Sorry no pictures at the moment.
I netted about 20 or so Gambusia from a local pond here in CT (had no idea they even existed this far North). I assume they are eastern, although the black mark under the eye is rather large compared to photos I've seen.
anyhow, I've kept livebearers to a point, but they were mostly feedstock for neotropical cichlids, and the larger ones such as platties were just kept in ponds during the summer so I never paid extremely close attention to the subtleties of gravid females.
One female is HUGE - as in amazingly gravid. I've had them for about 10 days or so and she still hasn't dropped. The "swelling" is from the gravid spot all the way to the border between the gill covers and body. The fish seems to act normally apart from slightly elevated "gilling" (which i noticed in gravid females before) - but I really expected her to drop by now, and I've never seen the "swelling" on a livebearer so prominent and so far to the front of the body. I really don't want to sacrifice the fish just to have a bunch of fry tumble out, but I'm beginning to wonder if she has a large worm or other parasite in her body cavity.
any ideas?
Really gravid Gambusia or Helminthic Parasite?
Started by
Guest_IvanMike_*
, Sep 05 2011 09:43 AM
9 replies to this topic
#3
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 05 September 2011 - 11:00 AM
I believe there has also been some talk here on the board about elevated temperature being involved to encourage them to drop. Use the search function here on the forum and you should be able to find something that describes what you can do to 'encourage' her to drop.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#4
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 05 September 2011 - 01:51 PM
I've got a guppy right now who's got the same problem. She's really, incredibly gravid and is starting to distress herself. Her gills are flapping a lot and she's huge. Here are some things I'm doing to help her out:
1. Add cover to the tank. I've got this 'Spanish moss' that I picked up from Home Depot to add cover because there aren't enough plants in the tank at the moment. This is helping her find a space she can hide in without being bothered by the other fish in the tank.
2. Dim the lights.
3. Create gradient regions of current (make sure there is at least one point in the tank with zero current).
4. Remove aggressive egg eating species that might make her nervous to drop the fry.
5. Feed all of the fish very frequently. When the babies come the other fish won't be starving and therefore will be less likely to eat them.
I'm also keeping the temperature fairly high but not too high so she's distressed. It's at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which for a guppy is warm but not stressfully so.
It's been like that for the past week, but instead of dropping her fry she's getting more and more distressed. I'm not sure how to help my fish. For you, I would say definitely don't 'sacrifice' her (is that code for murder?). Instead, just give her some space and leave her alone and if you're worried about the health of your other fish, put her in a 10 gallon bucket by herself with lots of live plants. Odds are there's nothing wrong with her; she's just stressed from being captured and being in a new place and from not being able to find a region she thinks is safe enough to drop her babies into. They'll hold them inside if they can't find a safe spot to birth, sometimes for too long. You have to avoid stressing the pregnant ones.
1. Add cover to the tank. I've got this 'Spanish moss' that I picked up from Home Depot to add cover because there aren't enough plants in the tank at the moment. This is helping her find a space she can hide in without being bothered by the other fish in the tank.
2. Dim the lights.
3. Create gradient regions of current (make sure there is at least one point in the tank with zero current).
4. Remove aggressive egg eating species that might make her nervous to drop the fry.
5. Feed all of the fish very frequently. When the babies come the other fish won't be starving and therefore will be less likely to eat them.
I'm also keeping the temperature fairly high but not too high so she's distressed. It's at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which for a guppy is warm but not stressfully so.
It's been like that for the past week, but instead of dropping her fry she's getting more and more distressed. I'm not sure how to help my fish. For you, I would say definitely don't 'sacrifice' her (is that code for murder?). Instead, just give her some space and leave her alone and if you're worried about the health of your other fish, put her in a 10 gallon bucket by herself with lots of live plants. Odds are there's nothing wrong with her; she's just stressed from being captured and being in a new place and from not being able to find a region she thinks is safe enough to drop her babies into. They'll hold them inside if they can't find a safe spot to birth, sometimes for too long. You have to avoid stressing the pregnant ones.
Edited by EricaWieser, 05 September 2011 - 01:53 PM.
#6
Guest_IvanMike_*
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Posted 07 September 2011 - 06:31 AM
Thanks! Worked like a charm. I put her in a 5 with a sponge filter and a handful of java moss and no lighting and she dropped about 20-30 in 18 hours. How long does it take them to drop them all? (I'm assuming I should remove her pronto to avoid her eating them).
I've got a guppy right now who's got the same problem. She's really, incredibly gravid and is starting to distress herself. Her gills are flapping a lot and she's huge. Here are some things I'm doing to help her out:
1. Add cover to the tank. I've got this 'Spanish moss' that I picked up from Home Depot to add cover because there aren't enough plants in the tank at the moment. This is helping her find a space she can hide in without being bothered by the other fish in the tank.
2. Dim the lights.
3. Create gradient regions of current (make sure there is at least one point in the tank with zero current).
4. Remove aggressive egg eating species that might make her nervous to drop the fry.
5. Feed all of the fish very frequently. When the babies come the other fish won't be starving and therefore will be less likely to eat them.
I'm also keeping the temperature fairly high but not too high so she's distressed. It's at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which for a guppy is warm but not stressfully so.
It's been like that for the past week, but instead of dropping her fry she's getting more and more distressed. I'm not sure how to help my fish. For you, I would say definitely don't 'sacrifice' her (is that code for murder?). Instead, just give her some space and leave her alone and if you're worried about the health of your other fish, put her in a 10 gallon bucket by herself with lots of live plants. Odds are there's nothing wrong with her; she's just stressed from being captured and being in a new place and from not being able to find a region she thinks is safe enough to drop her babies into. They'll hold them inside if they can't find a safe spot to birth, sometimes for too long. You have to avoid stressing the pregnant ones.
#7
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 07 September 2011 - 07:39 AM
Yay, I'm glad it worked 
Congratulations on the babies. Aren't they cute?
Keep them well fed, and they won't feel the need to eat their own young. You can use a mortar and pestle to grind up fish flakes, which the large fish will gobble and the fry will learn to ingest.
Congratulations on the babies. Aren't they cute?I'm not sure. I rely upon dense planting, not removing the female, to protect my fry from predation. I just leave everybody in the main [heavily planted] tank throughout the whole process, and feed every couple of hours. An advantage to that method is that one female dropping can convince the other females to drop. There are now around forty fry in my tank.How long does it take them to drop them all? (I'm assuming I should remove her pronto to avoid her eating them).
Keep them well fed, and they won't feel the need to eat their own young. You can use a mortar and pestle to grind up fish flakes, which the large fish will gobble and the fry will learn to ingest.
Edited by EricaWieser, 07 September 2011 - 07:50 AM.
#8
Guest_IvanMike_*
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Posted 08 September 2011 - 03:35 PM
cool thanks. I actually did remove mom as the birthing tank was a 5 i had laying around with a sponge filter set for almost no flow - now it's turned up a wee bit, but i returned her to a tank containing most of the gambusia (of varying size). 3 other gravid females have been relocated to their own tank (also with lots of java moss) to see if they'll all drop together like you mentioned.Yay, I'm glad it worked
I'm not sure. I rely upon dense planting, not removing the female, to protect my fry from predation. I just leave everybody in the main [heavily planted] tank throughout the whole process, and feed every couple of hours. An advantage to that method is that one female dropping can convince the other females to drop. There are now around forty fry in my tank.
One quick question - I'm going on vacation and my usual MO is not to worry about feeding the fish (we'll be gone a week)- as we feed them too much anyhow, and all of us have probably experienced a horror story of someone who over-enthusiastically fed our fish. That said, I do have a pal who can come over if need be - but these fry have a butt-load of java moss in their tank (some with green hair algae on it which I must get rid of) so I'm wondering if the fry will be OK without any feeding due to all of the goodies they can find on that. Any thoughts?
FWIW, Java moss is my go-to plant when raising cichlid fry - often I've found a swarm of fry all over a clump of java moss while mom & dad look on, and of course, the parents get switched to flakes which they blow all over the fry.
#9
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 09 September 2011 - 08:09 AM
The one thing I can say for sure is not to leave the fry with the parents.One quick question - I'm going on vacation and my usual MO is not to worry about feeding the fish (we'll be gone a week)- as we feed them too much anyhow, and all of us have probably experienced a horror story of someone who over-enthusiastically fed our fish. That said, I do have a pal who can come over if need be - but these fry have a butt-load of java moss in their tank (some with green hair algae on it which I must get rid of) so I'm wondering if the fry will be OK without any feeding due to all of the goodies they can find on that. Any thoughts?
As to whether or not the fry will live on their own in that java moss without any external food for a week, I can't say. I've never tried it. I feed my fry at least twice a day, usually closer to four or five times. Their first week or two of life is when they need the most frequent feedings. Once their bellies start looking more like the physical structure of an adult fish, then it's safe to feed less frequently. Your fish are all newly born, and at their most vulnerable time.
#10
Guest_IvanMike_*
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Posted 20 September 2011 - 05:13 PM
Well after returning from a week vacation all was well. I only had tetra egglayer baby food so I gave the fish sitter detailed instructions and avoided a trainwreck. Funny, the other 3 gravid females I had were left in a 20H full of java moss with instructions to feed them a wee pinch of flakes every day or two (most other tanks got nothing - gotta get those crappie hungry!). Upon my return I found one female had dropped and several savvy fry in the 20H hiding in the moss from the adults. The two still gravid females are in this tank (seemed they weren't ready to drop or play follow-the-leader), but the fry in the 20H are just as big as those in the 5 by their lonesome.
Wonderful subtle blue and orange coloration on the gravid females. Strangely the gravid females seem to be the most colorful of the bunch - the males are rather drab - kinda backwards from guppies.
Wonderful subtle blue and orange coloration on the gravid females. Strangely the gravid females seem to be the most colorful of the bunch - the males are rather drab - kinda backwards from guppies.
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