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I have had my community tank set up for over a month now... A few weeks ago I noticed my female guppy was preggy, so after about 2 weeks I put her in a breeding cup inside the tank. Another 2 weeks later she still has not had them and is looking kinda stressed from being in the breeding cup so long... so i decide to let her back into the tank for a day of relaxing and was going to put her back into the breeding net after work... when I get home guess who was skinny... I have spotted 5 babies, have not been able to catch a one.

Now after a day I can find 3.. it is a 55 gallon tho with lots of hiding places and plants so there could be more of em hiding...

My pleco does seem to be acting like a stealth bomber tho he hangs on the sides of the tank then dives for the bottom. Hope he is not looking for a snack.

Don

Putting a pregnant fish in a breeding trap is extremely stressful to the fish.
It may cause the fish to "reabsorb" babies, or even worse - DEATH.
If there are lots of hiding places you shouldn't worry.
If even you couldn't find them, the chance is that you fish won't find them either!

I put a pregnant guppy in a two gallon tank with a lot of plants and put the tank out of sight so she wouldn't be bothered and feel secure. She didn't give birth until I put her into a community tank.

I've found that guppies take a long time to adjust to new surroundings, especially when the surroundings are smaller. Yours probably didn't feel safe.

What I did when I wanted to keep some of my guppy fry was to scoop the babies into the breeding net after momma had given birth. Granted, that was probably easier in a ten gallon moderately planted tank than in yours. o.O

Oh... and easy way to catch the babies (when they're still reeeeeally small) is to buy a turkey baster and schloop! them up and into the net. Those basters come in mighty handy...

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

She will have fry again in about 28 days. Wait 24 days and put her in a plastic bucket with lots of plastic plants and a box or sponge filter. I you find she is through having the fry put her back with the breeders. Remove the plastic plants and put some real ones in your fry bucket. If I find she is having fry I remove the plants and put her in the square bucket in a home made plexiglass V bottom trap that is in the bucket till she is through.

max

Do you guppy/platy/livebearer a favor, just leave her in the tank...make sure that you have plenty of plants, and relax...

As said above, by moving her you are just stressing the poor little girl out, and in doing thisshe won't give birth!

If your tank is well planted the fry will survive...

Best of luck!

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"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle