pregnant females dying

weebordercollie · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

My guppies all seem healthy and happy and are swimming around and
eating quite cheerfully. Then as the females are so far along in their
pregnancy that I think for sure they will drop fry any moment, they
become lethargic, swim around less, and then the next morning they are
dead. This does not happen all at once, it is one fish at a time. I
have tested my water, etc. and my other fish (it is a community tank,
29 gallons, with neon tetras, a few guppies and a few platies) are
fine. I do not think the tank is overcrowded. There are no pH swings
when I change the water, and though the guppies have not been community
members for a long time (about 2 weeks) they seem to have settled in
and be doing fine.

I just today ordered a small tank with filter, etc. to transfer the
females to when they are looking likely to drop fry so that I can get
them out of the big tank and give them a little rest from the constant
playing that goes on in the big tank. It will have filter, heater,
gravel, air, etc and I will put water from the big tank in there so it
is not a shock of different water. That likely won't show up before the
next guppy's "due date" though. And I am a bit worried about a cycle in
a small tank. I have had my big tank for about 6 years now but have not
had any other tanks, so I don't know all the cycling stuff for a such a
tiny tank, as I have not gone through it except for that first time.

Any ideas of what to look for or what to do?

Thanks for any help!

Allie

Archived from group: alt>aquaria>guppy

boyzung · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 3

i like guppies

Fred Frith · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Do you ever add salt to the tank?
A number of livebearers like a bit salt water once and a while.
As for the females being left alone, the males generally hound them all the
time. If you have more hiding spots in your tank that may help them.
Small 44 liter tanks are fine for breeding and it's not hard to set up the
bacteria cycle in them as well. Just make sure you cover the filter intake
with an open cell foam cover so the fry don't get vaccumed up!

weebordercollie@yahoo.com wrote in
@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> My guppies all seem healthy and happy and are swimming around and
> eating quite cheerfully. Then as the females are so far along in their
> pregnancy that I think for sure they will drop fry any moment, they
> become lethargic, swim around less, and then the next morning they are
> dead. This does not happen all at once, it is one fish at a time. I
> have tested my water, etc. and my other fish (it is a community tank,
> 29 gallons, with neon tetras, a few guppies and a few platies) are
> fine. I do not think the tank is overcrowded. There are no pH swings
> when I change the water, and though the guppies have not been community
> members for a long time (about 2 weeks) they seem to have settled in
> and be doing fine.
>
> I just today ordered a small tank with filter, etc. to transfer the
> females to when they are looking likely to drop fry so that I can get
> them out of the big tank and give them a little rest from the constant
> playing that goes on in the big tank. It will have filter, heater,
> gravel, air, etc and I will put water from the big tank in there so it
> is not a shock of different water. That likely won't show up before the
> next guppy's "due date" though. And I am a bit worried about a cycle in
> a small tank. I have had my big tank for about 6 years now but have not
> had any other tanks, so I don't know all the cycling stuff for a such a
> tiny tank, as I have not gone through it except for that first time.
>
>
> Any ideas of what to look for or what to do?
>
> Thanks for any help!
>
> Allie
>