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Is my Swordtail Pregnant?

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  • 24-01-2012 6:42pm
    #1
    ronanmurphy98
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭


    Hi Guys!

    I have a 54 litre freshwater tropical aquarium with 3 Zebra Danios, 2 Golden Widow Tetras, a Silver Molly and 3 Swordtails (1 male, 2 females). The Swordtails have been in the aquarium for about 9 months now. Now, I'm almost sure that on of the Swordtails is pregnant, but not positive. Now I realise that the Swordtail seems to be acting unusually. Most of the time she is hiding under the filter from the other fish and sometimes she she shoots up to the top of the tank when the male penetrates her. She had eroded fins ever since I got her, but she has been acting normal up to now. I don't have any breeding tank to separate her from the other fish. Please help me! :eek:


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    #2
    fungun
    Registered Users Posts: 1,120 ✭✭✭fungun


    In general, if everything is set up nicely in the tank, swordtails can breed fairly easily - nothng to worry about. In fact, its probable that they have already bred and you didnt notice, but the young will usually get eaten by tank mates, especially on the first couple of days. If you do not have a separate breeding tank, then the best thing you can do is to set up a section of the tank and put a number of plants close together to create an area where a small. tiny fishie might survive from prying mouths!

    However I have to say I have never actually seen what you say 'shoots up to the top of the tank when the male penetrates her' - sounds kinda odd to me. Hiding under the filter is not normal behaviour for a period of time, even when pregnant as far as I have seen, except perhaps as she is about to give birth. The combination of eroded fins, hiding by the filter, shooting to the top of the water and being hassled by other fish sounds more to me like a fish under stress/weak. Is your water quality fine? Often, shooting to the top can be due to a lack of oxygen....how often do you change your water and how much do you change? is your filter output aligned to disturb the surface of the water?


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