fat swordtail

[dpmac10]

Hey i think this is the right forum, But anyway i just bought 6 red wag swordtails tonight and i got them home and i noticed that two are very fat and look like there pregnent but i'm not sure is there anyway to tell if they are and if they are what should i do with them i would like to keep the fry from being ate thanks.:confused:

[TnCgal]

Hi, dpmac !

Welcome to AquariaCentral, home of the most incredibly helpful and friendly ***********s on the web. I'm going to move this thread over to the General FW forum so the experts over there can help you ! :)

[Archer]

Welcome, dpmac10!

You can buy one of those breeding plastic floater container (sorry, I forgot what they're called), and put the pregnant fish there.

The breeding container floats on top of your tank. It has two parts to it. The top is where the pregnant female goes, and the bottom is for the babies. They are separated by a divider with tiny holes on it for the babies to fall through when they hatch, safe from the parent fish.

Or, you can get another tank, a small one will do. You can put the female there when she's very pregnant, and take her out when the babies hatch.

Don't worry if the babies get eaten on the first try. Swordtails are very easy to breed, and can breed every 3 to 4 weeks if you have enough males and females.

Sometimes you will see a dark spot on the pregnant fish's belly. It's probably the eyes of the babies, a sure sign they're about to pop out.

Good luck!

[Faramir]

IMO swordtails are too large for breeding traps - the stress would be dangerous.

The best way of saving livebearer fry is plenty of fine leaved plants. Evolution's a marvellous thing, and they are very good at hiding.

[dpmac10]

thanks guys for your help i think i'm just going to leave her in the tank becuase my tank does have alot of places where the fry can hide hopefully.

[jfthomas]

My brother has several swordtails in his 40 gal and they have been breeding fairly frequently in the last 5 months or so. His tank is planted, so it too provided places to hide, and I would say he has seen about a 25% survivial rate of the fry.

good luck

[O-man21]

I have guppies, I htink they are a lot like swardtails, breeding wise and behavoually, so I think you will be fine just leaving her in the tank

[Faramir]

The main difference is that swordtails are larger and more inclined to, and capable of, cannibalism.

[Fisher Price]

Swordtail adults can and will devour most of the young, they can only hide for so long in the plants before they get discovered and eaten. Unlike guppies, swordtail fry are very tiny in comparison to the adults.

Breeding traps do not work well with swordtails and usually result in the babies being born premature with the egg yolks still attached or the death of the mother from the stress.

If you cannot afford a separate nursery aquarium maybe you can try putting a divider in the one you already have, that actually works best because the water chemistry and temp will be the same so there will be less chance of shock. As soon as the youngsters get beyond bite size release them in with the adults. Put another pregnant female or three in the nursery side and start growing out the next batch etc. etc. etc.