guppy pregnant?

[derekkim]

I have a fancy guppy in my community tank right now and it seems really bloated. Like it has a fat stomach... I thought it might be pregnant but I'm not sure. It's also weird because everytime I give it food its the first one there and eats like everything... Is it pregnant or am I overfeeding it? If it is pregnant how long should I wait for the fry and what should I do with them? (I got angelfish in the same tank) Thanks again guys... Sorry for so many topics I'm a newbie to fish

[mousey]

guppies are pigs AND always pregnant.
She will deliver babies about once every 3-4 weeks. you may not find them though as the angel will get a free lunch if the mother doezn't eat them first.
Something i thought when i started with guppies was that they never had babies. Then one day i noticed all 4 females delivering at about the same time and the bettas eating them. I caught the babies next time etc. now i have another 10 gal tank just for guppies. there are at least 40 of different age babies in it. i am desparate to find homes for them.I know i could have left them in with the bettas to eat but i don't have the heart to see a living thing killed.
Well you say-- separate the females from the males. Good idea BUT... a female can store the sperm from a mating for up to 6 months!!!!
Egad- even though the females are separate from the males they continue to deliver babies in the baby tank and they don't eat the fry! I have 2 female bettas in my fry tank and they are so tiny(but full grown) that they can't even get the fry in their mouth.
Believe me-- if you don't want to be swamped don't start saving them.
Another thing i found out is that my fancy guppies probably mated with a common guppy before i bought them as some of the fry are just tiny common and a few only have the mommy's colors.
mouse

[derekkim]

Thanks for the helpful replies... I really want to save these fry because I love these guppies. You should see the colouring on the pregnant mother! It's amazing. I might have to take extra care and get the fry before it gets eaten.. Thanks a lot

[mousey]

yES i UNDERSTAND you wanting to save them. If you were nearby I would give you some of my abundance!!
Hope your female is pregnant by a fancy male!
mouse

[corigan]

You always wonder why guppies always have their own special tank at the LFS? hehe. Breeding Machines. Same thing with swordtails. I always find it amusing when I walk into my LFS and see guppies having babies, I always laugh and walk by the tank and say.. "Cha Ching". I bet there is nothing more that owners of LFS like more than reproduction in their tanks.

Matt

[fedge]

MAN DON"T BREED YOUR FISH!!!! unless you are willing to kill them that is...

I have a soft heart for them also... I wanted to keep them all, they are all unique (platy mixes of sunset and blue) but I brought myself back to reality and thought... If I kept only 5-10 babies from each female in about one year it would cost me a house full of money and id have a barn full of tanks!!!! SO I keep only the ones that are the coolest looking from a selection I catch with the syphon hose (sp?) and the rest I freeze and flush...(most humane way--other than letting my yo-yo loaches have em...that is)

If you REALLY want to breed them, don't think LFS will take them, most don't... GET A SMALL TANK AND PREPARE TO KILL OFF SOME OR LOTS OF THEM!!!! Keep the ones you want... its pretty much free fish that will be REALLY used to your water AND you pick the ones you REALLY wanted!!!

[derekkim]

i c... im not breeding it i just want to keep some of the baby fish you know? I never had breed fish before... can anyone tell me in detail how to save one of these and how long it takes to have the babies?

[GDominy]

Your question was answered in the very second post (the one by Mousey)

[oldfarmhouse]

Don't know if your guppys had the fry yet? But I am sure they will have some more. Do it once and get it over with. Buy a net breeder with some plastic grass on the bottom and when she is close, Not fat from food, put it in there and check every day for fry and remove female to the tank. Then raise them awhile in the net breader (Fry Food)or go out and get a 5g and before long your fishtanks will breed like guppy's. As someone on the site says, Do I control my fish or do they control me.