is my guppy pregnant or not?? the case of the disappearing gravid spot

[x_LoUiSe_x]

i thought my guppy was pregnant, she was getting fat and had a gravid spot. but the last few mornings there has been no spot at all, not even a hint of a darker bit that the rest of her...............

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ourwebspace/lemon1.JPG

but by the time i come home from work its reappeared!! and is super dark and black :confused: :confused:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ourwebspace/lemon2.JPG http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ourwebspace/lemon3.JPG http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ourwebspace/lemon4.JPG
The pics just dont show how dark it actually is! but in the morning it will be gone again!

do you think she's pregnant or not?? im confused?
do gravid spots disappear and reappear like that?

[ct-death]

Can't really say, but how long have you had the Female guppy w/ males?

Mine gives birth every 3.5 weeks FYI and in less than 10-15 minutes all the fry are eatten! :eek:

[nickmcmechan]

I would agree, you often dont see the fry as they're eaten so quickly.

If you want to keep the fry, wait until the gravid spot is very dark black, when the guppy looks swollen without eating its about ready to go so stick it in a floating fry trap and wait up to 48hrs.

[x_LoUiSe_x]

its like jet black on an evening but gone in the morning?? every day for the past 3 days, ive had her for 2 weeks.

[x_LoUiSe_x]

im not too bothered about keeping the fry but i would like to at least see one! lol could she give birth and fill up again in 24hrs??

[ct-death]

im not too bothered about keeping the fry but i would like to at least see one! lol could she give birth and fill up again in 24hrs??

Not that quick, but they're not called the Million Fish for nothing! :D

I see a very distinct shape change in her belly 48hrs from birth, but for 2 weeks her belly 'grows'. I can actually tell the difference between each week now and even whether she gave birth that same day or the day before.

After a while you will really learn her schedule and "look".

Also, the fry's are very small and opaque (maybe all of 1cm MAX, more like 1/2 a cm and they swim to the bottom and hide under objects)

[Just5398]

that happens to my guppy too. Don't know why.

[x_LoUiSe_x]

well its gone again this morning! lol

[Kyohti]

She's a regular Houdini with her girlie-bits, huh? :P

[Nadine]

Just my two cents, not that I know much about guppies - but...

I have a female who has done the very same thing! We usually leave the light on in our tank pretty much all the time. It is on all night because my autistic son wakes several times a night and likes to watch the fish. And most times I forget to turn the light off during the day.

Well, we had only had our guppies a few weeks (gift from my niece) and I was sure that Mama was ready to pop! I remembered to turn the light off the next morning... and when I turned it on that evening, her gravid spot was completely gone! We were pretty sad thinking that we'd missed the birth. Then at bedtime a few hours later we were watching the fishies, and her gravid spot was back, big and dark!! :eek:

We've tested this a few times since and sure enough... light off for a few hours and it disappears... light on for a few hours and it's back.

Go figure!

[x_LoUiSe_x]

thats like mine, the lights go off over night and thatswhen the spot disappears, then after the light being on for a bit it comes back super jet black!

[ct-death]

I've not noticed this in my Guppy specifically but I certainly can attest that colorations fade dramatically when the lights are off and come back within 5-10 minutes after the lights are on. This fenom happens most dramatically in my tetras (high-skirts and neons) - I will chekc out the guppies over the next couple of days.

I honestly think this happens when they sleep. I know this doesn't speak to the gavid spot in your guppy, but I could easily see this being related. Of course I'm only speculating here.

FYI - My guppy is in the Birthing Tank...AGAIN!!! :eek: I will try and get some pics for comparisons :D