My female guppy is pregnant but I don't know how far along she is I have some questions about the guppy and babies since in the past, I've only had male guppies but I thought I'd get a female this time too (LoL yeah, I know they breed a whole lot).

How can I figure out how far along the female is? I know for a fact she's over 1 full week for sure. She has had that "gravid" spot I think before I got her. She's grown two times as fat, at least, as when I first got her. I know it's not from overfeeding since the male tends to eat more and is nicely shaped still. I don't have any pictures. I have no access to a digital camera

Is there a website where I can see images of a guppy from pegnancy to birth so I can get an idea?

I was able to buy a breeder trap today.... When should the female be placed in the trap since I will be trying to save most of the fry?

After the fry are born, about how often should they be fed? I found a "powder" like food for newborn fish while I was uptown. I can also grind the flakes into a powder if I need to. I was unable to find any BBS for sale.

About how long should the fry stay in the breeder before they can be released into the tank with the adults?

How old do the fry need to be before I can determine their sex?

I think that's about it. If I think of anything else, I'll post again. Any other info would be great! I've never had fry before

- Atryeu

you usually cant, unless you see the fry popping out. theyre really random, but when their gravid spot is very deep in black contrast, then its usually almost time.


http://guppies.com enjoy.


when she looks like shes about to explode. good luck with breeders, some people have stressed out females that died after giving birth.


theyre immediately ready to eat once born, but most of the time they are still eating the sacs, powdered flakes work, BBS[baby brine shrimp] also is good nutrient. they also tend to snack at the java moss.


http://aquabid.com has a lot.


if its about weeks, should be 4weeks/1month. unless the fry has grown rapidly.


1-2 weeks. usually 2weeks.

enjoy!

Thanks for the info! That definatly helps out a bit

Where can I find out more about java moss? I don't have any live plants. I can't find any decent info on them and the pet stores only sell certain kinds that require a lot of work to keep up with -_-

As for the BBS, I did see them on that website earlier while I was browsing. Some of it isn't to badly priced either so I'll need to look into it. I've read a little about BBS cultures but I've only seen the eggs on the more spendy sites LoL

you really dont need to find out about java moss, but i guess you are like me when i had no clue about them. java moss is a clumped plant, it can spread out easily too. some float, most sink to the bottom. they need little - medium lighting, and theyre very easy to keep up.

if youre going to cultivate brine shrimp, heres a site that can help you: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fry_food.php scroll to near bottom for brine shrimp.

http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=1360
this is for raising them.
------
now these pictures do not belong to me, but came from guppies.com:

hatchery at work:


egg settling:



materials from swifty1233:


and this website has everything youll need:

http://aquariumhobbyist.com/endlerslivebearer/page4.htm

cheers.

Thanks for all the links and info! I'll read through the links when I have much more time tonight Hmm, the only thing that would cause a problem for me it seems would be keeping the BBS so warm. Is there a special light or something for that? I have 2 25w lights in my tank (no heater yet... that'll be my next item along with another test or two), the water doesn't get warmer than 76 F by the end of the day. LoL

UV light would be very very warm. 80s F

Hmm, a UV light? Are they spendy?

When a guppy is pregnant, is it normal for her to breath rapidly? I noticed it start a few days ago but didn't think much of it until today. She was breathing normally when I got her I believe and I'm pretty sure it started over the last few days. My male is breathing normally still so I didn't know if there was something wrong with my female or if it's normal for a pregnant female to breath rapidly like that LoL.

ultraviolet light. usually a heater would do though, UV bulbs are like 20bucks.

she shouldnt be breathing rapidly, is her anal hole open? maybe shes in a contraption or something. check your ammonia level. and oh, more water changes = faster births.

Hmm, kinda spendy! LoL

Somebody on Guppies.Com said rapid breathing was nothing to worry about o.0 I can't reall tell about the anal hole. She doesnt' like to hold still LoL.

I planned another water change for tomorrow. I'll try and do them every 2-3 days until the fry are born. I'll do another test tomorrow to but I doubt the levels have risen. My male and shrimp are both perfectly fine. The female is acting completely normal and eating like a pig... it's just her rapid breathing.

im sure she is about to blow. is she lies on the bottom and breathing heavily, you should prepare it.

I tested the water again and did another water change... Here are my levels for today:

Ph - 7.6 or 7.8 (I couldn't tell which color it was closest to LoL)
Ammonia - between .1 and .2 (I can't tell... this was before my water change. I'll do another change tomorrow and thursday to get it back to 0 again).
Nitrite - .5 (it was .2 Saturday.. is .5 okay still? I don't know where Nitrite should be at).

My tank is still cycling and I heard the levels will change now and then until it's cycled.

hows the mother guppy right now? is there like, an airstone or something in the tank? how many gups are in it? usually if the tank have no air stone and theres many fish, bigger fish will struggle.

Yep, I have a decent sized airstone.. Not the largest, but definatly big They like to race back and forth through it

There are only 2 guppies and my one shrimp that isn't any bigger than the guppy

Right now she's hanging out just under the surface next to the intake tube for my filter. I read when they hang out near the filter, it could mean she's almost ready... Is that true? So far I've noticed her hanging around the filter and bubble stone, acting like she's starving to death, and last night I noticed she was acting a little aggresive towards my male. She's letting him near her right now and they are both near sitting near the filter

yes, stationary AND breathing hard = pushing fry out. can you spot her vent? she is definitely ready when shes aggressive and either very hungry or not eating. give it time, remove 5% water daily to give more oxygen and keeping water clear.

Okay, thanks! She's been swimming around again. I haven't seen her hanging out by the filter again unless she did when I was sleeping last night. She's still rather hungry and I'm hoping the male is getting enough food! The female seems to get most of the food before he gets up there and has a chance LoL

The water has been perfectly crystal clear since I set it up I have that airstone in there to help with extra oxygen and I'll do a small water change daily now.

What's a vent? I'm not good with anatomy, but I remember some of the basics from an old science class I had to do in 5th grade (had a big section on fish LoL).

vent is the anus, where the fry would come on. it should be open if she is very ready. are the males trying to chase her and stuff? this might stress her out, but most times its alright.

Oh, okay LoL. I can't really tell. I used a small magnifiying glass but still couldn't see LoL.

It's just the one male Every now and then he'll chase her, but not often. For the most part they just swim around together or go to their seperate corners LoL Half of the time it's the female that's been approaching the male rather than the other way around so it's been working out okay

alright. best of luck. hope you have fry soon! they usually release the fry in 22-30ish days depending on water conditions.

Thanks I'm 100% sure she should have them within 2 weeks, since that'd be at least 20 days there since I've had her, and she was pregnant before that, so I expect them a little sooner maybe

I'll post back when she has them or sooner if I have any other questions. I printed the info about the BBS and will look at Petco to price some stuff if they have them there, otherwise I can buy a small cheap kit from BIg Als' Online

Thanks again!!

youre very very welcome.

I'm excited for your future babies!!

LoL Thanks No babies yet *sigh* I was doing a small water change each day and will keep it up when I can. I shouldn't even be online today though *sniff* I woke up sooo sick, so I think the water change will have to wait a day or two Water is crystal clear still though so it shouldn't be a problem My fish tank is there in my bedroom so I can lay around and watch them still, just in case LoL

when i have fry, i do a water change 5-10 percent everyday. after one week i do water changes every two days.

Sorry to hear your not feeling well Atryeu I hope you feel better soon!

Sorry to hear your not feeling well Atryeu I hope you feel better soon!

dont let the fish catch your cold. xD

LoL Thanks, I'm feeling a little better than I was earlier. I wonder why I woke up so sick like that o.0 *sigh* Aside for a killer headache, I'm better. LoL

I did my small water change for the day too I also tested the water and here were the results

ph: 7.6 or 7.8 (couldn't tell which LoL)
ammonia: .1 - .25 (couldn't tell)
nitrite: .05 (lowered!)

Is that still good for a cycling tank? Also, I believe I asked on another board but never got a reply, but what levels should I keep things around? I know the ph for the guppies already, and I know ammonia should be kept at 0. What about nitrite and nitrate when I can test that? (I'll get that kit next time I'm uptown if I can afford it)

i hope youre doing better.

is this tank a different tank? guppies are fine at 7.6 as well as 7.8. guppies are messy, much more messy than goldfish. a good water change daily should lower the ammonia. btw do you have any plants in the tank? as any fish goes, ammonia always at 0 is the best. nitrIte is pretty good. nitrAte would be beneficial, this will be helped by plants such as java moss, fern etc. even lucky bamboo!

i have two guppy fry just now, i dont know which fish. i think it was overnight, i didnt check. hopefully the other adults did not eat the rest, just hopefully, hopefully that theyre the only ones that were born.

by the way, is your female crooked in the spine? can you provide pics?

I'm definatly doing better now and my headache isn't as bad as it was

It's the same tank. There's no way I can afford to get another They cost way to much *sniff*

The tank is still cycling, (it takes a few months, doesn't it? It's been running for at least 3 weeks now, 2 weeks with the fish). The ammonia has been at 0, and earlier this (wednesday) and today was the first time I've seen the ammonia raise a little. LoL When I get the nitrate test, what should the levels be kept at?

I have 1 fake plant to help hide my air pump hose LoL. I will be getting some more, I just have to buy things very slowly since we are short on money -_- I've thought about a live plant, but despite all the reading I've done, I still don't know how to take care of them since I keep reading about needing CO2 injections or something, fertilizer and plant foods and that's somethign I definatly can't afford LoL.

LoL Are guppies really messier than goldfish? I thought it was the other way around. With my goldfish, I was doing 2 water changes a week (almost 50%) to keep the water clean. THe guppies seem far more clean than goldfish! The water has stayed crystal clear and it was so hard to keep it like that with the goldfish LoL.

Yay for the guppy fry!! I'll be looking into wether I can sell/trade some of the guppies when they are older to Petco, Wal-Mart or another local fish store. If not, I wanted to keep a few for myself, a friend wanted a few more for her tank (she only has 1 male guppy right now). I could sell the rest online or something at aquabid, but I wouldn't know how to go about doing that (or sending them, since I've never shipped anykind of package before LoL).

agreeeed!! ><

cycling dont take months, it took me about one week to finish cycling, and as for my guppy tank, it took only a day, because ive used a fast method. nitrAte should be around or about 30. just get a lucky bamboo, so easy its not even funny. java moss is also easy but gets rather annoying... and sometimes frustrating because of algae growing on it. =\ mine has white, aaaaaaaah crud.


they are very messy. :|

how many goldfish do you have and how big of a tank are they in? overstocking = messy.

guppies fit nicely in a 10gal+ tank, and most of mine are juveniles, messy.

ill never sell my guppies. i just cannot do that.

"by the way, is your female crooked in the spine? can you provide pics?"

Crooked in the spine? *goes to look* It looks like it might be a tad crooked because she's getting so big o.0 Is that normal?

As for the pics, A friend is coming up tomorrow for a little bit. They had a small digital camera and I'll see if I can get ahold of her tonight about bringing that and the software for it over so I can get a picture. If she doesn't bring it, I have no other way of getting pics though

Really? Okay, so I'll give it another 1-2 weeks and proclaim it cycled (that will have been about 1 month exactly since it was setup LoL).

Lucky Bamboo? Is it a common plant? If I can find it, would I just toss it in the tank and leave it alone or are there special things I need to do for it still and to set it up in the tank? Like I said, I still know nothing about live plants LoL.



I did have 2 goldfish and the tank teh guppies were in. I had them 3 years in the 10 gallon (LoL I know it was crowded, but they got along okay and I couldn't afford anything bigger I managed to keep things rather clean though.. not crystal clear, but about a step down from that LoL ). About a week before I started cycling the tank, they caught fluke somehow (somebody said it was because of fluke coming in with another fish or ornament or something, but that was impossible since absolutely nothing was added to that tank for almost a year. Anyways, both died and this dumb town doesn't carrey fluke medication so I couldn't do anything The online stuff (prazi?) is way way out of my spending range and wouldn't have gotten here either way in time *sigh* I cleaned things out really really well, set things back up and bought some guppies a week later. (I had actually planned to wait awhile longer, but I love having fish LoL).

This sounds kind of dumb, but do you need to have fish in your tank in order to cycle it?

I read somewhere you can do it without fish, but I don't remember how or where I seen it LoL

Hey look! I found it

The Fishless Cycle

I'm going to have to keep this in mind when I start my tropical tank (which will be much further away than I thought...I just spent ALL my money on meds for my new baby lionhead lol)

LoL That's sort of the same thing I seen, except it was on a message board. I didn't read it much, but yikes, sounds like it takes a very long time! I've never had problems cycling my tank with fish so I'll stick with that if I have the need to again LoL

Aww, hope your lionhead is okay!!

mmhm. its like pooping, crooked spine means guppy will poop the fry out. if she stays at the bottom and is crooked, just stay by her -- shes going to have fry or more.


relatively inexpensive. heres a thread about it: http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...showtopic=27630 there are several threads about it overall. so easy to keep up its not even funny. and it gives off good oxygen to fish!

Average cycling time for a tank is about 4 weeks,depending on whether you're using any old filter media/etc. from another tank to help it along. It also depends on how many fish/water changes etc. You shouldn't really be having ammonia readings since your Nitrites started showing,so you may want to step up on your water changes. It's hard to "Proclaim" a tank as being cycled,until you have all the test kits reading the number's that they should be reading. As for Guppie's being dirtier than Goldfish????? In my opinion...No Way! Don't even come close!!! There are alot of live plants that you can keep in your tank.I don't have any kind of CO2 set up in my tanks.You just have to do a little research to find the easier to grow plants like Cabomba/Anacheris/Java Fern/Anubia's/Crypts,etc.... NitrAtes have a way of creeping up on you,so the best level to really keep them at is 20 or under.

my guppies keep on uproot my anarcharis'!!! my guppies sure are dirtier than my goldfish, im not going to debate that maybe people feed them differently.

i feed my gups 8 times a day while i feed my GF once per day.

David,why in the world are you feeding them 8 times a day? And how often do you do water changes on their tank? That's too much feeding...Didn't you ever hear the saying,"A hungry fish is a healthy fish ?"

i feed them very small amounts, thats why 8times a day. i do 10% water change every day now since i have discovered fry in the tank just yesterday.

I've been feeding mine small amounts 2 times a day (sometimes I'll give them a little treat and feed them a 3rd time for lunch or something) LoL. When I had my goldfish I did the same... 2 times usually, but sometimes I would give them a few freeze dried bloodworms or a pea half or something

20 for nitrates? Okay, thanks Not sure when I can get that last test, but it depends when I can get up to a store next.

My friend didn't get my messages last night and didn't have her camera so no pics Maybe next time though! I got a much better look at the spine last night.. It's very very slightly arched but not by much.

Hmm, I'll look into the bamboo and such. I'll have to take a better look at the plant tanks next time I'm uptown and see what all they have. That way I can ask for advice better LoL

Still no babies! I did another small water change today and will hopefully do another tomorrow. Dad took my bucket to empty the water into tonight. He caught some fish and is going to soak them in some sort of liquid before he smokes them tomorrow. *sigh* We need another bucket -_-

im doing a little experiment on guppy growth, remember the fry the other day? yeah, i put them in separate bowls, one is getting feeding, small amounts; 8times a day. while the other is getting 4 feedings but slightly more. lets see which grows/gains color, the fastest.

LoL Good luck with the experiment!! Bowls? They can be kept in fish-bowl like containers? Does it have to have the filter and such too or would cleaning it every day or every other day work? (My aunt said she wanted one or two of my guppy fry when they are old enough but can only afford a fish bowl right now because of other expenses. I told her I wasn't sure LoL).

its best not to keep them in a bowl/container, but since theres only 1 fry per bowl and the diameter of the bowl is 5inches, and two water changes daily, they will suffice. guppies can be treated as a betta, living happily. now you can give your aunt some guppies. although you have to warn her about water changes, since theyre fry, they might jump out of the water. 4 of my juvenile guppies are starting to receive color now.

LoL Okay, thanks for the info I'll let her know Since I probably won't be able to make it uptown until later next month it seems, I thought I would save a few fry for myself, a friend and my aunt said something about a few. I wanted to ask around still and see if I could sell some of them when they get old enough. It would help pay eventually for a larger tank.....someday LoL

Still no babies! *pokes female* LoL

the fry looks so bored in the bowls. -____-;; im about to put them back into the tank. im getting a fresh supply of guppies next week, deltas and some red ones, some other breed since my friend dont want them anymore.

Is there a site I can find that shows the different types of guppies and patterns and such? I learned from that Aquabid site that my male is a Yellow Snakeskin Fancy-Tail (not sure what kind of "fancy-tail" though LoL). Not sure about my female though. She has the prettiest little sunburst shape on her tail though

its by patterns. =\ let me find you the link.
here it is:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/guppy/gallery.html
http://www.efish2u.com/__FishInfo/Guppy001_Others.htm
http://www.geocities.com/rdarmani/pictures.html
http://www.michiganguppybreeders.ho...om/Gallery.html
http://members.tripod.com/~PPGA/

btw, i released the fry and put the prego in the bowl. shes about to hit i can feel it.