I think my fish is pregnant what do i look for and what do i do ?

Question

im just learning about these fish i have bought some a couple of days ago as i just starting ive noticed one of the female has a large stomache and 2 me looks pregnant ive looked things up on the internet and she looks like the pictures ive seen can any one help me out and tell me what to look for and how long it will take if she is and when should she go into the breeding trap

Answer 1

I would look for a dark black "blob" near her anal fin, as that is her gravid spot where the babies will be coming out near and it will get bigger. Also she will take on an angular shape when she is ready to give birth, this is often called "squaring off". I would stay away from breeding traps and nets since they often cause stress which can cause Mama Guppy to abort her babies or not give birth and kill herself and the babies. Move her into a 2 Gallon tank if possible and include a small heater for the babies. give them places to hide since Mama will eat them and remove her after she is done with labor. Good luck!!

Answer 2

Most people will tell you to look for a gravid spot (darkening of the area above the anal fin).  In my experience, this is method can be hit or miss.  I find that most pregnant females will darken in that area long before they give birth, due to their expanding bellies.  On average, guppies will drop fry every 4 to 6 weeks.  There's no sure way to know when exactly your guppy will drop her fry.  Your best bet would be to either move your guppy to a breeding tank and wait for her to drop, or observe for the following signs of "labor:"

1.  Your guppy is hanging around near the bottom and being reclusive.

2.  Your guppy's belly sort of squares off and the opening near her anal fin starts to widen.

3.  Your guppy is clamping her fins and sort of swimming backwards.  This is a sign of what I believe to be pushing.  I'm not talking about the fin clamping that happens when a fish is sick.  A birthing guppy will only hold her fins down for a few seconds at a time.

4.  Your guppy starts to look slightly thinner.  Many times I haven't caught my fish when they first started giving birth, but I was able to save most of the litter by moving the female out of the community tank once I saw she was in the process of dropping.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Well, any female guppy yuo buy is pregnant. You never know when they will give birth, so it is easyer just to move the prenet female into a 2.5 gallon heated, and filtered(With a sponge filter) tank and once she gives birth moce her back into the big tank. The breeding traps cause so much stress to the females they could re-absorb the babies into there bodies.=(