SunnShadow

Andromeda and Diana (guppies) are both pregnant! The spot on Andromeda is darker than Diana's, and her eyes have turned completely black also. I have live plants, both floating and anchored, a 3 gallon tank that has been cycling for several weeks as a nursery / hospital tank............ what else can I do to save the fry? I don't want to move the girls or use a breeding net, because I don't want them to stress out, but what are the chances that there will be live babies left when I come home from work if they are born while I'm gone? I check the tank frequently for babies, just on the off-chance, and have been monitoring the girls' behavior. Diana acts more normal, but she has been hanging around the plants more. Andromeda has taken up swimming down the bubbles from the wand, and then she goes in the plants for a few seconds. Are these signs of impending birth? (it's been a LONG time since I had guppies..... I used to breed them some as a young girl.....) Any tips you guys can give me would be appreciated!!

Waiting on pins and needles...............
S.

<Edited to add: Sirius (my male guppy) has also been chasing after Ethel (female swordtail), and I believe they've mated. Is it as easy to tell if female swords are pregnant? How long is their gestation period?

SunnShadow

Well......... Andromeda had her babies. Sadly, I only found (and saved) one. He/she is in the 3 gallon tank, happily darting around.
I'm saddened by the fact that I couldn't save more. I checked before I went to bed last night, as soon as I got up and right before leaving for work. But after work, she looked slimmer. She still has a dark spot, but her eyes are not black anymore, and she's not..... how did someone put it?...."insanely fat" anymore. I noticed that Dante was hunting around in the floating plants, and when I opened the aquarium lid, there was the one lonely little waif.
I guess I'll try to watch Diana more closely, and continue to watch Andromeda, since I know about the several pregnancies thing.

A sad mom..... S.

leafgirl115

Dont wory about it. It happens to all of us.

That set up souds great but i have some questions.
What is the temp of the 3g?
Do you have a filter?
And make shur the water is good. Fry are very sensitive to water quality.

I gust though i would tell you that you may fine more fry. I found a couple a week after they had them. Fry are great at hiding. Just keep an eye out.

SunnShadow

The 3 gallon is right around 76 or 78 degrees. Yes, there is a filter, and I have put a sponge and very fine mesh netting around the intake. The water is good..... excellent, if I may say so myself. I did the food cycling with it, and have a few live plants floating in it also. (the fry's name is Morsel..... because he escaped being one for the big fishies....)
I keep looking, trying to find more fry, but haven't seen any yet. My net is close at hand, just in case.
I've also discovered that Lucy (female orange swordtail) is pregnant! This will be curious, because I don't know if the father is Sirius (yellow guppy), Ricky (red wag swordtail), or Mick (pearl yellow high-fin platy).
I bought a small mesh breeding box, and put floating bushy plants in it, but don't want to stress out the pregnant females..... are the mesh ones as bad as the plastic box-type ones?

S.

leafgirl115

No the mesh ones are a lot better. But they will get very stressed stil. I dont try and use them
But i do put my fry in them and my realy sick or hert fish.

SunnShadow

What is the best way to keep the babies from getting eaten? If you don't use a plastic or mesh box, that is. I keep watching the girls for signs of birth, and checking the floating plants..... (My husband has GOT to think that I've lost it, although he agrees that Morsel is cute).
Are there any signs I could look for, as far as the girls getting ready to "pop"? Every time I think one is going to start, I realize that she's just.... um.... pooping. Duh :P ........ (now don't I feel silly.......... )
Still hoping for more frys.......

S.

leafgirl115

its ok lol im doing that now lol My girl should have poped 2 weeks ago. But they are sometimes late. When they are going to have fry the other fish will not leave them alone. (remember the males will always do this even if they are not going in to labor). Some people say they wont eat the day of but myn always eat lol.

Have hiding plases for fry to go. Have a lot of plants in the tank.