# Can someone identify this fish please



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

Hi...Im new to aquariums but recently i adopted an up and running tank complete with fish.. I have managed to identify most of the fish apart from this one..im not sure if its a female swordtail or platy.
Also i notice she has quite a big belly do u think she looks pregnant or is this normal for these fish?.. All info will be greatly appreciated. Thanx


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Swordtail. See the stripes?

Yep, pregnant.


----------



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

Ok...In that case someone really needs to help me out here..the nearest ive came to fish before i got this tank a few days ago is fish fingers for dinner.

Do i just leave her to it? and do u think it will b soon?
Oh god..im not ready for babies yet lol..


----------



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

Also...She always has a long poop hanging from her..just when she gets rid of 1 a few minutes later another is there. Im not over feeding (i dont think) she has been nipping at all the plants/rocks all the time for the last day which i havnt seen her do before...its like she is always starving looking for food but when its feeding time she isnt really interested.


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

sword tails are always hunting for algae etc in the tank, and mine always are pooping. As long as she is making nice dark green poop she is ok. 
white stringy poop = sick. 
she is probably getting enough to eat just picking around.


----------



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

I think i found the problem. I changed the food to a vegetarian flake i think she was maybe constipated as she doesnt seem too fat now and the poop isnt as bad anymore. Now when i put the veggie flakes in she is straight up there with the greedy guppies. So i hope all is well now.


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Actually to me it looks like a Half black female guppy
http://guppyplace.tripod.com/Colours.html
And seeing how one other picture you posted of your fish was a male guppy I would guess it is the same.


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

1-- red stripes
2-- dorsal fin shape and ray count
3-- anal fin anterior rays much longer than posterior rays
4-- clear gravid spot despite it's size
5-- peduncle width


----------



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

Hi...No its deffinately not a guppy. I know you cant tell by the pics but she is much bigger than the guppys about the same size as the platinum molly. Although 2 ppl have thought she is a platy and not a swordtail.
Heres a better pic of her:


----------



## FishieFreak_882 (May 20, 2005)

aww lol its so cute!!  --excuse me...EHEM!-- Well, at first I thought it was a female guppy, but then i notices the stripes...probably a swordtail...but bring one of the pictures to your supplier, or look at a fish encyclopedia. Either way, she doesn't look sick or dangerous... Name her Chubbsie cuz she's really fat 

FishieFreak_882


----------



## doggydad38 (Jan 18, 2005)

Come on guys. It's a Pineapple Wag Swordtail female, and yes she is pregnant.
Tony


----------



## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Doggy dad is right


----------



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

Hi..Doggydad and Lexus yous are both spot on. I looked up the pineapple wag tail on the internet and that is her. Thanx everyone for your replies. She is still pooping a lot and pregnant i cant see a clear gravid spot though yet, when she gives birth do i have to take her out of the community tank or can i just leave her in there and let nature take its course as i dont really want a lot of fry. The father swordtail has been removed from the tank now so no chance of her getting pregnant again.


----------



## sbsociety (May 1, 2005)

Just leave her in there. If you don't want a lot of fry, leave the tank as is, as I see some plants, some will survive and some will get eaten. 

As for the father being removed... She can still have a couple or more batches. She can store eggs up to about 6 more months without a male. She can have this batch, and the next the following month, and again the next month, and so on... You may be having fry even without the male there. I have a few swords and mollies who are on their 3rd or more batch with the males in a different tank...


----------



## Arlene (May 20, 2005)

Really wow I didnt know that..i thought she had them all at once. How many fry in total can they have then? and do i have to get different food for them?


----------



## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

She can have a ton ie 50-100 in one batch. Usually there is fry food, but you can use crushed flakes. If you dont want a lot let nature take its course and just let them eat what the others eat.


----------



## sbsociety (May 1, 2005)

Arlene said:


> Really wow I didnt know that..i thought she had them all at once. How many fry in total can they have then? and do i have to get different food for them?


She can have between 15-100+ depending how many times she's already given birth. The more she does, the more she has. For example, a new mommy on her first batch may only have like 5-10, but the batch will more likely double the next batch. Some of my livebearers have around 50. I have one guppy having some right now, and she's on like 10, I'm guessing she'll have around 30. The average for most my breeders are around 25-50. 

I use something called first bites. It's little tiny pieces of food that's made just for fry. What I do is get a pack of those, get a lot of crushed flakes, and mix them in a small container. This is what I feed the fry. It has lots of different sizes of food for the different size fry that I have in my fry tank. But since you only have one batch, then since they're all one size, you can just use the first bites, and upgrade to the crushed flakes in about a week.


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

were do they sell first bites ive been told of them and i never found them.


----------



## sbsociety (May 1, 2005)

I see them in every LFs, petco, petsmart, walmart... pretty much everywhere that sells fish food 

Oh, and it comes in little packets, not plastic cans like other food. (kinda like how pleco and cichlid pellet packets, but very small, bout 2" x 4" packet)


----------



## doggydad38 (Jan 18, 2005)

If you are going to spend that much on fish food, then you might as well get your money's worth. Go to www.flguppiesplus.com and click on the link for their foods. They sell Baby Fish Formula for $7/lb. It usually costs $3.85 to ship it to you via Priority mail. The Growth Formula is $4/lb. These products are about 50% protien and 15% fat. Both are great for growing your fry and both can be crushed between our fingers into an even smaller size. I've been feeding these foods with baby brine shrimp for the past 2 years and I'll never go back to pet shop flakes again. I have 18 tanks running and my son has 5. It takes us 6 months to go through 2 lbs. of food feeding 3 times a day.
Tony


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

thnx guys ill look for that stuff will come very handy and i still cant find it.


----------

