# gravid spots?



## biologykid101 (Sep 22, 2009)

can people please send gravid spots of pregnant swordtails because i just bought one and i cant tell when she will give birth thank you. if u have any information about gravid spots plz message me. Also i have been reading that gravid spots can be on female virgin fish too is that true?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes it's true, because the spot is simply an area on the abdomen where the skin is thin and stretchy to allow for easy swelling. When a fish is gravid, this spot stretches more and more until you can see through it, and since it's dark inside a fish, the spot looks dark.
If you shine a flashlight on the spot, you can see little eyes reflecting back at you. Don't use too bright a light for this, please. When you can see they eyes, you know that birth is coming very soon. However, you can't always see this, so don't count on it excluisively.


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## biologykid101 (Sep 22, 2009)

thx she had babies yesterday morning and still has the gravid spot ill try the flashlight thing that sounds like a good idea. so far my dad told me one got eaten by the male and another one might still be there somewhere. i just dont know how to get it up and out or if there are more because 2 fish thats not alot and her stomach was big!!! so im still waiting for more to come. we have a 46 gallon tank and rocks in there alot of rocks myabe its under one im not sure. if u have a method of getting the babies out of their hiding spot please let me know


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

catching baby fish is always a tedious job. They tend to hide in the gravel and you have to be real careful not to crush them.I usually get a small net and hold it over the gravel and swish it slowly over the gravel. The current produced will usually cause the fry to swim a little bit above the gravel. You need to try and get the net under the fry and scoop it upwards. Put them in their own small cycled tank or use a floating breeding tank to keep them in.
Feed them finely crushed flakes and change out the water every day with the same temperature water if they are in a floating breeder in the main tank. if you have the floating breeding tank you just lift it up a bit so the water drains out of the openings at the bottom. be careful to do it slowly and not right to the bottom as the little fishes can get caught in the slot openings.
Feed them 3- 4 times a day being careful not to leave a lot of flakes on the bottom of their container.
Mom is always going to have a gravid spot- sometimes bigger and sometimes smaller- that is the nature of female livebearers.
in about another month she will have more babies even if she is kept away from the male.
Give her a good feed too- birthing is hard work.


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## biologykid101 (Sep 22, 2009)

wow that was a good feedback did u ever have fish mousey? did they have babies?


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

6 tanks.
I love guppies and platies- usually have lots of fry growing up.


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