# Help! Identifying pregnant guppies & platies.



## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Hey Everyone  
Just a quick couple of questions. I've had a my tropical fish tank for a while now and everything is going fine. Recently, I've added 3 guppies (1x male 2x female) and 2 platies (1xmale 1xfemale). The two platies were from a friend who was getting rid of his fish tank. I've read up about both breeds and have since noticed their gravid spots are getting darker, but I need a second opinion! If any are actually pregnant, could any one make a rough estimate of dates? This will be my first ever births so I would really like to get prepared. Obviously if they're not pregnant, I have guppies, so it won't take much longer!

1) 1x Female Guppy



2) Another 1x Female Guppy



3) Female Platy






Apologies for the quality of the photos!


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

if they are with a male(like yours) or have been with a male in the last 6 months than 99% of the time yes they are pregnant thats for certain because they are always always pregnant. The photos are blurry so its hard to tell just how gravid they are but u should be expecting them within the next week or two but it could be sooner as it only takes 4 weeks from the time they get pregnant and by the time they give birth they are already developing more babies inside of them(they can hold sperm for 6 months and have a set of babies every month) also depending on how old they are they will be bigger and have more babies the guppies can have up to 200 at a time when they have been breed enough hence the nick name millions fish. platies and mollies are very similar but i dont think they can have up to 200 at a time i think its more around 100. The platy you have looks like it could pop any day. My best advice is start looking for homes for these buggers as your lfs if they will take them. If you are actively trying to save the babies be prepared to be over run in a couple months. my best advice let nature run its course let the parents eat their young because you will still have plenty survive if there isn't much else in the tank with them. to save a lot rather than get a breeding net get some of that fake grass that you bury in the rocks for the fry to hide in or just a bunch of plants.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

That's some great info, thanks for the quick reply.
I am little confused as well, do male fish have gravid spots?
It's just, my friend said they brought them as two males but it developed this dark area a little while ago. Is it possible that platies can change sex like some fish can do, just to reproduce? Or could it just be the fish store getting the sexes wrong?!

The guppies... their gravid spot is a browny-yellow colour. If they weren't pregnant I assume there would be no colouring at all?


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

Right, when they are not pregnant, they have no colored gravid spot. For guppies especially, they also look considerably smaller when they are not pregnant. It is difficult to appreciate how much volume the pregnancies takes up until you have a non-pregnant female for comparison.


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## Fairy (Jul 20, 2010)

lol thats kinda werid for me then XD my female guppy has babies about 2 weeks ago, and she never lost her gravid spot, same with most of my guppies to be honest lol. We'll see how it goes :3


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Fairy, that's because, once pregnant for the first time, a guppy will pretty much ALWAYS be pregnant from then on. Only virgins don't have the spot.

Those two guppies are a long way off, but the platy will be ready to pop very soon.

Platies are major sex-changers, but they don't tend to be fertile afterward, so they don't do it to help reproduce. They do it because they have THREE sex chromosomes, and the third one often doesn't kick in until later in life. The same goes for swordtails.

Guppies only very, very rarely sexchange, and that almost always results in sterility.
Mollies do it all the time, and they tend to be fertile afterward. This varies by species. For example, I have a tank of P. kykesis which only has one male in it at a time. When he dies, the next dominant female turns male and is quite fertile. Then he dies, and the next female takes over as a male, and so on. Yes, I'm sure; this has been going on for years.

By the way, testosterone is a potent immunodepressant. When a fish changes sex from female to male, it produces a LOT of testosterone. If the tank conditions are not very very good, the new male will be VERY prone to infection during the change and for a few weeks after it is done.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks everyone, your info has been really helpful. I visited an aquatic store today and spoke to an experienced employee. Showed them my clearer pictures and they too said that the guppies look early, platy looks like she is ready to drop. I purchased a breeding trap (I know these receive mixed reviews, but it is the best option I have right now) and the platy is spending periods of time in there. 

Anyone who could give a *rough* estimate on how much longer she has left until she pops, it would be really appreciated! I want her to spend as less time in that trap as possible. 

Clearer pictures are attached!


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## FishBreeding (Aug 13, 2010)

looks like next day or 2 she looks like the babies are just going to start flying out anytime haha


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

they babies will be comming any day now. its to hard to acurately say exactly what day but trust me its close.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Awesome! No doubt I'll post when she finally drops. I'll let her have periods of time out of the trap (I feel cruel  ). Fingers crossed for a healthy birth. I'll doubt I'll have any survive but the experience will be worth it.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

its not hard to keep them alive just keep them in the net and feeding them liquid fry food before to long they will be ready for baby brine shrimp and crushed flakes. just make sure to feed them 2-3 times a day there stomachs should be full and look like they are ready to burst thats how u know they are eating enough. they may be born with yolk sacks still attached and they wont eat until those are gone but usually they are born without yolk sacks IME.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Time to get some liqui-fry then! Any idea on how long they take to develop their colour and when I can release them into the main tank?


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

doesn't take long before they start breeding with eachother as soon as 6 weeks. and that is around the time there colors start to show. and it depends on what else is in the tank


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Okay this is really good info, thanks to everyone that's contributed. Just gotta play the waiting game now.....


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

i put mine in my main tank when they were still pretty small and nobody touched them


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Ah, I have a Rosy Barb. I've never had any problems with it with other fish (for 3 years now) which I found surprising with barbs. But I suppose this one is just calmer! I don't feel like risking putting the fry in too early though, especially with the barb and my constantly hungry clown loach.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Woke up this morning, sadly no fry as of yet. Gave her a couple of hours to swim around in the main tank. She's till eating and swimming normally so I'm pretty pleased that the trap isn't stressing her out too much. Just a random question: what conditions help a platy birth? Like, lights on/off? Can I increase the temperature to induce labour?


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

lights off help they will feel more comfortable i have also in the larger breeding nets put fake plants so they can feel like the babies will have a hiding spot. ive even concidered covering the breeding net so she cant see other fish but i never ended up doing that.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Ah that is a good idea. My guppies are far too interested for 'what's in the box'. Little do they know, they will be in there soon.... mwhahahaha.


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## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

Still no birth... god dammit I demand babies!


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