FAQs on Guppy Reproduction, Breeding 2 Related Articles: Guppies, Poeciliids: Guppies, Platies, Swordtails, Mollies by Neale Monks, Livebearing Fishes by Bob Fenner, Related FAQs: Guppy Reproduction 1, Guppies 1, Guppies 2, Guppy Identification, Guppy Behavior, Guppy Compatibility, Guppy Selection, Guppy Systems, Guppy Feeding, Guppy Disease, Livebearers, Platies, Swordtails, Mollies,  Hey Baby! It takes two (guppies) to tango.

Guppy fry stopped coming??? - 11/07/09
Hi there, your site is amazing and I am THRILLED to have found it, thanks so much for helping all of us owners and all our fish! I am sure you have saved many lives.
<Thanks for the kind words.>
I have already searched your site for several hours and can not seem to find an answer yet, although similar time period of a day or two but not over a week.
<Oh?>
I will give you background. I have a 10gal with 2male & 1 female (angry little thing so she did not get to be with the other pregnant mothers)
guppies, 2 balloon mollies, 2 albino Cory cats, 8 Red Cherry Shrimps.
<That's a busy tank. I'd say overstocked.>
I have separated the 3 other female guppies into a 14gal tank (with 5 ghost shrimp) so they can have their fry. They are in a large breeding net, which I made out of netting, the kind that is used under wedding gowns, with holes large enough for the fry to get out but small enough for the mothers to stay enclosed.
<Would tend to recommend against "nets" or "traps" of any kind; usually work the opposite to what people want. By stressing fish, they promote miscarriages. Things like shrimps and snails crawl into the nets, eat the foetuses, and the result is mysteriously vanishing baby fish. Much, much better to place floating plants in an understocked tank, let the fry swim into the plants, and then use a net to catch them and place them in a trap.
That's what I'm doing at the moment with my Halfbeaks, which are also livebearing fish (albeit much different to Guppies in terms of taxonomy).>
This also allows the gentle current and aeration from the filter to flow through the tank. They have plenty of swimming area and seem to be doing well, active and eating well. The question is I found 2 fry in the 14gal tank a week ago and none since then.
<Eaten or stillborn; could be either.>
These 2 babies are doing well, already trying to eat the adult flakes instead of their "first bites".
<Wouldn't worry too much about this.>
Although the mothers all seem fine, do you think they are all ok?
<See above; most "failures" with livebearing fish are to do with how the fishkeeper prepares for the Big Day. In an understocked tank (e.g., two females, one male in a 10 gallon tank) Guppy fry will be able to hide among floating Indian Fern and Amazon Frogbit with ease, and if you check the floating plants two or three times per day, you'll find the fry and net them out safely.>
When will they start having babies again?
<Gestation period is about 4-6 weeks, depending on various factors.>
What would the signs be if they aborted?
<Female looks slim again, but no babies...>
They all still look very pregnant! Each of my tanks have plants for the fry to hide in, but the tank with the fry the leaves are broader and I can clearly see there are no babies hiding in there, they are brave little things anyway!
<Plants must be floating plants, or they're no good.>
I do not have salt in my tanks because I usually sell the babies to other local community tank owners and I have always been told if a fish goes from a salted tank to an unsalted tank he may not survive.
<This advice is garbage. Guppies shouldn't need to be kept in slightly brackish water, but it is often easier to do so, especially if you live in a soft water area (pH less than 7, hardness below 10 degrees dH). Very little marine salt mix (not "tonic salt" or "aquarium salt") is needed, 5 grammes/litre should be ample (about SG 1.002-1.003). This is a cheap and easy way to raise pH and hardness (which, incidentally, plain salt, such as tonic salt, doesn't do). This has no bearing at all on what happens when you move the Guppies to another tank. Wild-type Guppies can be acclimated to seawater conditions for heaven's sake! So adding or removing very low levels of salinity is neither here nor there. But that said, if you move Guppies from a slightly brackish aquarium to a soft, acidic freshwater aquarium, yes, they'll get sick. That's not because the brackish water conditions are bad, but because soft, acidic water is bad!>
While I am here I may as well ask my other questions, instead of playing email tag! I have been trying to feed my fry microworms but they don't seem to have a clue they are supposed to eat them, for that matter neither do any of the adult fish!
<Waste of time with these fish. Algae and finely powdered flake is ample.>
Although I know my fry do not need this food I have talked to serious breeders who say it helps in the growing of the fry and the faster they grow the less likely they will be to get diseases.
<Debatable. I rear Halfbeaks and Limia nigrofasciata on finely powdered flake and wet-frozen foods such as wet-frozen brine shrimp; small live daphnia also go down well. Halfbeaks are certainly *a lot* more difficult to breed than Guppies, while Limia are virtually identical (if genetically far less inbred and so less prone to deformities).>
Anyway is there a way to send a clue to the fish these worms are to eat?
Should I just continue to drop in a few once a day until they get the clue?
They are SO small and do not seem to pollute the tank, probably sucked into the filter.
<Use an air-powered sponge filter in the fry-rearing tank. A very common mistake is to assume fry don't make much mess. While this is true up to a point, you're still adding a lot of food, most of which doesn't get eaten.
Fry are also many times more sensitive to water pollution than the adults.
Hence serious breeders often change a portion of the water *daily*, and invariably connect good numbers of fry to providing excellent water quality. Healthy fry are at no risk of being sucked into an air-powered sponge filter; indeed, they often peck away at the algae and other tiny life forms on the sponge.>
We have a male Betta, we adopted, would he even possibly be ok with these other fish?
<I wouldn't mix them, but you can certainly try. Male Bettas end up being pecked by other fish though. Keep Bettas in 5 gallon tanks with an air-powered sponge filter and a heater. Avoid Betta Bowls and other "micro habitats" -- just review the e-mails we get about sick Bettas and you'll soon see why!>
I think the male guppies may be an issue even though they are about 1/5th his size, so should we even try?
<I wouldn't, but in theory, it can be done.>
Last one, I promise! Of my 2 balloon belly mollies, I believe one is female and one male based on their anal fins. The male is missing his two fins in front of the anal fin, this doesn't seem to harm him any as he swims and eats fine but I am wondering in the long run will this harm him?
<May be damaged or deformed, perhaps by Finrot or physical damage. Some breeders deliberately cut off the anal fin from the male to prevent buyers from breeding that particular variety.>
Also if he reproduces with the female will the fry have this trait? He looks almost exactly like the molly pic you have on this page
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
(first pure white one about 4 down)
Thanks you so, so much. This will be in my top site for info from now on! I will also remember to donate and would encourage any reading to donate as well!
<Glad to be of help; good luck. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Guppy fry stopped coming??? – 11/07/09
Thanks so much for all the info,
<My pleasure.>
I think I may make some of those spawning mops and just let whatever fry survive live in there!
<Certainly worth a shot. Floating plants cheaper, easier, better though:
more hiding places, provide food by trapping/culturing algae and infusoria, remove nitrogenous wastes from the water.>
Just so you know I am a caring pet owner,
<Have no doubt.>
the fish are usually more evenly spread between the two tanks but when I thought my moms were about to pop I did some shuffling, usually my tanks are not overpopulated :)
<Cool.>
Thanks again, you guys do a really good thing!
<Thank you for saying so.>
Trillian
<Cheers, Neale.>

Guppies, repro. - 10/25/09
Hello,
<Hello,>
Well I'm fairly new to freshwater aquariums, and about a year ago I bought a ten gallon tank without any understanding of how difficult it is.. So I got really into it, but it was extremely hard to maintain.
<Indeed, small tanks are difficult to look after. For beginners, something in the 20 to 40 gallon size range is ideal.>
Instead of struggling I bought a 130 gallon tank, which is of course much easier to keep stable. One thing I really enjoy is breeding fish, but now that I have my new large tank I can't seem to get babies! I did everything right as far as I know. I set it up in mid July with liquid ammonia and even added a liquid bacteria supplement. I added some fish from my first tank in August and let them settle in. Finally about five weeks ago I went and bought two male guppies and around five-six females (sorry can't get an accurate count) along with some other fish (will list at end).
<Well, the "other fish" can be part of the problem. To most other fish, a newborn guppy is a snack. If you add some floating plants, such as Indian Fern, you'll at least give the newborn guppies somewhere to hide for a while. I find it you do that, it's easy enough to rescue whatever baby fish you find each day, and move them into a breeding trap or another aquarium (your old 10 gallon would be ideal).>
Recently in the last week or so one of my guppies appeared ready to burst, so I put her in a maternity tank.
<Now, what do you mean by "maternity tank"? Putting pregnant fish in floating breeding traps and nets is usually a bad idea, so don't do that.
The stress leads to miscarriages, and even if the babies are born, there's nothing to stop the mother eating them. In the wild, newborn fish swim into very shallow water or hide among floating plants, so they're well away from their parents. Consequently, adult guppies haven't had to evolve a maternal instinct, since they don't normally see their offspring. To an adult guppy, a baby fish is simply a morsel of food!>
The next morning she appeared normal in size with no babies. This happened more than once, still without any babies. Why aren't my fish getting
pregnant?
<They probably are.>
And is that a sign that I'm over feeding?
<Not really.>
As for all the fish:
Platys: 2 male, 4 female
Mollies (Not by choice, they are left over from first tank, but seem happy): 1 male, 2 female
Guppies: 2 male, 5-6 female (4 babies in a maternity tank free from fish store)
Ghost Shrimp: I bought ten, who knows how many I have White Tetras (don't remember which kind they are white with long fins and tails): 3Grey Tetras with two black stripes (same thing, don't remember, long fins and tails): 3
Rainbows: 7
<The Tetras and the Rainbows will certainly eat baby fish, and the livebearers possibly so.>
Before I end I just thought you should know that I totally respect what you guys are doing. I was reading some of the defensive and angry emails you guys put up with, and I don't know how you do it. So for all those I hope this compliment makes you feel better. : )
<Thank you for these kind words.>
Sincerely,
Brittney
<Go buy a clump of Indian Fern, and let it float in the tank. It'll grow quickly, thereby lowering nitrate levels, and provide shade, so it's a useful plant anyway. Every morning, look over the plants, and you'll eventually see baby fish swimming about. Scoop them out, and pop them into a breeding trap or into the 10 gallon tank. You'll need to rear them for 3-4 weeks if you want to put them with adult livebearers, perhaps longer if you're going to keep them with tetras and rainbows, since these are more overtly predatory. Cheers, Neale.>

why wont my guppies give birth? 10/25/2009
hi I'm Liz,
i have three female guppies and two of them have black gravid spots iv had them for a month and a half and the two with the dark gravid spots wont give birth. their gravid spots are just as dark as when i first got them
and they are both huge with babies. do you think that they have had babies but ate them before i saw them? i check on them a few times each day just to check if they've had their babies but i haven't seen any. i have them separated from my male guppy. please help me, they don't look sick but they aren't having babies, I'm worried.
<Hello Liz. There are at least two possible problems here. One is the very common mistake of putting pregnant females in floating breeding traps or nets. Don't do this! It stresses the females, leading to miscarriages, and the miscarried fry could easily be eaten by snails during the night.
Secondly, even if the babies are born, the female may well eat them. Females have no maternal instinct at all: in the wild, the babies would swim into shallow water or hide among plants, so the adults have not had to
evolve any ability to recognise their fry. From the adult's perspective, anything small and wriggly at the top of the water is food! This leads me to the second problem. Do you have any floating plants? Indian Fern is
ideal. Besides providing shelter for females where they can hide from males, it also provides cover for newborn fish. Check the floating plants daily, and assuming the tank is reasonably big enough fry will hide away safely (for Guppies, a breeding tank of 10 gallons is adequate, or 20 gallons for mixed male/female collections). Every day you can pull out the babies, put them into another tank or a breeding trap, and raise them separately from the adults for a few weeks. Once around 20 mm or so long, they can be mixed with the parents safely. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: why wont my guppies give birth?  10/27/09
hi its Liz again thanks for the help,
<My pleasure.>
before i emailed you i searched the Internet for hours. i have my females in a separate tank and i have a third tank set up for when the babies arrive.
<Is this second tank big enough?>
i have plants in with my females for the babies to hide in.
<Floating plants? Plants at the bottom aren't much good...>
i have another question. since i put the girls in another tank the biggest male has gotten has gotten a bit aggressive towards my other fish. is this normal?
<Yes.>
if not why do you think he's doing it?
<Male Guppies are aggressive, hence my recommendation to keep them in big tanks with tankmates unlikely to be bothered by them. The best tankmates are things like Corydoras catfish that completely ignore them, or Danios, which are too fast to be bothered by them. Other livebearers, on the other hand, particularly females, may be pestered by them. Cheers, Neale.>  

Re: why wont my guppies give birth?  10/27/09
hi Liz again,
yes I'm pretty sure the second tank is big enough, its 10 gallons.
<Cool.>
i have both floating and bottom plants. thank you for telling me that its normal for males to be aggressive and my other fish are Danios and Corydoras.
<I'm surprised the male Guppy is causing either species particular problems. Usually, these make good tankmates for Guppies.>
your advise was great and i saw my female give birth today unfortunately i also saw her eat it 3 seconds later but that's normal.
<Can be.>
thanks again for the help.
Liz
<Happy to help. Good luck, Neale.>

Re: my guppy fish
Help!! 6 of my baby guppies have died!!! :( – 09/19/09
They are in a 2.5 gallon tank with a heater and a sponge filter... I do daily 50% water changes, or 50% water changes once every 2 days...
<This may be too much>
I've tested the water and it shows 0 ppm of ammonia, nitrite and 10ppm of nitrates... the remaining survivors are in a breeding trap in my main tank... My angelfish are constantly trying to eat them
<What they do>
but that is the best thing I can do... What shall I do??? Can I rear this fry in the breeding trap till they are old enough to not be eaten??
thanks
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppyreprofaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: my guppy fish  9/25/09
hello there,
<Hello,>
My guppy fry are 2 weeks old now, they had grown tremendously over the period of 2 weeks.
<Good.>
My problem is that most of them had died. They seemed to die of one by one.
<Have you fed them enough?>
I tested my water parameters and its shows 0ppm of ammonia, nitrite and 10ppm of nitrate. the ph is 6 because they are in a 47 gallon high-lighted co2 injected tank.
<The pH is far too low! Aim for pH 7.5 to 8. I'm sure we've discussed this before. If the tank only contains Guppies, then the use of MARINE aquarium salt mix (not common aquarium or tonic salt) will work fine, at a dose of about 6 to 9 grammes per litre. If there are other, non-salt-tolerant fish in this aquarium, then use a Rift Valley cichlid salt mix such as the one described here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
For livebearers, use at about 50% the recommended dosage.>
They are currently in a breeder trap. 10 out of 24 died in a separate 2.5 gallon tank a week ago (the water has no ammonia, nitrate with a little bit of nitrate) so I moved them to my main tank. I don't know why they are dying, I feed them baby brine shrimp, microworms, and crushed quality flakes. Their bellies are fat and healthy, they are all active but they just suddenly die of. Before they die, their gills seem to enlarge and their bellies get skinnier. They are listless and can't balance properly.
What is wrong?
<Water chemistry.>
I think that there is a disease in my tank because my harlequins and angelfish have white spots on their fins. I'm 100% sure that its not ich because I had it before and these white spots are not tiny but rather big.
<Incipient Finrot. Check water quality. At pH 6, biological filtration will be working very poorly. Again, use a Rift Valley cichlid salt mix at 25-50% the dosages described in that article to harden the water in a community tank.>
I don't think they are fungus either because its not fluffy. Instead it looks like that the fish's fins suddenly turned white and it spreads over the body. The angelfish have spots on their fins ( not as small as ich but not too big either). The fins of harlequins are strange, the disease seems to effect only one fin. It turns one of their fins white, whether its the dorsal or the other fins. One or two of the harlequins have the white stuff spreading over their body. Any suggestions on what is happening??
<Fix water chemistry, quality. Treat as per Finrot.>
please!! thanks!!
<Cheers, Neale.> 

re: my guppy fish  9/27/09
hello there,
<Hello,>
I had added some baking soda and magnesium sulfate (gH booster) to my tank.
This had increased the ph from 6/below to 6.6... I will aim for 7-7.5 in the next few days.
<Good.>
I'd moved the remaining guppy fry back to the 2.5g tank that is constantly monitored for ammonia and nitrites... About the Finrot outbreak in the main tank, what antibiotics do you recommend for me??
<Anything other than Melafix.>
I have no idea what to use. Should I treat with melafix and Pimafix or Maracyn and Maracyn 2??
<Personally, I prefer medications such as eSHa 2000 or Seachem Paraguard, but people speak well of Maracyn.>
Do you recommend both or something else? should I treat with tonic salt?
<Salt won't help bacterial infections.>
One of the harlequins have the 'Finrot' white fungus or bacteria covering its body from the infected fin. It is struggling to swim, its perfectly healthy but when it stops swimming, its body will flip so it must constantly swim to balance or it will turn upside down!! Will it recover if I give it antibiotics?
<Seachem Paraguard and eSHa 2000 treat Finrot, Fungus and Mouth Fungus (Columnaris) so they should help.>
I tried to euthanize it but its just too fast!! It still eats normally and acts like if nothing happens. The white area is swollen up. Any help please?
thank you so much!
<Cheers, Neale.>

re: my guppy fish... Neale's out 9/30/09
helo there,
<Yellow>
my 47 gallon tank have a ph of 7.5 now. I fear that it will drop back to 6 over time as that's what it always do. In my 2.5 gallon tank, the ph is already 7.5 (ph of tap water) and I added half a piece of cuttlefish bone to gradually maintain that ph.
<Worth trying... but this form of CaCO3 is not very water soluble>
Should I still need to add marine salt? If so, is the brand 'Instant Ocean' recommended?
<I would and yes>
I've currently added 6 teaspoons (6 grams each) of tonic salt to the small guppy fry tank with one fry remaining. I was very disappointed with the stuff that the pet stores in new Zealand has to offer. Even the fish specialist stores doesn't sell antibiotics.
<Likely proscribed there>
So I bought Melafix
<Worthless... Please see WWM before writing us>
and tonic salt. Hopefully they would work... the other solution is to buy antibiotics online but that would take 2 weeks or more to arrive here and it would've been too late. I treated as per instructions with Melafix and
14 teaspoons of tonic salt (1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons) to my 47 gallon.
The recommended dosage
is 27 teaspoons of tonic salt. Should I do so?
<? What is this "tonic"? Most are of little value, toxicity>
Also I need to treat the tank with Melafix for 7 days before a water change. Will the plants and fish be ok if I leave the salt in full dose for 7 days?
<... depends on what is in this product. "Fix"es have been known to interrupt nitrification/cycling...>
I have Otos and cories which I am worried about as they are both catfishes. Do you have any other methods of curing my fishes??
<...?>
I'd noticed that after the treatment yesterday, all of the severely infected fish (3 in total, harlequins) started producing huge amounts of mucus or slime coat over the infected area. They still clamp their fins. Is the slime coat helping them? the other fishes are infected also but show no reactions at all.
please help me!
<Please learn to/use the search tool on WWM, the indices. Start reading here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppydisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Where are my baby Guppies?  8/18/09
Ok please help me, I have been reading up on your website lately, but haven't found the info I really needed, (maybe not enough looking) but I have two female guppies and one male, about a week ago, one of the guppies was pregnant.
<Almost certainly the case. If female livebearers are kept with males of their species -- or even closely related species -- they will very likely be pregnant. Embryos can be stored for several months, and it takes as long as 6 months after her last mating for a female to require insemination once more.>
You could tell because its stomach was huge! was in an breeder tank at the size of 10 gallons,
<To be honest, while you can keep Guppies in 10 gallon tanks, I don't recommend it. Multiple issues... one is that males are aggressive and harass the females, leading to miscarriages. Another is the risk of cannibalism; adults don't recognise their offspring for what they are, and will sometimes eat them. In bigger tanks floating plants can provide just enough shelter that the babies are safe until you can find them and isolate them.>
but due to ammonia spike in my larger tank, I had to move about 7 fish into the tank, these fish are rather small, still young, but after moving those fish back into the bigger tank my guppies stomach shrunk, I knew it didn't have babies, well I hope, because I never saw them. I check on my fish more than 10time a day, feeding them, sitting in bed just looking at them, etc. but now the guppies has no signs of pregnancy whets-so-ever. Please explain.
<To breed Guppies, you need to consider both pregnancy and delivery. The female needs to feel secure so she doesn't miscarry. A spacious tank with lots of floating plants helps greatly. After they are born, the fry need somewhere to hide. Again, floating plants help. Try Indian Fern and Amazon Frogbit for two easy-to-keep floating plant species.>
also I have black molly/Mollie, and a Sailfin Molly, I don't know the sexes but I'm pretty sure the black is a female.
<Females have triangular anal fins; males have crooked, almost tubular anal fins.>
I am unable to see the gravid spot, however, because the molly is really dark.
<You cannot see the "gravid spot" on Mollies, or indeed any of the larger livebearers. Remember, the gravid spot is merely the fact you can see the uterus pressing against the muscle wall of the body. This is only possible on small livebearers, such as Guppies. On bigger fish the muscle wall is too thick, therefore the gravid spot is not obvious.>
also its stomach has grown greatly in the past week or so, if able can u send me pics or links to see pics of pregnant mollies, thank you so much for you help
<Cheers, Neale.>

Female Guppy - Believed to be pregnant, interesting "poop" 7/19/09 Hello, <Hi,> Thank you for all the useful information available on your site. I am new to having fish and am looking for a few answers. I have a 26 gallon bow front aquarium with the following fish: 1 Cory Catfish <Really should be kept in a group; they're schooling fish! Singletons are pretty miserable. Get four more.> 3 Pearl Danios <Likewise, a schooling species.> 2 Rasboras (I think that's their name; they have a black triangle on their side) <Again, a schooling fish.> 4 Guppies (2 Male, 2 Female at the suggestion of our local Pet Store) <A bad suggestion, mostly made because they want to sell them as "pairs"! Male Guppies are notorious with regard to "sexual harassment" and persecute the females when kept in small tanks. We always recommend at least twice as many females as males, and personally, I keep three females per male livebearer. Reduces stress, and the females are much happier.> **We had two guppies (both male) when we first set up the tank and one of them started getting really big on the underside. I took it to the shop before it died and they said it was "a genetic issue seen in fish from chain establishments ie PetSmart". About a week later he expired. We didn't think anything more was wrong.** <Never come across this.> We have had the tank set up for about two months. All of the fish except the 3 Guppies and the 3 Danios have been in the tank since we first set it up (well within 2 weeks of set-up). The water was tested by the shop prior to adding these last six fish. The results were as follows: pH 7.4 Ammonia 0 ppm Nitrite 0 ppm Nitrate <10ppm GH 8 dGH KH 4 dKH We did not do a partial water change before adding the new fish, at the recommendation of the store. <Strange recommendation! A 25% weekly water change is always a good idea, whatever else you're doing.> Now, five days later, we have noticed that both females look pregnant. I talked with the shop and they said they probably are. I am concerned that the female guppy may be going down the same road as the guppy we did have that expired. However, this one is female and that one was male. Today I went back to the shop and had the water retested. The results were pH 7.6 Ammonia 0 ppm Nitrite trace (? - said nothing to worry about, siphon the gravel and do a 25% water change; probably due to overfeeding getting used to the number of fish) <Any nitrite is worth worrying about. Can't say I'm terribly impressed with this pet store so far. Siphoning gravel made sense in this situation when people used undergravel filters; as the gravel got clogged, turnover dropped, and filtration efficiency declined. If you don't have an undergravel filter it is still a good idea to keep the gravel clean, but that won't make much difference either way with regard to ammonia and nitrite, since most of the filtration is going on in the filter.> Nitrate 20 ppm GH 8 dGH KH 3 dKH <A bit on the soft side for Guppies, but if they're happy so far, no big deal.> They recommended doing a partial water change and siphon of the gravel. <Sure.> Since we thought the female guppy was pregnant and possibly about to give birth, we placed her in a 3-Way Breeder inside the main tank to protect the fry. <Do understand females *hate* being in these things, and they can cause miscarriages. Much better to stock the tank with Indian Fern and other floating plants. The fry will hide among these plants, and you can then net them out each day and pop them into the breeding trap. After about 3-4 weeks they should be big enough to work with most smallish community fish.> Shortly after doing this we noticed she started "pushing out" reddish, light brown round stuff. Sorry for the lack of explanation but it's hard to describe. Whatever it is, it does not appear to be moving at all and has fallen to the bottom of the breeder. <Think these are merely faeces, and not stillborn embryos, which tend to be silvery.> The other fish in the tank have come up to try and eat it (which they obviously can't do through the plastic). At first we assumed it was poop, but she has excreted about four more of these things. Kinda like little sausages? I know I may be over thinking things, but I would rather ask a stupid question and fix something if need be than to let fish die. Anyway. while taking pictures to send, some of the "stuff" fell out and another fish ate it. Do you have any idea what this might be? Also, how often should I feed the fish in my tank? <"A little but often" is a good rule; a portion of food the size of a fish's eye is about right for one meal, if offered 2-3 times a day. In any case, add food such that it all vanishes within 30 seconds or so. Feed catfish at night, in the case of a school of 5 Corydoras, one or two Hikari Algae Wafers or similar 5-6 times per week should be ample. Regardless, the aim is that your fish are gently rounded but not bloated. Overfeeding doesn't kill, it's the water quality problems that occur if uneaten food gets sucked into the filter that causes sickness. So if your fish look healthy, and you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, you're fine. For what it's worth, your female Guppy looks healthily fed. With Corydoras, look at their bellies, and check that the belly is slightly convex rather than concave.> I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your help. Jamie <Cheers, Neale.>

Nematodes? RMF

Preg guppy with sac 6/6/09
I have a pregnant guppy that has what looks like an amnio sac hanging out.
I have been watching her for 3 days now, no fry and the sac is not changing. Not going back in or dropping off. What is it?
<Likely a prolapsed uterus, or something similar.>
Should I be worried?
<Yes.>
What can I do to help?
<Not much; if at all possible, leave the fish in a tank on its own, and observe. If the fish can feed and defecate normally, there's no great urgency, but if the fish can't do either, in all honesty, I'd recommend
painlessly destroying the fish.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
I have seen this before in Halfbeaks, and though it takes some days to kill the fish, it does, and I can't see how pulling or otherwise manipulating the fish would help without causing trauma and pain (the uterus being
attached to the inside of the fish).>
Char
<Cheers, Neale.>

Nitrate/baby guppy problem 05/29/09
Hi Crew, it's me again....
We have a nitrate problem in our 28 gallon.
<Nitrate is best removed from freshwater tanks simply by [a] not overfeeding the fish; [b] not overcrowding the aquarium; and [c] doing more water changes. Fast-growing floating plants are also good at using up nitrate, but that should be viewed as a supplement to frequent water changes, not an alternative.>
Our ammonia is at 0, nitrite 20 mg/l, nitrate 40...so the pet store recommended a bacterial supplement that claims to be 'for fresh and saltwater aquariums'. Will this work?
<No. Nitrate is broken down by anaerobic bacteria, such as those that live in live rock (in marine aquaria) or stagnant mud (in ponds). It is not easy to create these conditions in a freshwater aquarium, so denitrification (the breakdown of nitrate to nitrogen gas) rarely takes place quickly enough in freshwater tanks to make any difference.>
We have a male Betta, my only remaining Neon Tetra, 3 Glo-Fish, 3 Giant Danios, and an African Dwarf Frog. Our 10 Ghost shrimp and 5 Mystery snails all died...and my Betta, who used to easily eat 20-30 pellets (!) a day, now only gets 4 or 5..those giant danios...:)But anyway he's usually a bundle of energy and now he's lethargic and fights with his own reflection.  Plus his eyes look clouded. We got him almost 7 months ago so could these be age-related cataracts? And my baby guppies (they were born on April 7th) are in the 2.78 L, there's only 2 of them and both look pregnant. One just died...so should I move them to the 28-gallon in a breeder net with our nitrate level?
<I can't see Guppy fry doing well in 2.78 litres of water. Seriously, that's not an aquarium; it's a soda bottle.>
Yes, we have live plants-Umbrella, Amazon Sword, Peacock Fern, Aqua Fern, and White Ribbon. The Amazon Sword ones-and only those ones-are dying. Why?
<Probably not enough light. Umbrella Plant (Spathiphyllum wallisii), Peacock Fern (Selaginella willdenovii), Aqua Fern (Trichomanes javanicum) and White Ribbon Plant (Dracaena spp.) are all non-aquatic plants that will die kept underwater within a few months. Any retailer who sold you these was CONNING you out of money. So I wouldn't trust him/her on anything.  There are many retailers who sell these plants to inexperienced fishkeepers. These plants ALWAYS die and NEVER last for long underwater.  Total waste of money. The reason they "look" healthy is that their leaves are stiff, being adapted to living on land where gravity is more of an issue than underwater. So it takes a long time for them to look dead. But
DIE THEY WILL. Take them out, put them in houseplant soil, and stick them on a windowsill. Enjoy them for what they are: houseplants! As for your Amazon Sword, these are demanding plants that need strong lighting (at least 2 watts per gallon, ideally 3 or more watts per gallon) and a rich
substrate containing iron and other minerals; plain gravel will not do!  Usually when people fail to grow these plants, it's because [a] there isn't enough light; and [b] they stuck the plants into plain gravel without considering their need for fertilizer.>
Please help...
Kiara.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Sorry another question this time about our fry 4/24/09
How fast do they actually grow?
<Males reach sexual maturity within about 3 months. Females a bit longer.  Should be sellable size within 4-6 months. All written elsewhere at WWM; e.g., here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/guppies.htm>
We have 40+ fry in a separate tank. They are doing great and growing really well. Yet Only the other day I noticed 6 more baby guppies in our main tank. They must have been have been born before I put my female into her breeding net. Yet these babies are a lot bigger than the ones in the separate tank any idea as to why?
<Different batches of fry.>
I've decided to leave the fry that are in our main tank well alone as they seem to be doing so well so thought I would let nature take its course.  Any way thanks in advance and I absolutely love your site !
Deanne
<Happy to help. Cheers, Neale.>

Guppy Breeding 4-14-09
I have 1 male and 2 female guppies. What should I do to make sure the baby guppies are okay and that the parents do not eat them? I have a 3.5 gallon tank and the water quality is good.
<Hello! Well, guppies usually don't eat their fry but I have seen it happen. The best prevention method is to remove the fry from the parent tank into a separate grow out tank. If you don't have the space, you can
easily leave them in the main tank and add extra plants for hiding spots.
Some might get eaten though. Here are some links on guppy breeding, http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppyreprofaqs.htm ,
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/poeciliids.htm Good luck! Merritt A.>

Guppy Breeding, school paper?  4-16-09
Also, are there environmental influences that determine the sex ratio of fry- such as salinity, hardness, pH, or temperature?
<Hello Again! Regarding guppies the influences of hardness, pH, temperature and salinity has not been proven to determine sex ratio. There have been scientific experiments to test the theory but none have proven it. You are welcome! Merritt A.>

Guppy Still Pregnant? Or Sick?   4/9/09
Hi, and thanks for such a great site! I just
[cid:image002.jpg@01C9B87F.04BC3390] it!
<?>
Well on March 31st I knowingly got a pregnant female guppy (from PetSmart) who just gave birth to 22 healthy fry, no deformities (though one was killed by one of my Neon Tetras). But I think I can still see eyes in her stomach! (I saw her give birth and had to catch the fry 1 by 1!) Does that mean she is still pregnant?
<Perhaps... sometimes deliver over several hours time>
When I caught the fry, I fed her frozen brine shrimp and that totally messed up my water quality. (My 2 Neons are gasping at the surface, so I'll do a 50% water change now.)
<Yikes!>
She gave birth soon after a water change, so could this water change make her drop the babies she's retaining (if any)?
<Yes>
Please tell me if crushed Top Fin tropical-fish flakes are a good idea for the fry?
<Should work>
Thanks a bunch,
Livebearer Lover.
P.S. Our water here is rather soft...but I can't add Epsom salt... :(
<Mmm, please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsoftness.htm
and the linked files above re how to adjust/increase the water hardness in a safe manner. Bob Fenner>

More female guppy fry than male!  4/4/09
Hi guys,
<Neil>
I've had three batches from difference female guppies. However, all the fries are female. How could this be possible? Is there a method to balance the female/male ratio?
<Mmm, not if you don't have any males... But there are means of changing sex ratios of new batches of young...>
I love my male guppies and I want to keep their traits. Did you guys experience anything like this and what is the usual ration for female/male fries?
<Mmm, use your search tool with this string: changing sex ratios of live bearing fish young
Mainly temperature and exposure to steroids...>
Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
Neil
<Bob Fenner>

Poecilia repro; Mystery fish (Rasbora borapetensis); Apple snail repro, aestivation 03/29/09
Dear Crew, I'd like to ask if my tank is suitable for breeding guppies. I have a 40 gal. tank, 3-4 platies, a few Danios, and 8-10 mollies. Just a few days ago, I recently purchased 4 male guppies and 3 female. I also purchased 5 snails. I do have a separate tank about 35+ gal., but I've never really used it for breeding.
<Well, the 40 gallon is certainly plenty big enough for breeding livebearers, though Danios are very good predators and will take any small fry they can find.>
Every time a get fry in my tank, we don't usually scoop them out. They're pretty good at hiding, and we usually notice them when they're 1-2 weeks old. Up until now, I've never been concerned about the other fish eating the fry, because they get fed about 3 times a day. But now, I'm thinking that I should transfer some of my fish to the other tank, or at least those
I suspect are going to reproduce. Should I? It's never been a problem before.
<Up to you; floating plants will protect some fry, and it's really only a big deal if you actually want to rear the fry and sell them on. If this is the case, moving the fry to a breeding tank as/when you find them is a good idea. If you get a production line going, and have just a single variety of Guppies (or Platy, or whatever) then the offspring should be good enough to
sell. Retailers tend not to want cross-breed fry, e.g., from Black Cobra males and Green Snakeskin females. On the other hand, if all you care about is the occasional fry surviving, then by all means let nature takes its course.>
Also, I was wondering if you could identify my Danios.
<Not Danios.>
When I bought them, my dad thought they were pretty cool, so we purchased 4-5 of them. Now, I'm having a little trouble breeding them, so if I knew what they were called, it might help. I'll attach pictures of the fish.
<These are Rasbora borapetensis, known as the Black-line or Red-tailed Rasbora. A nice fish, gets to about 5 cm long, needs to be kept in groups of 6+, and prefers slightly soft/acidic water (pH 6.5, less than 10 degrees dH). Water temperature should be relatively cool, 22-26 C recommended. Not particularly easy to breed, and certainly not compared to Danios. Rasboras generally are fussy about water chemistry, and won't breed at all if it isn't right.>
One more thing. I'm worried that my Golden Mystery Snails won't reproduce that well. Once, about a year ago, there was some reproduction, but eventually, the snails all died away.
<Absolutely typical.>
What should I do to keep the population alive?
<Allow the Apple snails to aestivate for 3 months of the year. Apple snails are adapted to a seasonal climate, and during the summer rest for three months buried in mud. Kept at tropical temperatures all year long they simply "burn out". This is why you ALMOST NEVER see full size Apple snails in aquaria. Adults can be the size of tennis balls, but the ones in fish
tanks are usually a lot smaller.>
Should I know how to tell the difference between a male and a female to add one or two if there isn't enough for reproduction?
<Sexing isn't easy, though the penis on the male is apparent if you know what to look for. Applesnail.net has some pictures.>
Thanks for reading the questions. I'll be looking for a reply soon! Bebe
<Hope this is soon enough! Neale.>

Fry Deformities 3-25-09
Hello! I have not been able to find the answer to my question anywhere. I had a female guppy give birth about two weeks ago. We have about 16 fry that seem to be doing really well. The only concern is that about four of them are oddly shaped. They look like the letter "V" with their body dipping down in the middle. The actual torso area is tilted whereas the other fish have a straight torso. Is this a defect? They are growing and seem to be otherwise healthy. Any answers you have would be a great help.
Thank you,
Jennifer
<Hello Jennifer, Merritt here today! What you are describing is a genetic deformity that occurs in many live bearing fish. Other types of deformities range from being shaped in a upside down "u" or not having an operculum (gill covering). Since the fish are swimming fine and are healthy you should not have to "cull" them. Culling is the process of destroying fry that are not genetically correct or healthy. You are welcome! Merritt A.>

Fry tank algae eater   1/31/09
Hello, I need your advice on an algae eater for a 10 gallon fry tank. I have a Fancytail guppy fry tank that has 15 babies that are a one and a half weeks old. At any given time there can be babies ranging in age from newborn to 2 weeks old and I don't want to use an algae eater that can or will harm or eat them. Thank you in advance of your advice...
Cindy
<Cindy, the short answer is a few snails, ideally Nerite snails. Anything else (e.g., fish) will pollute the water too quickly, reducing the growth rate and health of the fry. Do not even think about Otocinclus or adult Ancistrus; they'd be totally inappropriate for this system, though you could rear some juvenile, 1.5 inch-long Ancistrus in there if your retailer sells them (some do). Shrimps might be an option, but honestly they eat the same green algae than the Guppies should be eating. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Fry tank 1/31/09
How many do you think I would need and what size should I look for, and oh, are they easy to find?
<I find 1-2 Nerite snails per 10 gallons is about right. They are very industrious! All are fairly small, about the size of your thumbnail, at most. Are they difficult to buy? Depends on where you live, I suppose. Here in England most of the better aquarium shops have them. You can also buy them online. Cheers, Neale.>

Mollies Breeding With Guppies? ~ 01/09/09
Hi,
I have a 12 gallon tank with 3 Mollies, (one female and two males I know its not recommended-just my luck) and 3 male Fancy Guppies. My female Molly has had many babies before with the other Molly males. (I have watched them
mate) I recently looked into the tank and one of the fancy guppies was mating with my female Molly. (for a couple hours) I am 100% sure it was that because of past experiences. So I have some questions:
1) Can Mollies and Guppies successfully mate? (like successfully fertilize?)
<Mmm, no, not as far as I'm aware... there are members of the family (Poeciliidae) that can produce via young from crosses... e.g. guppies and platies, but Mollies (now Poecilia spp., formerly Mollienesia) do not cross successfully with guppies (Poecilia reticulata), though they can interbreed amongst Molly species>
2) Can the Molly give birth to hybrid babies?
<Not from crossing with a guppy>
3) And if so, can the babies survive? They wont have deformities?
4) If so, with they have traits of both parents? (Female Molly is a Dalmatian Molly and the Male yellow fancy guppy. he is just white and yellow)
5) Is this common? Do you know of any surviving hybrid Molly/Guppies?
<The behavior of reproduction is common amongst the common Poeciliid livebearer species, but ... the young produced from species crosses tend to be more feeble, not survive for long>
Thanks so much!
<Do please write back if you "hear" otherwise. Bob Fenner>

Re: Mollies Breeding With Guppies?  1/11/09
Will do. I'll tell you if anything happens...
Thank you Hannah. BobF.

Poecilia reticulata (health; repro)  11/05/08
Hi
I have two pregnant female guppies, one of which perplexes me, the other of which I need some advice. As to the confusing one, she is about 2 cm thick in her pregnancy- I hope this paints a picture, I just don't know how else to describe it, but her gravid spot is still pinkish. I have the temperature around 75 degrees, so I wonder is this has anything to do with her slow development? Then the other female has a very dark gravid spot, and she looks like she wants to be left alone, but the males keep bugging her (I have 5 females and 3 males). Should I put her in the breeder net to see how she does there? Also, if I should put her in the breeder net, should I be worried about her bullying the fry that are already in there? They are already about a cm long, so I know she can't eat them anymore.
Thanks,
Nate
<Nate, not every swollen Guppy is necessarily pregnant, and in some cases internal parasites, bacterial infections, or organ failure can all cause swelling. It's important to note that the gravid spot isn't a "thing" that happens when the fish is pregnant: it happens because the internal organs (which are dark) are pressed against the wall of the abdomen. In other words, both pregnancy and dropsy can cause a gravid spot to appear. So above all else I'd be checking to see if other issues could be at work.  Review water quality and chemistry, for example. Do also review diet; Guppies are mostly herbivores in the wild, and unfortunately in aquaria some hobbyists forget this and give them regular flake food. What Guppies (and most other livebearers) need is an algae-based flake staple augmented with high fiber foods such as live daphnia now and again. Constipation can easily occur otherwise, and needless to say this can cause dropsy-like symptoms. At 1 cm in length the juvenile Guppies should be safe with adult Guppies. I'm not a big fan of breeding nets for most livebearers, but female Guppies at least may be confined in them for short periods without
undue problems. Cheers, Neale.>

Poecilia (reproduction)  10/16/08
My guppy pregnant guppy looks close to giving birth and I read that a higher water temperature could speed up the maturation of the babies inside her. The only problem is that I don't have an extra heater (I found a 2 gallon tank to put her in.) Is there anything that I can do to help raise the temp a little
<Nope. That's the job of the hearer. A two-gallon tank isn't viable for keeping Guppies, so wasting time, money trying to "fix" this situation is completely pointless. The female Guppy will likely eat any babies that emerge, and besides, water quality and stress will be working against you. Do understand female Guppies view anything small and wriggly at the surface as food, whether mosquito larvae or baby fish. In the wild, baby Guppies immediately swim into floating plants and shallow water where bigger fish cannot go. If you want to "rescue" the baby Guppies you have to understand this, and not work against it, because you'll fail. As I say repeatedly on WWM, keep Guppies in a 20+ gallon tank, stock with lots of floating plants (Elodea, Hornwort, Indian Fern), and then remove baby Guppies to a breeding net or 8-10 gallon tank with a heater and sponge filter as you find them. That's how this job has been done, is done, and always will be done. Cheers, Neale.

Some Pregnancy Problems, guppy   10/14/08
Good Evening,
<Good morning,>
I have a female guppy that I got two weeks ago.. She was large then, but she has almost doubled in size since and her gravid patch is now a deep maroon color. She started to become sluggish, her anal fin kept moving a lot, she stayed in one spot at the top of the tank, so I thought that she was about to give birth and put her in the net breeder.
<Hmm... while I agree she's close to delivering her young, I'm dead against breeding nets for confining females in most instances. They do tend to stress the fish, worst case causing miscarriages, and I don't know any experienced fishkeepers who use them in this way. It's much better to stock the tank with floating plants (*anyone* can keep Indian Fern alive, for example) and let her hide there. Better yet, the baby fish hide among the leaves so you can scoop them out and *then* put them in a breeding net. If the female is in the breeding trap, there's nothing to stop her snapping at the baby fish she's just given birth to.>
When She got there, she displayed the same behavior for the first day, and stopped eating, I thought nothing of it, as I know this to be an additional sign that the pregnancy is nearing its end.
<Stress...>
The next day, she still had not given birth, and had begun to dart around inside of the net. I took her out for fear of stressing her too much and she seemed to calm down.
<Good call.>
Then, she started moving about at a normal rate, as though she wasn't pregnant at all. It has now been two days since I took her out and she has resumed eating. I was wondering if you had any explanation as to why she looked like she was about to give birth, and then resumed behaving normally. Do you have any advice as to when she will give birth or what I should do in the mean time?
<There's nothing much to do. Your job is keep her healthy and well fed. She will deliver the babies as and when. Put floating plants in the tank and let Nature run its course. Check the plants in the morning, and with luck you'll see some baby fish! Simple as that.>
Thanks,
Nathan
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Guppy Pregnancy Questions  10/14/08
Hi,
I have emailed you yesterday because I have a pregnant guppy who I think is coming very close to birth. I did as one of your staff told me to and took her out of the breeder net that I had her in.
<Indeed.>
Then, she started to move around and explore a little. Now, she seems to be trying to avoid the male and the other female a lot (I have two females, and two males),
<With livebearers, you should have (at least) TWICE as many females as males. Otherwise the males harass the females.>
but she can't get away from them. I was wondering what you think that I should do about them bugging her because I think she might be getting stressed out?
<Yes, she will be stressed. Stress can lead to miscarriages. Add more females of the species to "dilute" male aggression. Stock the tank with floating plants (Indian Fern is ideal) so females (and fry) can hide. No magic solutions beyond these, I'm afraid. Much written about Guppies here at WWM; start here:-
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/guppies.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Pregnancy Questions  10/14/08
Hi again,
I know about how I am supposed to have two females for every one male, but so far, that has not been a problem because one of the males that I have doesn't bother the females (I don't know why, but he just leaves them alone) do you think that I still need to get some more females?
<Yes. Cheers, Neale.>

Guppy fry question  -08/27/08
Hello WWM Crew,
First of all, let me say that this is the most amazing, informative site!
<Thanks for the kind words.>
Two questions for you:
I have a 5 gallon tank which is well planted, I keep the water perfect with bi weekly water changes and I feed them good quality food.
<Bit small for Guppies, to be honest...>
My fish seem very healthy and hearty! In this tank are 2 males and I think 5 females. I say this because two of the females along with one of the males came from a batch of fry that we had in March foam a mother guppy who died after giving birth. One is obviously a male but the other two I can't seem to tell their gender. They have gray bodies with a short ,but iridescent tail and I can't figure out if their back lower fins are pointed or rounded. They do hold them up against their bodies, which are slender like most males are. They are about 5 months now... shouldn't I be able to tell by now?
<Male Guppies will be sexually mature within 3 months. Sexing Guppies should be fairly easy; if the anal fin isn't a simple triangle, it's a male! Males also tend to be smaller and less deep bodied, and should have brighter colours, particularly on the unpaired fins. Breeders take this approach: if they can't confirm its a female, they remove it from the tank of "virgin" female Guppies and eliminate it from any breeding programmes.>
My other question is another one of my females had a batch of 41 fry on the 27th of July which makes them about 4 weeks old now. They are in a separate tank without any other fish and seem to be thriving just beautifully. I noticed this morning before feeding them that the females bellies were very rounded as if they had just eaten... I also noticed about 7 much smaller fry in the tank... am I crazy to think that these are new fry??
<Well, if there are baby fish there, and just the one female, then yes, they're hers! Guppies tend to produce batches of fry every 4-6 weeks, but this will vary depending on things like diet and water temperature.>
Please let me know. Oh, just to let you know, this same mother just birthed another 40-something fry on Saturday.....Holy-Moly....
<At some point you will need to restrict the numbers of fry; rearing huge numbers isn't practical unless you have a lot of ~10 gallon tanks to keep them in and to separate off males from females. Pet shops want quality, true-breed rather than mongrel Guppies or deformed fancies, so you also need to be sensible about selecting good specimens of a single variety. The mantra for any fish breeder is that it isn't quantity but quality you're after.>
Thanks for your time,
Yvonne
<Cheers, Neale.>

guppy not having babies – 07/14/08
i got a guppy and she has had babies before but i am never awake to catch the babies they are usually all gone so i bought a trap put the preg guppy in it to get babies i put her in when she looked really fat and the gravix spot was dark black and its been 3 days and has not had babies what could cause this?.
<Likely she's eaten them. The "gravid spot" isn't a terribly reliable indicator so don't get too hung up on it. The best way to ensure good broods of livebearer fry is to fill the tank with floating plants, such as Hornwort or Elodea. Every morning, look for fry, and remove them to your breeding tank. With most livebearers, batches of fry are delivered 4-6 weeks after insemination.>
another thing is i read that some fish breed during the rainy season so they might have babies if u simulate rain or change the temperature is this true?
<Not for Guppies, no.>
also is there a sign when she will have her babies like will she swim at the bottem of the trap or some thing plz help me thanks
<Not this easy, I'm afraid. There's an art to breeding all fish, even Guppies, that comes with experience. And please, hit the Shift key periodically next time and try and put capital letters in places where most of us expect them. Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but when I see people who don't use capital letters, I assume that they're either five years old or else had a bad experience with a personal pronoun at some dive bar in Vegas. Basic grammar is in fact the only thing we ask from people who send in questions, right on the page where you found our e-mail address. Cheers, Neale.>

re: guppy not having babies
i have her in a trap that the babies slide throught a v ans its been three days what should do it looks like she is going to explode and she is still eating. and i do not have a tank to put her in due to the fact i cannot buy plants
<Please check your grammar and spelling before submitting questions to WWM. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
You won't just be helping us to help you, you'll also be making it possible for us to share this discussion with others around the world, which is the whole point of the site.
Cheers, Neale.>

Questions!! Guppy repro., ant control   6/3/08
Hey!!
<... okay>
I have a couple of questions for you. First of all, my friend is having trouble with breeding the guppies that I gave her. With my guppies, I've noticed that right before they give birth, they form point at the anal fin.
<Mmm, I usually go with the darkening of the area of the vent (from the young's eyes), a lightening of color at the vent itself>
She thought she saw a point forming so she put her guppy in her breeding trap. After 5 minutes, the point went down and the guppy did not give birth. She has released the guppy into her tank again and now it looks more like it's pregnant. Is the reason for this to happen because she stressed the guppy out?????
<Likely so... not good to move livebearers so close to parturition>
Also, I e-mailed you guys a couple weeks earlier about my tank being infested with ants. I can't find the way that they are entering in. Every time i suck them up with the vacuum, they come back within a hour. Any other advice?
<Boric acid granules around the outside of the tank, and Silicone lube on cords, airlines will form an impenetrable barrier>
Oh....I almost forgot. My dad bought those plastic ant traps to put up but we don't know where to put them.
<Mmm, if they're just sticky types most anywhere... if pesticide-laden not anywhere near the tank... for fear of poisoning.>
Thanks!!!
-Sarah
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Guppies, Reproduction 5/6/08
How fast do they reproduce and are they livebearers
<All your answers can be found here in an excellent article by our very own Neale Monks.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppies.htm >
<Chris>

Guppies/Breeding 3/31/08
I am new to this website and I love it.
<Thank you.>
This morning my momma guppy gave birth this morning to 20 or 21 beautiful healthy babies and one miscarriage. How do I know when to take her out of the tank and when she is done. She hasn't eaten any yet but she has tried. The little guppy babies are actually amazing swimmers and quite fast as well.
<You can take mother out now. Generally, all fry are released within a few hours.
You may be interested in reading here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppies.htm
James (Salty Dog)>

guppies... Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do!  3/30/08
Hello , I was wondering if you can help im new to the aquarium business and I have had a tank set up for 10 days and went and got some guppies yesterday ,I bought 2 females and 6 males
<Disaster waiting to happen... always keep more females than males, or just males by themselves. When too many males to the females, the females get harassed constantly, effectively being gang raped every single day! Not nice. If there are twice as many females than males, then the females get some respite. Hiding places will help, and certainly you shouldn't keep males and females together in tanks smaller than 20 gallons.>
and by the evening I could see that one of the females abdomen was huge and had a very dark spot at the bottom ,which I thought doesn't take a genius to know that she was having babies but I thought maybe it was too quick the way her abdomen swelled ,when I checked this am the abdomen has gone down and the dark spot isn't as prominent, I've been looking in the tank for any babies but I cant see any, but I can see hidden at the bottom back of a artificial plant a thick cotton wooly type mass attached ?
<Don't really understand what you're saying here. Lack of grammar isn't helping. Anyway, when pregnant, yes, females will swell up somewhat. Often (but certainly not always) a dark patch around the anal fin becomes apparent. Gestation lasts about 6 weeks, plus or minus a bit depending on environmental conditions. Guppies don't lay eggs, and if you're seeing anything "fluffy" in an aquarium, that's likely fungus. This means you have poor water conditions, likely from overfeeding, overstocking, or under-filtration.>
I am confused as to whether this could be anything a nest ? or is it likely that the babies have been eaten ? ,I have little neon tetras ,zebra & leopard Danios Pakistani loach, and a Cory catfish in the tank also .many thanks look forward to hearing from you Rhiannon
<Cheers, Neale.>

Pregnant guppy not swimming, not much needed data...   3/14/08
Hi,
<Betsy>
We have a guppy who is very pregnant. Yesterday she started laying on the side of the breeder tank. She is still breathing and will swim every now and then. Does this mean she is in labor or is she sick?
<Perhaps a bit of both... but... not good behavior>
Hope you can help with our questions! Thanks
Betsy
<I would NOT move this fish (too easy to damage), but would take great care in feeding very little, and would add a bit of "floating grass"... See WWM, search tool, with the term... Myriophyllum, Ceratophyllum, Anacharis/Elodea/Egeria... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppyreprofaqs.htm
and the above linked files for more background. Bob Fenner>

Guppy fry – 03/10/08
hi,
I have looked all over for information on the growth rates of guppy fry and when they will begin to show colour and I have found conflicting answers. I have read one article that said they will show colour at 60 days and others that have said 6 months! mine are about 3 months old and seem to have stopped growing completely and only show a tiny hint of colour. the two guppy mothers were a yellow guppy (silver body and a yellow tail) and a tequila sunrise guppy, which both mated with a dark blue and orange male. I was wondering how long it usually takes to show colour on their tales (they all appear to be females but I've also read that males can look like females until they are full grown)? I was also wondering how old they should be before selling them because I definitely don't have room for them all.
thank you!
Michelle
<Hello Michelle. Females Guppies take around 3 months to reach sexual maturity, males a little less. You should be able to sex males after about two months, but this varies depending on how fast they are growing, and this depends how much they are eating and how warm they are being kept. Shops are not interested in Guppies until they are at least 3 months old, and likely larger, because they have to be big enough *not* to be eaten by other fish. Stores aren't generally wild about mongrel Guppies either, which is why breeders always keep one strain to a tank. I'm a big fan of mongrel Guppies though -- they have been scientifically proven to be hardier and more adaptable for a start -- but I may as well be honest and tell you that you may have problems getting rid of your stock. Finally, please remember we usually only answer messages written properly, i.e., with capital letters where they should be. I was feeling kind this morning, but next time please show us at least some respect by making the huge effort of holding down the shift key when starting new sentences. Cheers, Neale.>

Pregnant obsessed male, Guppy   12/30/07
I have a male guppy that has picked up a very odd habit. Out of all six females he is currently with, he obsesses over a single pregnant one.
<Hmm... not really odd. She's presumably bigger than the others, but whatever, male Guppies harass female Guppies. In the wild the males get eaten by predators very quickly, so the females get a break. But in the aquarium... we recommend providing lots of floating plants and swimming space to keep things as tolerable as possible.>
Three of the females I bought from a breeder are virgin, never been pregnant before girls, but he has absolutely no interest in any of them, even though they actively seek him out. The one he constantly chases after and tries to breed with, is the largest and very pregnant, one there.
<Annoying perhaps, but happens.>
He's stressing the poor girl out pretty badly and I'd hate to see her miscarriage my line of green cobra fry. I want to move her badly, but the only other tank currently in working condition is my fry grow up tank with is populated by about 20, 3 day old fry.
<Why not move the male to another tank, or even confine it to a SPACIOUS breeding net (not a small breeding box.>
The third tank of mine, my supposed emergency tank, got knocked out of commission thanks to an overzealous cat 2 days ago.
<Oh.>
Is there anything I could possibly do in the community tank to make him give her a break?
<Not really. Bigger tank, more females, more plants... all these things would help. But as fond of Guppies as I am, they aren't very smart, and nothing you can do will re-educate him!>
Or does this particular male have a preggo obsession?
<Looks like it, yes. Cheers, Neale.>

Weird guppy breeding mystery  11/26/07
Hey,
<What?>
I just got home yesterday from WVA and my older brother took care of the fish. Well, when I got home, I checked my pregnant guppy. Her belly was gigantic but her black dot wasn't completely black yet.
<The "Gravid Spot" is a very unreliable indicator of pregnancy. It's a clue, but not the clincher.>
So I decided to wait a couple of days till I would put her in my breeder. I found out today that her belly shrunk in size and her black dot was pink again. I didn't find any babies.
<She probably ate them. Breeders really don't work all that well. Next time stock the main tank with floating plants like Hornwort. Each morning, check for babies. They'll hide there away from the other fish. Collect the babies, and move to a trap or another tank.>
-Help!! I'm confused!?!?
-Sarah
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Sexing Guppies   10/2/07
Hi,
How long does it take to tell the gender of baby guppies.
<Guppies are quite easy to sex (as well as fast growing) and it should be clear within the first month. Certainly by the end of the second month you should have the boys and girls separated if you intend to keep the females as "virgins" for a proper breeding program. Cheers, Neale>

Guppies, repro., Myxosoma   – 10/28/07
hi, i just emails you about the different color swordtails. this time i have a different question about fancy guppies.
<OK.>
one of my mollies died from whirling disease so i got a male and a female fancy guppies.
<Never heard of "whirling disease". Check water quality and water chemistry. Livebearers need HARD and ALKALINE water to do well. Mollies (arguably) need slightly brackish conditions; they are certainly easier to keep in brackish water. So adding around 3-9 grammes of marine salt mix per litre helps them enormously. Other livebearers are fine with this amount of salt, but most other tropical freshwater fish are not. This is why I don't recommend Mollies for beginners or for community tanks.>
the pet store also gave me a baby because all the others were eaten. my female guppies is pregnant but the male is chasing away all the males in the tank (actually all the males and a tetra that i cant tell) but he is also what seems to be him trying to impregnate all the females. is it possible to have a guppies mate with a tetra, molly, swordtail, or platy.
<Obviously there are two things going on here. Yes, male Guppies are promiscuous, and will try to mate with every female Guppy in the tank, and often with other small livebearers of similar type. But Guppies are also territorial; the males try to dominate a patch of water, and will drive away any potential rivals. In small aquaria this often manifests itself as aggression towards the other fish in the tank.>
please help me. he seems to be very territorial with the males too.
<Not much I can say except this is normal for Guppies. This is the importance of researching fish beforehand, so you know the potential problems. Throwing a bunch of species together and hoping for the best isn't wise. Your local pet store doubtless sells cats, dogs, mice and rabbits. But put them all together in one cage and there'd be carnage! Just so with fish: just because your pet store sells a variety of fish, doesn't mean they will all get along together. Cheers, Neale>
<<Hi Neale. Though there are several causative mechanisms for the descriptor "Whirling disease", one in fisheries is prominent: Look for the term/organism Myxosoma cerebralis... Cheers, BobF>>

Re: Myxosoma – 10/28/07
Cool! Learned something new today. But be that as it may, I can't see anything relating Myxosoma to Poecilia (Mollienesia) spp. Presumably more likely to be "the Shimmies" in Poecilia (Mollienesia) spp., and that definitely is brought on by improper water chemistry, poor water quality. As ever, please edit, fix my replies as you see fit.
Cheers, Neale
<I do agree with your assessment. BobF>

Pregnant Guppy  10/20/07
Hello,
I love your website and have found it very helpful.
<That's good!>
I am fairly new to the whole guppy fish thing and am experiencing my first pregnant fish. I currently have a 30 gallon community tank and my newest additions where 3 female guppies (unfortunately one recently pasted away) My biggest female guppy is pregnant, or appears to be so, she has the swollen belly with now a square-ish body and the black spot right behind her abdomen.
<That's the so-called gravid spot.>
When I purchased her, she was already pregnant, but it was hard to tell if she was pregnant or just fat.
<If she's been with males, she's pregnant.>
The reason I say this is because she is silver, but she has a black tail and orange fin. The black starts mid-abdomen.
<Don't get too hung up on the gravid spot. It isn't very reliable, and its visibility depends on the size of the fish and it's colouration.>
I recently noticed that she was watching herself on the side of the tank as she was swimming, she wasn't eating when I fed the other fish. So I put the breeding box in the tank, and place her in it, turned the overhead light off and let the fish be. I do have a black light behind the tank so I could
still see her. A few hours after I put her in the box I noticed that she started shacking and appeared to be pushing.
<Not a big fan of breeding traps. The problem is they often stress the females, leading to miscarriages. Guppies are usually fine, but Mollies, Swordtails and Halfbeaks go nuts.>
I left her alone, this morning when I woke up, I checked on her and there where no babies, but she was all silver now. The color had completely faded from her tail and fin.
<Hmm... I'd personally take her out the trap. The mother's health comes first. Eventually the babies will come out, and if you have some floating plants (even pondweed, like Elodea) then some babies will survive hidden there long enough for you to gather them up each day and put into the breeding trap (or breeding tank).>
After I put my son on the school bus and got ready for work, I checked on her before I left for work and she was starting to get some of the color back. Am I wrong in thinking she was in labor and should I let her out of the breeding box and is the color changes normal?
<Fish change colour for a variety of reasons, but stress is one of them.>
Thanks
Katie
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Pregnant Guppy Died   9/11/07 
Hi there
I not too sure if you could help me out here, I have had a few pregnant guppies over the last 12 months and we have only managed to save a few of the fry (not been able to get the time right for putting them in the breeding net). But this week the latest pregnant guppy died - she got a lot larger than the others did and started swimming at a funny angle with the head pointing upwards (I have been told that this could be sign she is about to have to her babies) so I put her in the breeding net.
About a hour later I went to check on her and she was still enormous, would not eat her food and just sitting on the bottom of the net. I honestly thought that she was on her way but about another hour later I went to check on her and she was on her side dead and there were loads of red lines on her tummy. We checked out water and it was fine so we ask our local fish store to check it and they said it was fine but could not give us any advice on what had happened with her, if you don't mind I would really like some advice as we still have another pregnant guppy and I DON'T want to lose her as well?
Thanks in advance
Mandy
<Hello Mandy. From your description, it's almost certain that the embryos in her uterus died and began decomposing, and fungal and bacterial infections set in, eventually killing the fish. Why this happens I cannot say, but genetics may be a factor, as are likely diet and water quality. Putting aside genetics, which you can really only fix by selecting stock more carefully, look at diet and water chemistry. Guppies need green foods. Lots of people forget this, and just give 'em plain old flake. That's not good enough. At the very least, they should be given algae-based flake INSTEAD of tropical fish flake. There are lots of brands, sold as Spirulina flake or livebearer flake. Guppies will also take a variety of green foods from the kitchen: squished tinned peas, sliced cucumber, spinach, Sushi Nori, and so on. Next up, water. Fancy guppies are just not hardy, and people are often surprised when they die when kept in "ordinary" aquaria. Wild guppies are practically indestructible, it is true, but not fancies. So you need to keep a close eye on the water quality and chemistry. Zero ammonia and nitrite, obviously, are important. But large, regular water changes are non-negotiable too. 50% a week would be a good starting point. Guppies absolutely must have hard, alkaline water. A pH around 7.5-8 plus hardness of 15 degrees dH upwards are required. Some people like to add a little salt to the water in guppy tanks. This won't do any harm (guppies can live in seawater!) and marine salt mix at least will help raise the hardness and pH if you live in a soft water area. Salt also has a mild therapeutic effect on livebearers particularly, reducing their sensitivity to nitrate. On the plus side, what you describe isn't "a disease" and won't be caught by the other guppies. All I can suggest is you optimise conditions for the remaining fish as far as possible. Avoid using breeding traps -- they stress the females. Instead, use the traps to isolate baby guppies once you've found them. Filling the tank with floating plants (hornwort is ideal) is the best approach. This gives the babies someplace to hide. You can then remove them every day as you find them, and put them in the trap. Don't "trap" baby guppies for more than a couple of weeks, and remove them to their own aquarium as soon as possible. That's the only way to rear substantial numbers of healthy, full-sized fish. Cheers, Neale>

Re: Pregnant Guppy Died   9/11/07 
Thanks very much for the quick reply: the water quality is fine the LFS checked it also for me no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate I checked the hardness using strips I it says GH 120 mg/L and KH40 mg/L but I have no idea what that means though - I feed the fish Tetra Pro colour once daily one day a week they get live blood worm and a couple of times a week I put in a couple of Algae wafers and then about once a fortnight I put in a few fresh peas which they really seem to like. I do have a lot of plants in my tank but I don't what any of them are called so I am going to go to the fish store and see if they have any of that hornwort and whilst I am there I will look for some livebearer food - however would this cause problems for the Rams?
I do only do a 15% water change every week so I guess I will need to do more in future then however I do add salt at every water change as I have been told that fish really do need it
Regards
Mandy
<Greetings. Your water is not ideal for guppies. Assuming that the general hardness is quoted in mg/l of calcium oxide (10 mg/l CaO = 1 degree dH) then your hardness is borderline between slightly soft and moderately hard. One degree of carbonate hardness = ~18 mg/l calcium carbonate so you have about 2.5 degrees on the KH scale, which is a very low level of carbonate hardness. You need to kick these up a bit for long-term success with livebearers. I'd suggest adding crushed coral to a box or canister filter, but any aquarium book will reveal some of the other options available. Moving onto diet. Colour-enhancing food is fine as a treat, but that's not what these fish need. They are algae-eaters and insect-eaters, and you need to respect that. Make NOT LESS than 50% of their meals algae-based flake food. Spirulina flake is ideal. This is really non-negotiable with livebearers. Colour-enhancing food doesn't really have much of an effect on their colours, and frankly a healthy diet will bring out the best colours too. Just as with people, beauty comes from the inside. Your cichlids will happily eat algae-based food, and in fact most cichlids are at least in part herbivorous and the change will do them good. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum spp.) is easy and cheap to obtain. It's sometimes sold as pond plant. Yes, you need more water changes. You are correct about salt, most fish don't need it. But in some (few) cases, salt can be helpful. If you live in a soft water area (as you seem to) adding marine salt mix to the guppy aquarium helps. Never, EVER use domestically softened water in an aquarium, by the way. One last thing: rams and guppies are completely and utterly incompatible. For one fish to stay healthy, the other must be exposed to the wrong conditions. Rams need warm (28-30 degrees C) water with very low hardness (< 6 degrees GH, < 5 degrees KH) water with a high level of acidity (pH 5-6). Guppies want moderate temperatures (24-26 C), hard water (15+ degrees dH, 10+ degrees KH) with an alkaline pH (7.5-8.5). Guppies have a high tolerance of salt (up to seawater salinity) while rams have virtually none at all. There is no way, in the long term, to keep these fish healthy in the same aquarium. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nix. When kept too cold, rams become prone to Hexamita, hole-in-the-head, and other diseases. When kept in acidic water, guppies are prone to finrot and fungus. And I could go on. Please, take some time to read about the requirements of what different fish need to coexist together in the same tank. Just as penguins and elephants have different needs, so too do different species of fish. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Pregnant Guppy Died   9/12/07
Thanks again - I had no idea about this difference and the man at the pet shop knew what fish we had - will really have to make a decision now - thanks again
Regards
Mandy
<Indeed all fish have particular needs. Establish what water chemistry you have "out of the tap", and then choose fish to suit that. Any aquarium book will list hardness and pH requirements. When you choose fish that *like* your water to begin with, everything about the hobby becomes an order of magnitude easier. Cheers, Neale>

Dead pregnant guppy  8/16/07
Hi,
<Hello.>
I had a pregnant fancy guppy who was in fine health. I put a new male fancy guppy in the tank with her 2 weeks ago, he was quite active and a bit aggressive which is why I chose him, as my previous male guppy had been picked on by my tetras. (I have 3 balloon mollies, 2 painted tetras, 1 pleco, and these 2 guppies).
<Surely the better solution would have been to remove the tetras? Painted tetras are, I believe, albino Gymnocorymbus ternetzi that have been injected (into the muscles) with with fluorescent dyes. Do you realise that this is done without anaesthesia and large numbers of them die in the process? It also weakens their immune system. It's possibly one of the nastiest and more venal aspects of the fishkeeping hobby, and if I could, I'd run up to the guys who do it and inject their muscles with massive amounts of fluorescent dye and see if they liked it! Please please please do not support this evil trade, and do not buy painted fish. In addition, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi are notorious fin-nippers. A guppy is a swimming buffet as far as they are concerned.>
The male had always 'bothered' the female and constantly swims by her side (maybe trying to mate??). She has given birth before (by mating with my previous male) and been fine afterwards.
<Yes, he's partly trying to mate, but he's also "guarding" the female to prevent another male from mating with her. This way, he monopolizes what, in his mind at least, is a limited resource: fertile females. Now, guppies should ALWAYS be kept either as single sex groups or in mixed sex groups where the females OUTNUMBER the males by at least 2 to 1. No-one listens when experienced fishkeepers tell them this, because they think it's cute to have a boy and a girl, and the boys are prettier anyway. And then, they end up with stressed or dead female guppies.>
I did a 30% water change 36 hours ago and they all were acting fine. She may have had a slight decrease in appetite, not too sure. I did not see any signs of health problems with her. She was a big slower due to her swollen belly. In any case, I came home today to find, sadly, my pregnant female guppy dead with her tail and fins bitten off.
<Well, the Gymnocorymbus ternetzi may well have eaten her fins, and the Plec will eat a dead fish given the chance.>
I was expecting her to give birth within a week or so. (I'm so sad she died!).
<Yes, I understand, and I'm sorry for your loss.>
1) Is it possible the male killed her?? If so, how can I prevent this in the future? I'd prefer not to get him more females as I am afraid of overloading the tank.
<Yes, the male could well have stressed her. In a small tank (anything less than 20 gallons in this case) the female would have had no place to hide. He would stress her by chasing, and also preventing her from feeding properly. While male guppies generally don't kill the females outright, what they do is make it more difficult for the female guppies to stay healthy.>
2)The male guppy is now swimming alongside the mollies and bothering them... Is he trying to mate? Does he need a female guppy's company?
<Yes, he's treating the mollies as if they were guppies. Mollies and guppies are members of the same genus, Poecilia, and will even (occasionally) hybridise. Both guppies and mollies should be kept in groups. They aren't schooling fish as such, but they are sociable.>
I'm very upset about her death, and would really like to prevent it from happening again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
<My advice is that you go buy or borrow a book about Livebearing fishes. Or at the very least read some of the articles here at WWM (see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm ) on the subject. Lots of people get even the basics wrong. These fish need hard, alkaline water. Some (mollies for example) need brackish water to do reliably well. All are more or less herbivorous, so at least half the diet should be green foods, not standard flake. Get these things wrong, and livebearers won't do well. Simple as that. Cheers, Neale>

Re: dead pregnant guppy  8/16/07
Update:
I decided to try and dissect the female to see if I would see any eggs/embryos in her, and when I dissected near what I thought was her gravid spot I did not find anything (however, it was a messy, not too accurate dissection... I don't usually keep a mini dissecting kit around =)) Anyways, I found some pale yellowish gel-like liquid, and other organs/intestines... nothing resembling offspring, although I'm not too familiar with fish anatomy. Is it possible she wasn't pregnant? I noticed her 'gravid spot' getting larger and darker in the past couple of weeks, and she definitely looked more swollen this past week. I did not see what she looked like the last time she was pregnant, so this was my first time observing what I thought was a pregnant female.
<Interesting. To be fair though, after a couple of hours in a tropical aquarium, decay of the insides of a fish is significant, and you won't see all that much. So it's difficult to explain things from your observation. Female guppies when kept with male guppies are almost always pregnant, but at the early stages of gestation the fry are very small and difficult to see.>
Also, could the water change have been too stressful for her? I had my hand in the tank to move around some of the plants/decorations and fix the filter orientation. It took about a half an hour.
<Water changes, done properly, aren't a problem. Even a 100% water change is fine. What matters is that the pH and hardness of the new water and the old water are very similar, and the temperature difference is small (a sudden drop in temperature by a degree or two is harmless, and even therapeutic, prompting many species to spawn).>
Thanks again for your help!
<Good luck, Neale>

I need some answers... Guppy repro.   8/12/07
First of all - I am really new at having livebearing fish. I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 Mickey mouse platys, one yellow molly and 3 guppies - 1 male and 2 females. One of my guppies, became pregnant, I don't know if by MY male or one at the pet store, but that doesn't really matter I guess. Anyway, I ordered a brand new 5 gallon fish tank off of eBay, because they had a pretty purple one, and I wanted it... I was going to use it for the fry when she had them. But I misjudged how far along she was and it hasn't arrived yet. So the other day, I was getting sick of waiting for it and knew she was going to pop any day, and I went out and got a breeder tank with a nursery in the bottom. The minute I got home, I cleaned it and put it in the tank with the pregnant female inside. Within 10 minutes, there were 4 fry in the bottom.
<What timing!>
The next morning I woke up, and there were still only 4 in there, so thinking she was done giving birth, I released her back into the tank with the others. The fry are doing well, but the mother still looks VERY pregnant, and her gravid spot is still very black. What does this mean? And what should I do??
<Very likely this female will have more young... I would place her back in the breeder tank... and feed frequently, small amounts, add a sprig of real or artificial "grass" (like Myriophyllum, Parrot Feather...) to discount cannibalism... and enjoy! Bob Fenner>

Baby Guppies - 08/11/07
My guppy just had her babies last night and this being the first time having any kind of baby fish, I am very excited! I read somewhere that feeding them cooked egg yolk is good for the babies when you have nothing else, is that true?
<Mmm, can be... better for most folks, times to simply grind up fine some flake or pelleted foods... feed frequently, but small amounts... a few times daily>
Because they seem to love it and are very happy. There are 4 of them but since I wasn't watching her have babies I don't know how many she ate. The most important question I have is out of the 4 of them, 3 are happily swimming around and are healthy, but the 4th one is curled up in a ball and is swimming in circles kind of fast, so it shows he has just as much energy as the other 3. I want to know if that's something he/she will grow out of it and develop normally. It's kind of sad to watch. Thanks!! ^_^
<I do hope your little fish rallies... Nothing to do here but hope really. Bob Fenner>

Guppies, repro.  8/6/07
< Hi Linda, Twothless here with you>
My granddaughter was given three male guppies and two female guppies in a jar, can you believe that?
<Certainly. You can win a Goldfish in a bag at Fairs/Carnivals. It's sad that these poor animals are subjected to torture due to ignorance. But, I digress.>
Well, I bought her a ten gallon tank with filtering system, gravel, plants, sea shells, a castle. I wanted the best for these little guys. I got up last week and saw something in the water and realized someone had babies, lot and lots of babies, I'm counting 20+. So, not knowing anything at all about these guys I found your site and read several hours, great site by the way, and found that I needed to get the babies safe, so I bought another 10 gallon aquarium and moved the adults to the new one. The babies are growing, eating and are playful little guys, they are doing great. My question is, hmm, well, the three male guppies will not quite chasing this one large female, it seemed cruel to me that they just won't let her alone, so I have taken a small minnow bucket my husband had in his work shop and he cut the top off and I sank it in the aquarium so that she has her own little house to live in. It gives her half the tank and what I feel like is some much needed rest and privacy. The males can't get to her, ha ha. I am not going to put yet another aquarium and I would like to know if I should give up a couple of the males, which I would hate to do, they are real beauties, or in time will the leave the female alone? I can't put her back in with the babies yet, they are only a week old. I just feel like its cruel for her to be chased by the males all the time. They didn't bother her before, why won't they leave her alone now? What would you do?
<Good question! I would utilize a breeding net/frame for the babies. They hang on the tank and the holes are too small for babies to fit through. The mother should be fine back in the main area with the males. However, the ratio needs to be at least 3 females to every male so that no one female gets too stressed. So, raise a couple female fry to add to the main population to keep a good ratio. Put the rest of the fry, and all ensuing batches, into jars and give them away to children... Hahaha, I'm kidding! The fry will either need to be given to a local pet shop or some other scenario will need to be worked out. I keep guppies in my turtle pond but I let nature run it's course. Guppy breeding is pretty well known and they are well adept at controlling their own populations through many contrivances. Good luck with your new Guppies!>

Platies and guppies? Crosses   8/4/07
Hey there WWM crew,
I couldn't find an answer to this question on the site nor anywhere else in my books or other online sources, so maybe you can still help me out. The other day I saw my female guppy mating with my male platy, and a female platy trying to mate with just about everyone and anyone. Is this normal first of all?
<Mmm, yes... Poeciliids are wanton this way>
And secondly is it possible that my female guppy may get pregnant with a half platy half guppy group of fry? Thank for your continuous help!
Sincerely,
Erica
<And yes, can occur... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/livebrrreprofaqs.htm
and some of the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Best Tank to move fry to  7/29/07
Hi Jamie! Twothless here.>
Hello! My name is Jamie and I am very glad to have found your site. We started our hobby with my son who saved up his money to buy a 48 gallon bowfront tank. He purchased (among others) two green cobra female guppies and one black-tailed red male guppy. As can be expected, we have had a guppy fry explosion. =) In order to better (and more safely) house the babies, we purchased a cycled ten-gallon tank locally, and added the fry - The 15 or so one-week-old babies that had survived "Natural Selection" - to the ten-gallon tank. It's now about five weeks later, and we have the original 15 six-week-olds, about 7 three-week-olds and probably thirty to forty (they are hard to count!) or so two-week-old groups of fry. The last batch we moved the second female into the ten-gallon to deliver, so they all survived delivery. I purchased a second tank - 29 gallon cycled tank from a private party with the notion of trading the fish that came with it and moving some of the babies into that tank... however, we've since grown attached to the fish that came with that tank... apparently, this is how the "addiction" begins!
After that lengthy introduction, my question regards the now six-week old babies. We have a LFS we plan to bring them to, but at their age they'd be sold as feeders, so we'd like to grow them larger first. I would like to separate the females from the males and move them to another tank (since the two original girls should have another batch in a week or two. We are doing partial water changes two or three times a week right now on the baby tank. The fry are fed often and I think the six-week olds should just about be old enough to cut back a bit. Plus -- the thought of 15 breeding guppies (although most of them seem to be boys at least that we can tell) is a scary thought! Would either of our tanks be a good location or should I be looking for another tank? We do plan to bring the male guppy to the LFS (My husband is friends with the owner) to give the girls a break (and us!) after the next six months. Although, that plan may change if we find a green cobra male locally.
48 gallon --- Semi-planted, lots of hiding spots - friendly tank. The Columbians and the Blue Powder Gourami can get a little grumpy around feeding time, but otherwise they all get along well)
Currently houses the following:
12 Neon Tetras
2 Cardinal Tetras
2 White Cloud Minnows
2 Glo-Light Tetras
2 Columbian Tetras
1 Long-finned Zebra Danio
2 Kuhli Loaches
1 Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami
1 Flame Dwarf Gourami
2 Ghost Shrimp
2 Green Cobra Female Guppies
1 Half-Black Red-Tailed Male Guppy (Will be brought to LFS)
1 Common Pleco (about 5" -- Purchased before we knew how big they get -- we will have to make a decision about him soon)
29 Gallon - Semi-Planted with Driftwood - This was bought as an established tank. The fish all get along with each other, although the larger SAE will chase the smaller one occasionally. The Clown Loaches are pretty inseparable)
Currently Houses the following:
2 Otos
2 Large Siamese Algae Eaters (one 5"-6"; one is 3-4")
2 Clown Loaches (One 5" or so the other is 3 or 4")
1 Boesemanni Rainbow Fish (About 3"-4")
Any thoughts that you have on this would be very appreciated. There is another 20 gallon tank that I am looking at locally (is there a twelve-step program??) for a good price... but of course, it comes with a Black Tip shark <Bala Shark?>(which we would absolutely trade in -- we don't have any aggressive fish), a Kuhli Loach, (we would keep! We love these little guys!) an algae eater (hopefully not another one that gets big), Skirted Tetra, and a couple of others that she can't identify.
< Well, you certainly ARE pushing the limits of stocking densities there. But, if your a nitrAte testing water change freak like I am, then all is well... Well, if you're asking which tank I think the fry would be better off maturing in, I would say the larger of the tanks. It seems to have an environment conducive to the guppies growth and reproduction anyway. So, why change what seems to be working, right? Your only problem now is how are you going to keep the young males from flying in under the radar and sowing his seed. -Twothless>
Thanks very much for your time!
Jamie
<No worries! Good luck with your fry and... ahem.... addiction. -Paul

Birthing without a mate? Guppies   7/28/07
My daughter's guppy gave birth to 4 live guppies on May 20. We purchased her pregnant from a pet store. She was removed from the babies immediately and has been alone since. On July 24 we found 3 new babies in the tank with the mother! There has not been any other fish with her since the birth and I am trying to figure out how this happened? Is this common and is she done? Yikes!
<Greetings. Yes, this is normal. Guppies practise something called "superfetation" which means that they can divide up the fertilized eggs into several different batches of embryos. Each batch develops at a different rate, allowing the female to give birth to a succession of broods following a single mating.. Their close relatives the dwarf mosquitofish can actually stretch this out to no fewer than 6 broods from a single mating! Anyway, welcome to the wonderful world of livebearers! Cheers, Neale.>

Is my guppy pregnant?   7/16/07
Hello,
I have recently purchased two Blue Neon Guppies. One male and one female. I was told that the female is pregnant and should drop fairly soon. But It has been a week now and she hasn't seem to have gotten any bigger or smaller. Is there any other way to tell besides the gravid spot whether she is in fact pregnant?
<Mmm, not practically, no>
I cannot seem to get a clear picture as of yet but I will try extremely hard to do so. All I can say is she is much bigger then the male but not as bloated as some of the pictures you have on you web site of pregnant guppies. I am really interested to know if you have any other information for me. Thank you for your time
Stephanie Hall
<Patience my friend... all in good time. Livebearers don't "like" being moved... give her time here. Bob Fenner>
 

Guppy fry and Sailfin catfish (L83)  6/12/07
Hi,
<Ave!>
I have several aquariums with fancy guppies fry. I keep 1 sailfin catfish (L83) in every tank and they do a great work.
<Very good.>
However - I have 2 questions:
1. How much salt can be added to the aquarium while the sailfin is there? what about Epsom salt? (due to guppies with constipation).
<I'd personally not use Epsom salts here but instead simply feed the right diet. Guppies shouldn't get constipated because they are so easy to feed on the right foods. Stop using generic fish flake if that's what you're using. Instead, use livebearer flake, Sushi Nori, thin slices of cucumber, tinned peas, etc. The good thing is any leftovers will be scarfed up by the catfish. Only add small amounts of animal protein, ideally "high fibre" things like brine shrimp and daphnia. The problem with Epsom salts is used routinely they can interfere with the normal digestive processes of the fish. Think of Epsom salts as the equivalent of laxatives in humans. Used to treat an acute case of constipation makes sense, but if the person is regularly constipated, then laxatives aren't the solution, a change of diet is.>
2. Can it be that the sailfin will eat live guppy fry? I'm also certain that I've seen one do it yesterday, while it was looking for the algae wafer. It was moved to another tank.
<Potentially I suppose it's possible but hardly likely. Under normal circumstances the guppy fry should be at the top of the tank and swimming too quickly to be eaten by this catfish. Possibly your catfish will eat a sick (or stupid) guppy, but hey, that's Nature taking care of culling the poor quality stock!>
Thanks,
Shay.
<Cheers, Neale

Re: Guppy fry and Sailfin catfish (L83)  6/12/07
Thanks for the answer.
<No problems.>
About the feeding:
I mainly feed the fry with live or frozen baby brine shrimp, Kenfish.com kens premium growth meal (size 00 and later 01), Hikari Tropical Fancy guppy and Hikari Tropical first bites.
<All fine foods, but the accent with these foods is on protein rather than vegetables. There's no escaping the fact guppies are partly herbivorous, and they need some algae in their diet. Just the same as with humans: give us a high-protein diet and we may put on weight quickly, but our health isn't otherwise very good.>
I use automatic feeders to feed all of the above 5 times a day, and give the baby brine shrimp twice a day after the dry food.
<OK, but do try and focus on the veggies.>
It might be that the constipation isn’t really constipation. Occasionally a fish will have a swollen up belly, becomes grey, doesn’t eat (even live brine shrimp), stays at the bottom and dies after several days. Growth rate is good, and water is kept at 25-28c, changed every 2-3 days 50%. What could be the cause to that?
<There's always a certain number of baby fish that don't survive. The reasons are various. Diet is one factor. Genes are another. Water chemistry/quality a third and fourth. At the end of the day you can't really expect every single baby fish to make it. You seem to be doing all the right things, so I wouldn't worry too much. Optimise water chemistry and quality. For guppies, a fairly high pH and hardness level is needed.>
Thanks again,
Shay.
<Cheers, Neale>

Guppies, repro.  - 05/01/07
Hello. My name is Sharon Goglin and I'm 11 years old. I bought a female guppy and a male guppy.
<Hello, and welcome to the hobby.>
I can't tell if my female is done having babies but she still looks pregnant. She only had 2 the first time but I can't find the gravid spot because the female has a clear body and you can see through her. I don't know if it's the inside of her, or the gravid spot. I don't think I'm over feeding them. Because I feed them right when I wake up and when I go to bed. If it will help, I can send a picture of her.
<Females guppies are almost always pregnant when kept with males. The gravid spot isn't easy to see sometimes, so don't put too much  significance into it. The number of baby guppies varies. But your biggest problem is that adult guppies will eat the babies if they catch them. Always put lots of floating plants in the aquarium so the babies have someplace to hide. Look for them each day, and when you find some, scoop them out and put them in another aquarium or into a breeding trap instead the main aquarium.>
PS - Also one of the baby guppies back is shaped in a weird way. It's head is normal, but the tail slants diagonally upward. How can I fix this?
<Yes, it is very common for guppies to have deformities at birth. Breeders usually kill these babies or feed them to larger fish. They can't be "fixed" In nature, fish produce lots of babies, and let Natural Selection eliminate any that "don't make the grade".
Thanks, Sharon
<Cheers, Neale>

Superfetation  3/30/07
My son bought a female guppy nearly two months ago, and within the first week she had 8 babies. She has been kept in a tank by herself for the time since, and yet she just had three more babies tonight. As they are live bearers,  I am not sure what is going on, and I came across the term superfetation, and  wanted to know exactly what all this meant? Will we have any more babies to deal  with?
<Mmm, plainly put, this is the capacity to store viable sperm in (this case female guppies') reproductive tract. A useful strategy for when it "takes two to tango" and there are no males about. You may indeed have more young from this "lone" female. Bob Fenner>

Have a stocking question, platy repro.  3/16/07
Good evening,
I find your website most helpful, although overwhelming at times as I am a beginner at all of this.
<"A few steps... at a time...">
  We have a 10 gal. tank for our 7 year old that we established in October.  Heated, has filter and currently has 2 male guppies and one male platy and one female platy who has gifted us with 13 fry over the past 4 weeks (we got her the beginning of January already pregnant~surprise!  we thought she was a male).  The male platy is not doing so well and is behaving much like the previous 2 male platys did before their demises in December and January.  We plan on giving the fry to our local Preschool's tank when they are big enough.  The guppies are pretty aggressive so I know we need to get another female or two in there to help with that
<A good idea>
but are afraid another female platy will come into our home already pregnant.  Is there another breed we can bring in to balance the female/male ratio to minimize aggression but also prevent us from being a nursery?
<Mmm, not really... all potentially interbreed...>
Of course this is assuming that the male platy doesn't make it.  I know the female can store sperm for 6 months so we are prepared to "parent" until she is done, but would prefer not to become full-time breeders.  
Thanks for a great website!
Bridget
<Am curious, wanting to help with the anomalous losses... If you'd like, please write back re your system, water quality tests, maintenance routine matters, behavioural notes. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Question, beh., repro.   1/19/07
Hi,
<<Hi, Goldie. Tom here.>>
I don't really have a problem, just more of a question.
<<We do that kind of thing, too. :) >>
I have two guppies, one male and one female. The female is pregnant. I've read a lot about guppies, and I'm confused by the behavior of my fish. The male keeps hiding and swimming away from the female. Also, the female is the one that keeps attacking the male. Everything I've read says the males are the ones that like to nip at other fish. I'm confused. I'm positive about the gender of my fish, so I know I don't have them confused. I haven't seen anyone else write about this, so I was concerned. Is this normal behavior?
<<This can be completely normal, though not typical, as you’ve already determined for yourself. In larger groupings, this behavior might not be quite as apparent but, in a one-on-one situation like you have, it’s pretty sure to get your attention. I would normally suggest a ratio of one male to three-four females to keep a male from stressing a lone female to death…sometimes literally. In your case, you have an ‘alpha’ female in with a fairly timid male. Might actually prove advantageous in your case but it’s not unknown for a dominant female to pull a “reverse” and badger a male to death. Hopefully, she’ll simply keep him “at bay” but keep an eye on them to make sure it doesn’t get more out-of-hand than that.>>
Goldie
<<Tom>>

Re: Happy Guppies - how to keep males from harassing the females.    1/10/07
Thanks, Jorie, for the reply, it was very helpful.
<I'm glad - that's what I am here for!>
Here is more info on my situation.
<OK>
I also have three Swordtails (7 months) that I have raised from babies.  The one male is separated from sister females at this time and he is peaceful.  If I put him in with his sisters, would he behave as badly as the male guppies do with their sisters?  
<This is largely a matter of each fish's individual personality.>
Or do you think he can live a perfectly happy life without his own kind?
<Absolutely, yes he can.  If you don't want to breed the Swordtails, I'd leave well enough alone and keep him where he's at. No need to look for more problems, right?!>
He is growing nicely where he is in the 35g.
<Sounds as though he's doing well there.>
My 20g tank is full and established with one large female guppy, 3 gouramis and the 2 growing sister swordtails.  It is a peaceful tank.  My 35g is the one out of balance with the annoying but beautiful 3 male guppies, 2 tired sister guppies, and the one growing male Sword taking the rest of the brunt from the male guppies.  Any further suggestions with balancing my fish/tank setup?  
<I think you can either move the two stressed female guppies into the 20; they are small enough that they wouldn't significantly alter the bioload. You may have to move the male sword, then, as well, if he is continued to be picked on by the male guppy.  Or, as you say below, you can add some more female guppies to the 35 - you certainly have room for 4-6 so more.  With livebearers, provided that you have the room (and I think you do), a good male: female ratio is 1:3, or even 1:4.  Also, the gouramis should control the fry population, I would think - have they not been eating the fry? That would/should solve the overpopulation concern you cited in your earlier e-mail.>
I am thinking some more fish for the 35g to establish a better community so that the male guppies can't annoy everyone all at once, and the fry population stays in check, as you said.
<Sounds very reasonable.  Just be sure to QT all new fish - I've learned this one the hard way, trust me! Also, if you can add more plants/decor for the females to find cover in, that may help also...>
I also thought about moving the fish I have around but can't figure anything that would work any better and would be afraid of losing the fish from the move.  Any suggestions on new fish for the 35g that would work nicely to balance things out?  
<The additional female guppies should help the problem out quite a bit, if not entirely...>
What would you do?    
<Probably add some more female guppies to the 35, as discussed above.  Also, add some more decor and/or plants. I think this should do the trick!>
Thanks again, MDM
<You're welcome - good luck, and enjoy picking out the new girls!! Jorie>

Pregnant guppy harassed by pervs?? 1/2/07
Hi crew..
<Hey PanSy, JustinN with you today>
I've recently just gotten some guppies from an uncle, and they seem to be active and eating well. It seems that I've got at least one pregnant female and I just discovered that there are at least 2 others always following closely and even nipping at her constantly (see photo.. sorry that was the best I could take using my camera phone). Should I separate her from the rest?
Thanks...
Yours sincerely,
PanSy
<This is very typical behavior for guppies. They are typically kept in groups of 3-4 females per 1 male to break down this taunting and aggression. Hope this helps you! -JustinN>

Fins of guppy fry   12/19/06
Hello there, I'm pretty new to fishkeeping and got an aquarium a few weeks ago. I bought some guppies which in turn produced some young. Around three weeks after their birth I noticed that most of these have almost nonexistent tails which peter out into a sharp point without ever being broader than the tail bit that has some skeleton in it.
<Ahh! "Throwbacks" of a sort likely here... more like their genetic predecessors>
I also noticed that the ones that aren't any particular colour seem to suffer less from this than the ones that have a dark, almost black back half of their body.
<Interesting, eh?>
Some of the ones that have particular small tails are also missing the dorsal fin or have very small ones. The tails don't look particularly ratty and are on the whole quite symmetrical which lead me to believe that it mightn't be fin rot but perhaps some genetic thing. Also the adults in the tank seem to be perfectly fine. The affected young ones seem quite happy and are eating well   The only difference is that they have to move an awful lot to get from point A to B in the tank. They are slightly smaller than the fish with normal tails perhaps due to the extra energy they need for swimming?
<Perhaps>
I was wondering if they could be males whose fins still have to develop into something fancy. Or perhaps they are genetically malformed ones?
<A distinct possibility>
Or after all some disease I haven't heard of. Have you got any ideas about what might be going on? Thanks very much, cheers,
Silke.
<As you are finding... guppies don't generally breed very "true"... especially of mixed parentage... Along with this notion is the fact that more first broods have a higher percentage of such mixed young... And finally, don't be so sure that these young won't develop better finnage with time... Enjoy the process and thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

My guppies... repro. mostly  - 12/04/06
<<Hello, Craig. Tom with you this afternoon.>>
I have just started out so this question might seem a bit strange as I do not know a lot about aquariums but, I am learning.
<<Never ending, Craig. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new.>>
I have 160 liter tank. I have 3 male guppies and 6 female guppies. I was about to clean out my tank the other day and noticed that my guppies had had babies. To my surprise, I have now 15 fry. The problem is after I found all the fry I noticed one of my female guppies was swimming vertically but was going strong. She’s done this for about 5 days on and off, still eating and swimming about but then she was lying at the bottom of the tank still breathing, just not moving. Can you help me with this matter. It would be a great help.
<<Craig, your Guppy is what is known in the hobby as a “livebearer”. In short, what this means is that the fry are born inside of her and she gives birth to them “alive” as opposed to her laying eggs that are fertilized by a male and later ‘hatch’. Sadly, the mother doesn’t always recover well from giving birth this way. Not uncommon among these types of fish (Mollies, Swordtails, Platys and Guppies being the most common) but sad nonetheless. I would guess that the female you refer to is the ‘mom’ in this case and it’s doubtful that there’s anything that you can do for her. What you can do, in the future (because with Guppies, there will be future fry!), is to find a way to isolate the female after she’s given birth. This will give her the time she needs to recover without being bothered by the males and stressed. (Male Guppies don’t care about her condition!) You also need to do some research so that you can tell when one, or more, of the females is pregnant, i.e. the “gravid spot” (right behind her belly), so you can deal with this situation when it comes up again. Lots of information on our site and I urge you to do your ‘homework’.>>
Thanks,
Craig
<<Sorry that I couldn’t be more helpful here, Craig. Like it, or not, (and I don’t, quite frankly) there are situations that come up that there’s little we can do about. I’m afraid this is one of those. (P.S. Take some time with your capitalization and punctuation when we hear back from you, which I hope we will. Saves us a little time in editing for our readers from around the world.) Best regards. Tom>>

Growth of Guppy Fry - 10/18/06
Hi...
<Hello there - Jorie here.>
When do the babies start to get there color, 'cause  I've had my guppies for about a month or so and they don't seem to be growing very fast?
<Livebearer can take 6-8 mos. to fully develop.  Be aware that the fry are more sensitive to poor water quality than their parents are, so for proper growth and development, it is paramount to keep the water clean.  Also, what type of food are you feeding them? I use Hikari's First Bites for my baby mollies...seems to provide them with all the nutrition they need.  Jorie>

Guppies And Bettas  - 10/14/06
Hi. I have had my betta [Sushi] for 2 or three months. I have recently moved him into a 10 gallon tank. The tank has mirrored glass walls so when he sees his reflection he gets bigger, I know why but is it healthy?
< After a while he should get used to it and settle down.>
And I have tried to turn on the filter but every time I do his fins get sucked into it. I am scared that his fins will be damaged so I shut off the filter. Do you recommend sponge filters?
< Look online or at you local fish store for a pre-filter sponge. They are usually sold for power heads but many will fit some outside power filters too. They clog pretty quickly so you will have to take them out and clean them weekly. Sponge filters are great. they just don't look so good in a display tank.>
In addition to this I just got three guppies, 2 females and one male and put them in the tank with my betta. The females don't swim around much, they just sit at the bottom. Is it because my betta is in there?
< Sitting on the bottom doesn't sound right, they may be ill.>
Also my female guppies are as big as the male, which is pretty small. All the things I've read about female guppies say they should be bigger than the males. And I want to breed my guppies but not sure how. I know if my female, if pregnant, and has her fry in the tank the betta will eat them. I plan to take out the betta if one of my females have fry, but will the male eat them.
Thanks for your time Shelby, age 12
< The females should be bigger than the males. Get the water temp. up to 80 F and feed them high quality food and they will grow up in no time. They are livebearers, so when a female is pregnant and ready to give birth she should be removed to her own tank. In the tank you can get a livebearer trap from the LFS. This will allow the fry to swim away from the female and hopefully not get eaten. All the fish will eat guppy fry, so raise them until they are large enough to go back in with the adults.-Chuck>

Female guppy, repro. issue  - 09/14/06
I recently got my tank all set up again, I had mollies before and had several batches of fry from them. I now have guppies. One of my females was getting huge so I set her up in a breeder tank with some floating plants in it to give the fry a place to hide.
<Good>
She had 7 fry two days ago, and I separated her out into a floating breeder tank so that she wouldn't eat the babies. My question is, her belly although a lot smaller than before is still very dark, and looks how it did before having the other babies. She doesn't seem in distress and is eating and swimming just fine. But is it possible for guppies to have fry in batches over a few days?
<Possible, yes... but unusual for parturition to last this long>
I don't want to put her in with the rest until I'm sure she's done cause as it is the other fish are trying to get the fry through the netting.
I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer.
thank you
Laurie
<I would leave this female where she presently is. Bob Fenner>

Bully Guppies?   9/11/06
Hi.
<<Hi, Joanne. Tom>>
I hope you may be able to answer this question for me.
<<I'll give it my best, Joanne.>>
I have a 180 litre tank in which I currently have 11 neons and 18 assorted male guppies. The tank is heated, has an internal filter, airstone and fluorescent lighting. My water quality is good and I have had no problems.
<<11 Neon Tetras and 18 Guppies in the U.S. equivalent of a 48-gallon tank? Joanne, if I weren't happily married, I'd kiss you! We spend so much time telling hobbyists to get larger tanks for their pets that it's a breath of fresh air to have someone write in that has provided room to spare for their "charges". Well done!>>
The fish shoal and seem happy, until now. Last night I realized I was missing one of the fantail guppies. I have 6 of these. The fish in question I had always classed as the alpha male as he had the most beautiful tail!
<<"Alpha-ness" is more behavioral than physical but I understand your thinking...>>
I eventually found him hiding and his tail was virtually gone.
<<Uh oh...>>
What remained was in tatters and he was obviously scared, seemed to be shaking and he died minutes later.
<<Sorry to hear this, Joanne.>>
I haven't been able to find any info that says the other guppies would fight without females present.
<<Not likely that you would, Joanne. In the world of Guppies, the females do the 'selecting'. The "boys" will show off and try to attract the attention of the females but an Alpha female is known to kill a male, or males, that she deems unacceptable for breeding.>>
This only happened after I had added some more guppies 2 days before.
<<It's possible/plausible that the males may have fought over the "right" to breed, whether, or not, females were present. The new additions may have triggered this response but, frankly, this is speculation on my part.>>
Is it possible they did this?  
<<Highly unlikely, though not impossible, that one, or more, of the new Guppies did this. Typically, the "established" fish have, or display, dominance over fish that are subsequently added to the aquarium. (Timing can be very important when adding fish.)>>
If so, do you know why and, can I prevent this from happening again?
<<An educated (and I use the term loosely) guess is that the established Guppies viewed the new fish as potential breeding partners. The "subordinate" males went after the most likely candidate (the He-Bull, in a manner of speaking) in order to increase their standing with the "females". Since the "predominant" male is most likely to be chosen to mate with a female, it makes sense, from the fishes' points of view, to get rid of the biggest competition. Whether, or not, utilizing a tank divider to keep the new fish separated from the older ones is really academic. In a sense, you'd be trying to cheat "Nature". (You might like to see a Great White Shark live harmoniously with a seal but, it isn't going to happen.) Bob would have a more eloquent explanation but the fact is that, in some cases, Nature must run its course.>>
Thank you in advance
Joanne x
<<I hope I've been of some help, Joanne. Tom>>

Mmm, FW guppy damage  9/10/06
Hi.
<<Hi, Joanne. Tom>>
I hope you may be able to answer  this question for me.
<<I'll give it my best, Joanne.>>
I  have a 180 litre tank in which I currently have 11 neons and 18 assorted male  guppies. The tank is heated, has an internal filter, airstone and fluorescent  lighting. My water quality is good and I have had no problems.
<<11  Neon Tetras and 18 Guppies in the U.S. equivalent of a 48-gallon tank?
Joanne,  if I weren't happily married, I'd kiss you! We spend so much time telling  hobbyists to get larger tanks for their pets that it's a breath of fresh
air to  have someone write in that has provided room to spare for their "charges". Well  done!>>
The fish shoal and seem happy, until now. Last night I realized  I was missing one of the fantail guppies. I have 6 of these. The fish in  question I had always classed as the alpha male as he had the most beautiful  tail!
<<"Alpha-ness" is more behavioral than physical but I understand  your thinking...>>
I eventually found him hiding and his tail was  virtually gone.
<<Uh oh...>>
What remained was in tatters and  he was obviously scared, seemed to be shaking and he died minutes later.  
<<Sorry to hear this, Joanne.>>
I haven't been able to find  any info that says the other guppies would fight without females present.  
<<Not likely that you would, Joanne. In the world of Guppies, the  females do the 'selecting'. The "boys" will show off and try to attract the  attention
of the females but an Alpha female is known to kill a male, or males,  that she deems unacceptable for breeding.>>
This only happened after I  had added some more guppies 2 days before.
<<It's possible/plausible  that the males may have fought over the "right" to breed, whether, or not,  females were present. The new additions may have
triggered this response but,  frankly, this is speculation on my part.>>
Is it possible they did  this?  
<<Highly unlikely, though not impossible, that one, or  more, of the new Guppies did this. Typically, the "established" fish have, or  display, dominance
over fish that are subsequently added to the aquarium.  (Timing can be very important when adding fish.)>>
If so, do you know  why and, can I prevent this from happening again?
<<An educated (and I  use the term loosely) guess is that the established Guppies viewed the new fish  as potential breeding partners. The "subordinate"
males went after the most  likely candidate (the He-Bull, in a manner of speaking) in order to increase  their standing with the "females". Since the
"predominant" male is most likely  to be chosen to mate with a female, it makes sense, from the fishes' points of  view, to get rid of the biggest competition.
Whether, or not, utilizing a tank  divider to keep the new fish separated from the older ones is really academic.  In a sense, you'd be trying to cheat
"Nature". (You might like to see a Great  White Shark live harmoniously with a seal but, it isn't going to happen.) Bob  would have a more eloquent explanation but
the fact is that, in some cases,  Nature must run its course.>>
Thank you in advance
Joanne  x

Re: Mmm, FW guppy damage  9/10/06
Hi Tom,
<<Hi, Joanne.>>
Thanks for your reply. It was nice for someone to appreciate that I was trying to keep my fish happy by having a large tank, rather than people telling me I need more fish in there!
<<First, you're most welcome. As for your tank, you have plenty of "fans" here at WWM! If more folks followed your lead our mail would be cut by 30%, at least.>>
I wanted to update you, since the sad demise of my favourite guppy I spent a lot of time sat in front of the tank watching their behaviour, sad I know.
<<Not true! I can't pass either of mine without stopping to check things out.>>
I did notice a newer addition behaving quite aggressively towards some of the other guppies. After half an hour of tail nipping I separated him for 10 minutes and then reintroduced him, mainly as he didn't seem pleased and I felt bad about it!
<<Sure he wasn't pleased. You took away his "chew toys". Interesting that one of the new additions appears to be the culprit. That certainly wasn't my take on the situation, was it? Unusual, but I should be used to fish doing things out of character by now. (I believe they do it to embarrass me.) :)>>
He had calmed down and since then the guppies have resumed their playful existence, much to the delight of my 9 month old daughter!
<<Excellent. Good move, by the way.>>
I must add also that I 'lost' 5 of the newly introduced guppies. I had bought them from a store I had not been to before, nor will be returning to as the assistant who netted the fish did not seem concerned for their welfare and I wish I had walked away as instinct told me to.
<<I think we've all had purchasing experiences like that. I certainly have, regrettably.>>
I have never lost a  fish before as I always take the utmost care of them and found it quite distressing.
My tank readings are optimal so I know it isn't a water quality issue and can only assume that they came from a bad batch or were stressed beyond recovery.
<<Considering what many fish go through before coming into our hands, it seems nothing short of a miracle that more aren't lost.>>
I will wait a few weeks before adding any more and will stick to my regular stockists in future.
<<A wise choice.>>
I also wanted to say that I have found this site invaluable, the best by far on the net!
Thanks again
Joanne
<<Nice chatting again, Joanne, and thank you for your kind words. Keep up the good work! Tom>>

Deformed Baby Guppy  - 09/07/06
Hi,
<Hello>
Just wondering if it is common to have a baby guppy that has a Siamese twin?
<Not sure I've heard of that, but I know guppies can be born deformed with some frequency...don't know if it's the constant breeding that causes it or what, but it can and does happen.>
Actually, I'm not sure that is what it is. But the guppy has a smaller guppy growing from its underside and is 5 times smaller than the other; it appears to still be alive.  Will this fish live?
<I doubt it.  In the fish breeding business, destroying "undesirable" babies is referred to as "culling", and it is done fairly often, from what I understand.  In general, when euthanizing a fish, there are a few acceptable, humane methods you can choose from - I personally use and recommend using pure clove oil: put the affected fish in its own container of tank water, then add a generous amount of clove oil.  The oil has anesthetic properties, and it basically slows the fish's respiratory system down and "puts it to sleep" peacefully.  Make sure you've allowed the clove oil to work long enough to do its job, then dispose of the fish. Other methods of killing a fish humanely include smashing its head into a hard surface, etc.  I think you can see why I prefer the clove oil.  Freezing and flushing are definitely *not* acceptable methods, as studies have shown that fish indeed feel pain.>
What should I do to take care of it?
<See above.>
Thanks
<Never an easy thing to do, but it is for the best.  I assume, however, that you have other guppy babies to enjoy and watch grow, so please do this! Best regards, Jorie>

Guppy Fry   7/30/06
Hi!
<<Hello, Rachel. Tom>>
I have my first ever fry of guppies. My female turned out to be pregnant when I got her.
<<Congratulations. What you experienced isn't, in the slightest way, unusual for those who purchase Livebearers like Guppies, Mollies,
Swordtails and Platys.>>
I put her in her own tank once I figured out she was pregnant. A couple of weeks later she had 18 babies. Unfortunately, she died the next day. I don't really know why. Everything was fine with the water and I haven't lost any of the fry (they are now 2 weeks old).
<<I'm sorry to hear that your female died. This, too, is not unusual, though. Likely, this was her first birthing and appears, from what I know, to be the one females will succumb to most often. Seems somewhat odd to us since females that give birth multiple times have, typically, increasingly large numbers of fry with each successive event.>>
Anyway, my question is when do I need to separate the males from the females? I'm going to find them new homes as soon as I can, but I don't want anyone getting surprise babies like I did. I am also not sure as to how old they have to be before I can sex them.
<<Both of your questions really go hand-in-hand, Rachel. When the fry have matured to the point that you can, in fact, tell a male from a female, you need to separate these to avoid the "problem" you had. With the other three groups of Livebearers I mentioned, sexual maturity, almost invariably, comes by the third to fourth month of their lives. With Guppies, as you learned, this is not so easy to "lock down". Some interesting studies have been accomplished in the wild where natural predation occurs and it appears that sexual maturity can be, at least loosely, linked to the species of predator that the Guppies must contend with. Where Killifish are the primary predators, sexual maturity in Guppies seems to be "accelerated" since the Killifish have a "taste" for the immature fish ergo, a "breeding" Guppy would be less inviting. On the flip side of the coin, in regions where Cichlids prey on, and have a preference for, mature Guppies, sexual maturity/activity can take longer to develop. (Why rush the chance to be "lunch"?) The difference in timing might be only a week or, two, but that's a long time to a Guppy. All this being said, at about ten weeks, your Guppies will, almost certainly, be sexually mature and active. While possible that this might occur sooner, I don't see it to be as likely. Since it's the female that does the selecting for mating, the chosen male must meet her "standards" in coloration/development. Not much of a chance that this will occur in only a matter of a few weeks.>>
I have read many pages on the internet and it seems they all have different opinions about this.
<<No hard and fast rules on this one, Rachel, frustrating as it may seem.>>
Well, thank you very much for your time and help.
Rachel
<<I hope I have helped a little. Good luck. Tom>>

I've got a dwarf puffer that I've had in a guppy tank for some time now.    7/13/06
<<Why in a guppy tank?  Guppies eat so quickly compared to DP’s, and DP’s are notoriously vicious for their size.>>
Yesterday, I walked past the tank, and I noticed that the dwarf puffer had a fry coming out of its body.  I quickly did a bit of research, and I found that dwarf puffers lay eggs, not birth live.  Yet there are about 3 or 4 babies swimming around the tank, each with barely-there puffer spots.
<<??? DP’s certainly do lay eggs.  That’s quite confusing indeed!>>
My question:  How is this possible?  Could it be that it's not a dwarf puffer, but a different type?
<<No.>>
I've owned many dwarf puffers over the past few years, and they always look the same as the one I had.  Is it possible that maybe a guppy gave birth to fry, and this puffer ate a baby whole, and it didn't break down in the puffer's body and he passed it as it was when he ate it?
<<I’m not sure.  I do know that live artemia have been expelled out of some fishes’ digestive tracts, but I’ve never heard of this happening with DP’s.  What exactly does the fry look like?>>
I've never seen anything like this, nor have I heard of anything like this happening, but none of my guppies have even looked pregnant, much less given birth before.
Help!
<<I wish I had more information for you.  Are you certain the fry was coming from its body? Study it closely and make a definitive ID; DP, guppy, or neither. Lisa>>

Guppies no longer breeding  6/15/06
I have a 30g guppy tank. I started w/ 5 guppies and they multiplied to probably 70 or 80. I got a marine betta for my 160 reef tank, and started feeding the babies to the betta. however, I still constantly had a large amount of babies until recently. The guppy population has been reduced to about 20 now. It doesn't seem like they're reproducing like they were.  In fact, it seems like they have stopped producing at all. Could it be a natural reaction to me taking the fish out constantly?
<Interesting... but no>
Like, "Oh, they keep getting rid of us, let's not give them anything to take out!"? or maybe they're all bred out and I need to introduce some new stock?
<This is a distinct possibility, yes>
They're basically mating with family members now. The males don't seem to chase the females as much anymore. Are they all sexed out?
<Perhaps in a manner of speaking... too old>
Nothing in the tank has really changed, everything is how it should be. I've tried raising the temp (81f) I've done a water change every week for a month. I haven't tried salt yet. I just discovered that here on your site, so I will. Other than that, any suggestions?  Thanks!!!
<I would investigate more frequent water changes, improved nutrition, and try adding some new stock... Bob Fenner>

Lethargic Post-Pregnancy Guppy, Capitalization - 06/07/2006
Hello, my female guppy gave birth yesterday, I removed her from the tank, but now she is floating/swimming upside down.
<Not a good sign....>
She is not dead, I still see her breathing.  Seems to be tired and weak, and she has a small blood spot on her head.  I don' t know what to do.  If you know of anyway to help her please let me know.  
<Without knowing anything about the system she's in (tank size, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature, tankmates....), there's not much I can say.  I can only suggest that you test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate urgently, and maintain ammonia and nitrite at ZERO, nitrate no higher than 20ppm.  If these levels are not right, do water changes to fix them.  Remember to use a chlorine/chloramine neutralizer and match the temperature and pH of the new water to the temp and pH in the tank.>
Thanks
<Also, for any future emails, please remember to capitalize "I" and the beginnings of sentences....  Our volunteers really don't have enough time to correct these.  Thanks!  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Guppy Pregnancy, and He Loves Our Site! - 06/01/2006
Hi, first of all I love your website!  
<Awesome!>
But I do have a couple of questions that I have been looking for.  First, my female guppy, Sunshine, has giving birth to at least 19  fry, I say at least because that's how many I have caught & she had them sometime memorial day weekend, and unfortunately I was not there, so I noticed them on Memorial Day).  A long time ago, sometime in April (April the 8th to be exact) I purchased her from PetSmart and I purchased a male too, but then he unfortunately died, and then about a month later I purchased another male and female and the male disappeared and the female died later Memorial Day, so I thought the first male got Sunshine Pregnant, but I don't know.  
<I agree, either the first fellow or another that she was with prior to your purchase.>
But she still looks as big as she was before my fry were born and her gravid spot is starting to turn black, but for some reason it is a little orange, can you help me?
<It is possible that she's not quite done having baby fish yet.>
The reason I think she still be pregnant is because the females can "store" sperm.
<Indeed they can; however, they only have one "batch" of fry at a time, so it's a little early yet for her to be on another "batch" of babies.  Some livebearers, like Heterandria formosa, will store sperm and will have fry in varying stages of development pretty much all the time, and only give birth to one or two at a time.>
Thanks for all your help, and I love your website.  
<And we love our readers.>
One more question, is there a way I can join your website so I can ask you questions there instead of email??
<We do have an interactive web forum ( http://www.wetwebfotos.com/talk ), but as far as the site is concerned, it just works through email.>
But if that is not possible then e-mail is fine!  I love your website!
<Heh!  Thanks very much for your kind words.>
Thanks,  Josh S.
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Guppy Pregnancy, and He Loves Our Site! - II - 06/06/2006
Another question, The babies are in a smaller tank right now, the tank is about as tall as a license plate (maybe an inch shorter), not including the light, about as wide as two inches cut off from a license plate, but its in a hexagon shape, sorry if so confusing. Are the babies all right in that? Probably not, probably too small, but anyway I have to clean it out about every 3 to 4 days, because it doesn't have a filter, and I was thinking, is it going to kill them?  
<Ultimately, it may.  They should be in a larger space with very, very clean water.>
I might start putting the babies in the breeder net in the weekend, advice please.
<I would load the main tank with plants (java moss works great) for the babies to hide in and let them fend for themselves.  Some of them will get eaten by the adults, but some will survive, and they'll be stronger and healthier in a bigger tank.>
Also when I look at the momma fish sometimes she looks orange, and then other times she looks black, is there any thing to worry about?
<Probably not; this is probably just her coloring.>
Thanks for your help,  -Josh
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Guppy Pregnancy, and He Still Loves Our Site! - III - 06/06/2006
Also, I don't know if I asked you this in the last e-mail, but can I put the baby guppies in the breeder trap?
<Not for long.>
For like a weekend,
<Maybe.  Use the net-type, though.>
I think raising baby guppies in a breeder trap until there big enough is cruel.  
<Me too.>
Thanks Again, and I love your website!  -Josh
<I'm glad we could help out, Josh!  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Guppy that breeds like a bunny  5/31/06
My husband and I bought some fish for our tank 6 weeks ago and were accidentally given a female guppy. I put her in my 10 gallon tank with 2 pygmy catfish. Two weeks after we brought her home she gave birth to 9 fry.
Four weeks later we have 7 healthy fry. Tonight we came home and she had given birth again to around 25 fry. How is she still getting pregnant?
<Mmm, can/do store sperm in their tracts...>
There are no other guppies in her tank besides the 4 week old fry. Are guppies capable of breeding at 1 week of age?
<Mmm, nope>
If not, how did she get pregnant again, and how many times can we expect this to happen? We do not have a net for the fry. We keep lots of plants in our tank and two structures from them to hide in and it has seemed to work so far. Any suggestions on what to do to stop it?
<Possibly let "nature take its course"... predation... to limit numbers>
We have a second 10 gallon tank with red phantoms and a 30 gallon talk with ghost fish, knife fish, danios, tetras, angel fish and
another type. Thanks!
<Or... if not considered distasteful, feed some of the young to these other fishes. Bob Fenner>

Weird fish chest-better grammar, etc. Guppy repro.    5/24/06
Dear WWM,
<Vincent>   
I am a young beginner at fancy guppy breeding. My fancy guppy seems to be nice and fat, and her gravid spot is huge! I really think she is pregnant, but I am also a bit worried. I had her in a breeder's net for about a week, and then I took her out again when she didn't drop. Soon after I put her in her old tank with the other two, a male and a female, her chest started to drop down to make her stomach a box shape. The next morning I saw her, and her chest was reddish with a pink ball inside it. I could see it real well. Right under this ball, I saw that her scales were sticking out.
Also, my other female has been with the male for weeks now but she doesn't seem pregnant. What could that mean? I'm really worried about both of them.
Help!
Thanks.
-Brendan-
<Could indicate a few things... a "missing" by your of actual parturition (birthing), with the young consumed by the adult fishes, or a "skipping" of the process... perhaps resorption. I would not add chemicals here, but rather continue your close observations of this fish's behavior. Bob Fenner>

Guppy Reproduction, Gender of Fry, Hybridizing With Mollies - 05/22/2006
Hi, I have a female guppy who about 8 weeks ago gave birth to her first ever batch of fry. She gave birth in the main tank so sadly I only was able to save 7 of the fry. Then a few weeks later she was pregnant so I put her in a breeder. She gave birth to 23 fry this time!!!! My concern is all 30 of the fry she has given birth to are female. I've looked everywhere even Pet-Co and can't find an answer. Can you help?
<Though it is possible that some water parameters (temperature, primarily) can affect the gender of the fry, yours may just be too young yet to have developed into males.  All baby guppies look female for a while; the males will develop stronger coloration and the gonopodium as they grow.  Please read here for more:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppyreprofaqs.htm .>
P.S. on your site it said guppies and mollies can't have babies, that's a lie. I had a male guppy and female molly mate and they had funny lookin' fry.
<Though highly uncommon, it may be possible that the two could hybridize.  Fry from such a pair will more than likely be sterile - just like crossing a horse and a donkey gives you a sterile mule.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Bad female behavior  4/29/06
I have a question....Will pregnant females keep attacking the males guppies till they finally kill them? I have a 10 gallon tank that did have 3 females and 1 male...Twice I have had to put another male in there because this 1 female keeps killing them...What should I do?... Thanks
<<Seclude your Alpha female with a tank divider or move her to another tank. This isn't an uncommon situation but I must say that I'm surprised that she's this assertive/aggressive. Her behavior is unlikely to change, however. Tom>>