# prego female swordtail died giving birth?



## jenifermccoy (Apr 17, 2006)

I woke up today to find my swordtail female dead with 28 fry dead , too! i had her in a breeding net.... she had one stuck in the vent tail sticking out when i pulled her out? what is the problem i dont understand what went wrong? all my water test where fine...


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## platies pwn (Nov 29, 2010)

it was probably stress


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

giving birth is a very hard job. Just like in people and other animals sometimes things go amiss.


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah, I've had guppies 2 weeks overdue finally go into labor and die, sometimes after giving birth to about half of them, sometimes not even one. Things just go wrong...:rip:


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## Xox-Zip-xoX (Aug 14, 2010)

Swordtails don't do well in breeding traps, they are known to have premature fry.


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## julem35 (Dec 22, 2010)

I have had issues with stress, premature fry but mostly when I have a batch over 20, it is overcrowding. So sorry.:sad:


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## AvocadoPuffDude (Jan 20, 2011)

I agree, it was probably the stress of being confined in the breeding net that did her in, and the premature fry were probably the result of the stress as well. You put her in too early obviously. 
When you say net, I assume you mean an actual, water-permeable net, as opposed to say, plastic sides where theres little or no water exchange. In a confined space, it's possible to use up the oxygen and suffocate giving birth, but the prolapsed fry still half way out suggests other problems, something that is beyond typical fish care. When they prolapse like that, it's always fatal, I've never seen a livebearer survive that, personally.
This is a case of "sometimes stuff happens" and I would suggest a lot of plants and hiding places in the tank, and allowing nature to take a more natural course, by leaving the momma in the general tank and letting the strongest babies survive. With enough hiding places, eventually SOME will survive that critical first week or so. You've seen what the stress of confinement can do........
Good luck to you!


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