Are they eating?

[bozco]

My Christmas present fro mmy fish this morning was baby guppies. I can't count them because there are so many and so little, but there are alot. I crumble up the food so it is like dust and they swim through it but is there any way that i can be sure my new babies are eating? Also is there anything I should pick up for them when I go to the petstore tomorrow? I've never raised baby fish before.
Thank you.

[Rometiklan]

Watch them closely. If you see the guppy fry pecking at the food, and their abdomen bulging, then chances are, they are eating. Guppy fry are pretty good at self preservation so their instincts will tell them to eat when food is available.

[bozco]

Thank you! They are eating now, I can see. I was just a little worried when most of them were lying on the bottom of the tank hardly moving that they wouldn't get enough food. I know now that they were still feeding off their yolk sacks and this morning I could see them eating bits of food so its all good.

I have another concern though. I found my momma guppy dead this morning. Yesterday after having her babies (I've counted over 20) she wasn't swimming very well, her tail was up towards the surface and her head was down and she swam around like that. I thought she was just tired and that she would be alright becuase I could tell she was still breathing and she was getting around alright, a little slow maybe. But this morning she was quite dead. :( Did I do something wrong? The only other fish in the tank are her babies and two female swordtails, I couldn't move her to her own tank because I don't have an empty one and the other tank is full of male guppies and those guppy eating frogs. This would be her first spawning, and I think she was about four or five months old. Does anyone know what happened to her?:shake:

[PumaWard]

It sounds like she had some complications during the birthing period. Like with people and animals, injury can occur which may lead to death while giving birth.

Just check your water for ammonia and nitrite to be sure. I doubt you could have done anything to help her, so it's not your fault.


As for the baby guppies, you won't need much. I would pick up some java moss if you don't already have some. I would also stop by Home Depot or another hardware store and pick up some smaller tubing, 1/2 or 1/4 inch. The larger siphons are pretty powerful and may suck up fry. Other than that, I can't really think anything.

[Rometiklan]

Things happen, bozco. There was nothing you could have done, really. It was probably a fairly traumatic birth for a young female. I've lost a few female guppies in the same manner you have. But I have also lost some just before they have given birth. So you are pretty fortunate to have gotten over 20 fry when you could have lost the mother and all of the fry in a stillbirth or miscarriage.

[bozco]

Ok thanks. All the other fish are thriving and I swear the babies have already grown bigger. I put some more live plants in and they are all eating. The female sowrdtails don't even try to eat the babies so hoepfully I'll get some new females out of the batch.

I really didn't even know she was pregnant otherwise I would have moved the swords out. The water chemisty hasn't suffered. I think I found her soon after her death and everything in there is thriving right now. Thanks for your help and advice you guys. And you can bet I'll be asking more questions as they arise.