Care of pregnant guppies

Guppies are an unpretentious viviparous freshwater fish from the Pecilia family. It is the most popular and unpretentious of all aquarium fish, which means that every breeder should know what a pregnant guppy female looks like. This will help in a timely manner to create the necessary conditions for the pregnant female.

How can I tell if a guppy is pregnant?

The shape of the abdomen will tell you about the pregnancy of the guppy. The future mummy has a round voluminous abdomen, which before birth becomes slightly rectangular. Through the lumens sometimes you can see the fry, and closer to the birth of a guppy darkening the patch of the patch on the abdomen. The shape of the head because of the voluminous abdomen begins to appear elegant. The fish behaves calmly, peacefully.

Given all the above signs, you can understand that the female is pregnant, and in advance to prepare for childbirth.

When to plant a pregnant guppy?

In the female before the frying of the fry, the back of the belly always darkens. If only the guppies live in the aquarium, and there are many shelters (snags, stones, algae), the female can not be set off, some of the fry will still survive. But when there are other fish in the aquarium, the pregnant guppies should be planted for the time of throwing, and then run back. Fry is grown in a separate container. On the internal filter it is necessary to dress the stocking, and on the outer - the foam pre-filter, so as not to suck the fry.

Setting off a pregnant guppie, remember that she too can eat her fry, so prepare the plants where they will hide while the mother is with them. The number of fishes born in the female guppies depends on their age. Very young guppies can give birth to 10 pieces, and the old one - up to a hundred fish. Nurses should be fed at once, three times a day in small portions. To fry quickly grow and have a beautiful color, they must eat a variety of food.

How long does the guppy pregnancy last?

Pregnancy guppies lasts 30-40 days. During the first week the fry are sitting in the rider, where they were born. From the second week they can be transplanted into more spacious containers.

In a month, the differences between a female and a male become noticeable. In females, a generic stain appears, a darkening near the anus, but in rocks with a light color it is hardly distinguishable. In males, the anal fin changes in 2-3 months; it turns into gonopodia.

If you want to avoid the reproduction of guppies, the young should be separated in a timely manner according to gender and kept separate. Maintaining a water temperature in the winter at + 18 ° C, you prevent unnecessary spawning and allow the female to rest from childbirth.