Pregnant Swordtail

[catluv74]

I think I have a pregnant swordtail. Actually I'm pretty sure she's pregnant. Her belly has that very pregnant look. I just noticed 3-4 days ago that she was pregnant because of the size of her belly. How soon should I expect her to give birth? Are there signs that she's getting ready? We have seperated her into a 10 gallon tank which has lots of plants both artificial and real. I'm just worried we are going to be gone and come home after she has eaten most of them.

[Phantom_Cichlid]

if there are plenty of spots for the fry to hide then she wont eat them unless she is very hungry. but if any fry do become ill the ghost shrimp will take care of them for you.

[catluv74]

I'm pretty sure I can see a couple babies. How long will it take for her do have all of them? Does anyone have pictures of swordtail fry for me to compare to? Thanks so much for your assurances!

Also, it is normal to have to log in each time I want to write something? Or, is it my stupid firewall?

Thanks for any help!

[Buggy]

It took my red velvet swordtail about 2 hrs to have her brood of 40 but it could take a little longer. If she is the only other fish in the tank and the fry have plants to hide in most of them will be alright. You might lose some but that's normal. I let my fry go into the main tank too soon and thought I lost all of them. Three weeks later I removed some artificial plants and lo and behold there was on tiny little feller still living in it! He is now named Lucky and lives (temporarily) in a brandy glass. lol
I'll let someone more experienced tell you about the technical stuff but when my female was about to give birth she would sit near the bottom for a while very still then start darting up and down the corner of the tank then settle down again.

[Ringo]

Originally Posted by Phantom_Cichlid

if there are plenty of spots for the fry to hide then she wont eat them unless she is very hungry.

LOL Fish are always hungry, there little pigs is what they are
To her them fry are little tiny Mc'Donalds french fries.

The mother will usualy look for her place to have her fry, usualy on the bottom IME. Could be around a plant, or if you have a little arch in your tank where there is some shade it could be there. Really anywhere, you never know. But you will see her staying around the spot where she will most likely drop them.
Some could be born still, but not unless she had really bad complications giving birth some should still survive.
As long as there are plenty of hiding places in your tank some will most likely survive. And from your other posts it sounds like you have plenty of hiding places with all your plants.
I have had 11 fry before that I have caught and put into a breeder net, then only 4 remained... I still don't know what happened to them, cause they were in a confined space and there was no holes at all... musta jumped.

So anyways good luck with your fry.
In 2-3 weeks your sowrdtail will have another batch of fry most likely... and then another and another.
And before you know it your whole tank will be nothing but fry

[PlatyLady]

if you keep the lights low, she'll probably drop them faster and with fewer complications. actually, just leaving the lighting consistant will probably work-don't turn the light on and off again a bunch of times-it'll probably just confuse her and stress her out

[catluv74]

I was mistaken. There aren't any fry. I will try turning the light off and leaving it off tomorrow or until they have arrived. I saw in a couple posts that they can sometimes "absorb" the fry. How would I know if this happens? I hope we haven't stressed her. We separated her 3 days ago, but she has lots of vegitation and some decorations to hide in. So, we will continue to wait...

[Phantom_Cichlid]

Originally Posted by SpoiledFishies

LOL Fish are always hungry, there little pigs is what they are
To her them fry are little tiny Mc'Donalds french fries.

Hunter dont be so negative!

[catluv74]

Alright, I've added a picture to my profile and it's not showing up. What did I do wrong?

[PlatyLady]

Originally Posted by catluv74

I was mistaken. There aren't any fry. I will try turning the light off and leaving it off tomorrow or until they have arrived. I saw in a couple posts that they can sometimes "absorb" the fry. How would I know if this happens? I hope we haven't stressed her. We separated her 3 days ago, but she has lots of vegitation and some decorations to hide in. So, we will continue to wait...

I'm in the same situation as you are with my twin-goldbar platy. I've had her in her own tank for a few days now, but as of yet, no fry to speakk of. She still looks pretty fat, but I'm afraid that the move might have stressed her into 'absorbing the fry'. I've never had that happen before, so I really don't know how to tell if this has happened. The tank she's in doesn't even have a light on it, so she only gets natural day light. I hope this gets her to drop soon. Also, I've heard that a 25% water change can sometimes get her to drop her fry. I didn't have any luck, but maybe it will help you.

[catluv74]

I'm still waiting for her to have her fry. I haven't done the water change since I had basically done that when I put her in her new tank. Here are some pics of her in her new tank. She looks more pregnant at some times than others. I have kept her tank light off for now. I usually turn it on during the day. My husband keeps rolling his eyes at me and says they'll come when it's time...LOL.

[catluv74]

Still no fry. She is getting bigger and bigger. We did a water change today, so maybe that will help. Here are some new pictures of her.

[Ringo]

Originally Posted by Phantom_Cichlid

Hunter dont be so negative!

Well its true!

Yeah shes about ready to explode, and just when you think that there gonna explode, it takes nother 3 or 4 days.
But ya never know.
As long as theres plenty of hiding spots, tiny places where the fry can squeeze some should live
first fry are always exciting

[Phantom_Cichlid]

Originally Posted by catluv74

My husband keeps rolling his eyes at me and says they'll come when it's time...LOL.

Your husband is correct, when she feels it is time she will drop them.

[darkfalz]

Increasing temperature by 2 degrees C might help her pop them out sooner. But it'll pretty much just happen when it happens.

[Phantom_Cichlid]

But be carefull, if you do anything with her because if she is stressed out enough she wont drop them. Some one correct me if im wrong.

[Sable]

You're right, Mark... but a water change, as long as you add the water slowly, and raising the temperature gradually (1-2 degrees F per hour) shouldn't cause stress.

I hope everything turns out all right, catluv! She's a beauty. Do you have a separate tank ready for the fry? (10 gallons, perhaps 5 to begin with, bare-bottom?) They can survive with the parents but lots of them may be picked off, and the parents may give off growth-inhibiting hormone. Just remember, breeding boxes/nets are leading causes of death in livebearers.

[catluv74]

She is already in my 10G. I will return her to the 29G as soon as she drops. We went out and bought a 10G after we noticed she was pregnant and she's been in there ever since waiting... and waiting... and waiting... LOL...

[Ringo]

You cycle that tank first? That'd be alot of stress for that fish.
If the tank isn't cycled, move the platy back to your 29G.
If the tank is not cycled the fry themselves can cause ammonia spikes, and nitrites to vary back and forth.
Just be patient she will have the fry

[Sable]

Originally Posted by SpoiledFishies

You cycle that tank first? That'd be alot of stress for that fish.
If the tank isn't cycled, move the platy back to your 29G.
If the tank is not cycled the fry themselves can cause ammonia spikes, and nitrites to vary back and forth.
Just be patient she will have the fry

Well, the mother herself could cause an ammonia spike in an uncycled tank. :P

If you haven't cycled the tank, a great product to try is bio-spira (with large water changes for the sake of your girl). Just make sure there's a medium for the bacteria to grow on - gravel or a filter pad.

Additionally, I'd advise against moving her back to the 29 right now. She may be very close to birth, and moving her will cause a LOT of stress. Worst-case scenario, if you can't get your hands on bio-spira, just do huge, but slow, water changes every day. I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this (or if I have - it's possible :P), but it might help to keep the light off for an extra few hours every day. Most livebearers like to deliver at "night".

I can't wait to see your fry!!!!!