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I put two of my pregnant four-month-old guppies in a different tank last night hoping to save some fry, and this morning I noticed one of them did give birth.

There are four fry that I can see; is that a normal number for a first time, young mom? It's a 6g that has hornwort almost to midpoint so there are plenty of hiding places, and I have a sponge in the filter intake to avoid the fry getting sucked in.

It's not even 24 hours since she gave birth; how long should I wait to put her back in the guppy tank with the males?

And my last question is do guppies tolerate salt in their water?

Thanks

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

I know my guppies like salt in thier tank but look at the other links on this site

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Livebearers%20Lane/58777.html?200505090310

I dont think its nessasary

Im sorry I cant help more

Jessica

i had one mom keep giving birth for....like 36 hours

only got 7 fry from it...then, the container i had floating in the Tank SUNK!! i saw 1 fry afterwards, but i couldent grab the net fast enough

if u cant see them, they are probly hiding in the hornwort, o keep her in there for a few more hours, and see how she is, i loose more females by placing them back in the tank soon after birth, than when i have them wait a day or 2 in isolation

Guppies actually prefer salt in their tank. What I've been told is in the wild they are found in brackish waters. When I had my guppies in a tank with artificial decorations I was informed to add 1 teaspoon per gallon. What I'm unsure of is how salt affects live plants (I posted a question in the plant aquaria section so we'll see what other people think)

I have raised quite a few guppy fry. The latest birth is probably the 5th generation I've raised and this is actually the first time that I've had more than 4 survive (but this time it's 10). There are many reasons you may only have 4. She may not be done giving birth (as stated earlier), the move to a new tank could've stressed her out, just because you only see 4 there may be more hiding (this is probably the case), they get eaten by the mother or other fish, or they just didn't survive.

As far as introducing the female back to the males. As long as she's not eating the fry I would give her atleast a couple of days. Giving birth is pretty stressful for her (but what would I know I'm just a guy ). Let her gain her strength back and make sure she's done giving birth, but she'll recover pretty quickly.

If you really want to give fry an excellent habitat to survive and hide (this is the main reason I got such a big number this time I believe) get some Java Moss and seperate it so there is plenty of room for fry to navigate but doesn't tempt other fish to explore. It worked awesome for me!

Congrats on the new fish

Last edited by hzrds at 09-Jun-2005 13:58

i heard that breeding young guppies is a bad thing, for stunning there growth etc. and since this is her first time i would have to say that it has something to do with the smal amount of fry.

i would wait untill she is back to normal. for a period of 2-4 days.

i would also say yes that guppies can tolerate salt in water, but i haven't done this b4.

I've been breeding guppies now for some time and i have found that the first batch of fry a young female produces is only very little.

Ie:
First Batch : Approx 0-10
Second Batch : Approx 20-30
Third Batch: 30-45
etc etc

The first batch is always a little, and when the batchs increase the number of fry will be produced. Guppies do benefit from salt, but I have been breeding them in salt free tanks because I have catfish in the tanks as well as plenty of plants.

Hope this helps...Good Luck!
Mango

Yes, Theresa it is normal for the first drop of fry to be rather small...don't worry, she will catch up, though it may not be till she has her 3rd drop or so:%) KTS's Sunshine (yes, sunshine again) only had 3-4 the first couple of times, and this last drop was about 30...enough at least that mom said forget it get me out of the breeding net!

Be patient with them, they will drop when they think it is the right time and will drop enough soon enough to drive you as crazy as i am:%)heidi

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

I agree with the posts above. The first drop seems to be only around 10 +/- fry with following drops increasing in size, especially in only 4 month olds, they only have room for a few fry. One of my more seasoned mama guppies once gave birth to over 60 fry.

I would agree that they do like a little salt, it helps with a lot of guppy ailments (fungus etc) but is not a constant necessity. It sounds like you have done all the right things (moved the female, put sponge over intake filter, planted tank etc). I would wait at least 24 hrs after dropping the first fry before putting her back. Just be sure water quality is simular so not to totally stress the mama out. Eventually they get used to it and over time it becomes like a trip to the spa for them...

When I move my females, they get fed brine shrimp (frozen or freeze dried), which in my mind helps them with their stress because they love the food so much while they are in there. I have also heard that feeding them earthworm flake increases the size of drops.

Beware however, some females are very vicious in hunting down their newborn fry to eat them and some of them could care less. After observing them a few times you will find out their personalities. I had a female that was well seasoned but I was only getting a few fry out of each drop from her....until I moved her in one of those breeding things that separates them once the fry is born....she had 40+ in that thing! If they weren't quick though she did eat them.

Good luck Theresa!