!

I guess you need a few more tanks available!

Sam Livingston

Bought platy from store on Wednesday and looked like she was ready to blow right then; finally gave birth to 68 live fry tonight; she was huge, had very visible gravid spot (which is sometimes not too common for platys), so it really is impossible to tell when shes ready. Just watch her personality closely, if shes going off by herself and hiding in plants then shes about ready to blow. If want the fry to survive get separate tank; tank divider was not working for me as the fry were sneaking through the netting. As soon as she was giving birth, all and i mean ALL of my fish went straight to the tank divider and tried nipping through the netting to get to the babies.

Sam Livingston

Also will definitely need more females, keep the 2:1 ratio as close as possible, like you said the tranquility will not last long; males will get stressed and can kill other males or the females.