# Post-drop



## lukealletson (Sep 6, 2010)

I didn't really know how to title this thread ^-^ 
Finally, after all the crap that my tank went through, everything has settled and I am proud to say that Big Mama (the guppy in my other thread) dropped 5 fry the other day. To be honest, I thought they were some kind of water mites to begin with but then I looked closer and realised they were fry. 
I'm not sure if she had any more than 5 because I was out whilst she dropped if she did then she made a meal of them in the trap.

Anyway, I was just wondering what other fish breeders experiences were after their guppy gave birth? Especially, the fish's gravid spot. I know the spot is dark because of the fry's eyes but for some reason Big Mama's spot is still dark and although she has thinned, she still has a boxy look about her. 

This makes me wonder if she still has more in there? She dropped around four days ago so I thought if she had, she would have dropped the remaining fry by now. So will I be expecting another drop shortly or will the black gravid simply fade?




*On another note...* when a guppy is preggers what comes first, the boxy look or a dark gravid? I have another female that is VERY boxed looking but her gravid spot only has a tiny amount of black in it. (She isn't being overfed!)

Any help on the two above questions would be great


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## melissasroja (Sep 20, 2010)

Guppies can retain sperm for quite some time after their last contact with a male. 3 months I think? It could be that the fully developed fry have been born but she still has sperm therefore more fry are already forming in her. From my experience the gravid spot has darkened first or stayed dark like in your case and then the box shape happens. My largest guppy female just gave birth last night to 12 fry after over a week of hiding then floating and not eating. She still has a bit of a dark gravid spot and the box shape isnt totally gone but shes a good amount smaller in size. Again like your guppy she probably had retained sperm and another batch of babies already in the making. 

For the other guppy with the small gravid spot is it really only small because she is a smaller guppy over all? I know when I look at my large one I think holy huge! Her gravid spot seemed massive for only 12 fry. Yet on Friday one of my smaller females gave birth to 13 fry and her gravid spot was quite small (its still black btw). I think it seems small next to the huge spot on the bigger guppy but for her small size it was really probably a normal gravid spot. Know what I mean? Do you know how many days she is at?


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## ThatDude (Jul 10, 2010)

Its taken up to a week for one of my guppies to drop all of her fry. She is only about 6 months old and she is the biggest of all our guppies.


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## melissasroja (Sep 20, 2010)

Wow a week? I would die of a stress related heartattack for sure! I pace like a first time father every single time one of the fish gives birth and Im a woman and Ive had 3 kids 100% naturally so I have no reason to pace! Or maybe I have a really good reason to pace because I know what they are going through? hmm lol.


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