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Hi all. I have a pregnant fire wag swordtail (orange with black spots and tail). She has a dark gravid spot and her mate has been pecking at her ventral area, which I have read is a sign she is getting ready to give birth.

We have a black lyretail molly that recently gave birth and is now a real witch with a capital b, chasing both her and her mate and nipping fins, so we took the female swordtail out and put her in a one gallon tank that had water siphoned from the main tank in it. She stayed on the bottom of the tank and looked pretty stressed, staying in one place with her dorsal fin straight out and coming up to eat at the top of the tank in fits and starts. We know she was eating from the amount of waste she was producing (Poop as long as she was!!) She was not gulping or clamping her fins, just seemed extremely scared and stressed. She stayed this way for several days.

Today we got a small breeder box that floats in the main tank and moved her to it. She is still staying in one place (albeit not much room in the box to swim ) but she is still all "finny". Is this normal? I have shone a flashlight through her from the far side and can see the little fish eyes there, but dont know how long she has until she pops. I had read that the pecking on her abdomen from her mate signified she was almost ready, but don't know how far along she is and when she is going to have the little fry. She is pretty round and most definitely pregnant.

I dont want to keep her in the breeder box longer than necessary but would like to save at least this group of fry to raise.

The 20g tall tank is cycled with P.H. of 7.6, Ammonia almost 0 (about .1 or so), nitrites 0 and nitrates of about 30.

The other fish we have in the tank are:

1 red-tailed shark
6 zebra danios
1 black lyretail molly
1 cory cat
1 golden algea eater
1 male swordtail
1 bamboo shrimp

all of the fish are less than a few months out of the pet store so they are all still pretty small; the cory and the algea eater along with a few danios are new additions when we put the female sword in the breeder today, so she has not been overcrowded.

Please help. I am concerned for her and dont want her to miscarry. I would also like to know just how long she may have to stay in the breeder box. She does NOT look happy at all. Any assistance would be appreciated. thx a bunch.

most likely the pecking is he wants to mate with her do u know the ratio of 2 females per male?

Anyways she should be giving birth soon within the week those two move i wouldn't have done to stressfull for her and may cause her to die she should be giving birth soon as i recently have 3 day old fry.

The longest in a breeder box 36 hours 1day 1/2 but i would leave her in the tank and keep in eye on her then put her in the breeding box.

Tip:Like having babies in dark i would leave the light off for a while till she gives birth and maybe an hour a day for the other fish.They like having babies in the morning or shortky after as mine did.Keep feedind her nutritius (?) foods other than flake to encourage her pregnacy.

Keep us posted on her and ask me any more q i may have not answered or you would like to ask

P.S.-Ph and other seem to be on tact

oops... i meant put her in the tank and when shes boxy or realesead 1 or 2 babies put her in the breeder box

Good Luck

Does anyone know how LONG the gestational cycle is? from mating till birth

About 4 weeks.

thanks a bunch! that helps out a bit.. we know when we got her. so we can count from there to get an approximate idea

It's very likely that you purchased her pregnant, so she could have been pregnant for 2 weeks when you got her... expect babies at any time. After their first birth, it's easier to tell when they are going to give birth again because it's usually a month on the spot, every month.

Well to update you.. we have over 24 fry from her now! And my lyretail molly is gonna pop if she gets any bigger, she is in an isolation tank right now with lots of places her fry can hide, soon as she gives birth shes back in the main tank again to be her witchy self again.

And to top it all off... Emmet found zebra danio fry in the main tank... we have babies coming out our ears!!!!


Myst of Myst and Emmet

Congratilations,

Keep us posted as i said!!

How many babies do the swordtail have at one time. Mine looks like she is going to pop. Her belly is silvery and the male is freaking out. He is swimming furiously all over.

The other tetras in the tank seem to know something is going to happen. They are all excited.