One of the most popular fish for a home aquarium is guppy. It is unpretentious and beautiful, therefore it was fond of both beginners and experienced aquarists, and in addition, it surprises with the nuances of reproduction.
Guppy fish description
Guppies are freshwater fish, although they live in slightly brackish waters in their homeland, in South America. Omnivores.
The size of the guppy is from 1.5 to 7 centimeters and depends on age, gender and conditions of detention: males are usually smaller than females, and in a too close aquarium fish slow growth and can remain dwarfs forever. The guppy's wild form is unattractive, but breeders have bred a lot of bright-colored breeds, often with long fins. It is worth noting that males are much more beautiful than females and therefore, if offspring are not required, it is possible to contain only males.
However, females have interesting features. Most aquarium fish spawn, but guppies live-bearing, that is, small fish immediately appear, not eggs.
How to find out if a fish is pregnant
Guppies become sexually mature in 3-4 months: at this age, the fish are already able to breed. If the females are kept together with the males, the pregnancy will come quickly, and it can be recognized by the appearance of the fish. The abdomen of a pregnant guppy is rounded. This is more noticeable in front and side. The longer the period, the more convex the abdomen becomes and the more visible the distant sides when viewed from above. By the way, on this basis it is possible to distinguish a pregnant fish from overeating - in the latter case, the bulge appears only from below. The size of the abdomen also depends on the number of cubs. Therefore, it is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of how many fry give birth to guppies. This indicator varies individually.
Experienced aquarists who know their fish are also able to determine the onset of pregnancy and its term by the spot near the anus of the female. But this method is unreliable, as in some guppies it appears with the onset of puberty, even before pregnancy, and persists throughout life.
It is surprising that sometimes, after one fertilization, the female can give birth to fry several times, approximately every month and a half. In this case, the genetic material of the male may be enough for up to a year.
How is the birth
Pregnancy lasts, as a rule, 21-40 days. You can understand that a guppy is about to give birth by the following signs:
- The guppy stomach, viewed from the side, looks trapezoidal, the angle between the head and abdomen is clearly visible.
- The fish always tries to be near the heater, if it is in the aquarium.
- Her activity decreases, guppies often freeze in place.
- Appetite worsens or disappears completely.
- Immediately before birth, the fish trembles.
- If the expectant mother is in common with the males aquarium, shortly before delivery, they can begin to pursue her, poking her nose into her stomach.
It is important to put the female in a separate container before the appearance of fry. Otherwise, other fish, including guppy males, can eat newborns. The situation is complicated by the fact that fish often give birth at night or early in the morning, and it is easy to miss the right moment. It is best to transplant the female immediately, at the first sign of an approaching birth.
At the time of the birth of the fry, the fish sometimes freezes. They come out in turn, may already be mobile and tend to hide behind plants or decorations, and sometimes, on the contrary, they fall to the bottom and gain strength. The duration of childbirth varies, in some cases reaches four hours, and even more - depends on the age and physical condition of the female. How many fry gives birth to guppies also plays an important role. In any case, after giving birth, it is advisable to give the fish a rest and transplant it into a common aquarium only a day later.
How many fry give birth to guppies at a time
It is known that spawning fish can bring a lot of offspring at once, but what about the guppies? In fact, viviparous fish can bring up to two hundred fry at a time. But this is the maximum number, and the minimum may be only ten. The average number is from 30 to 90 fish.
How many fry can give birth to guppies depends on several factors:
- If the female gives birth for the first time, the offspring is not numerous - up to 20 cubs.
- After the first birth, within a year or two, the number of fry will increase, and after that it will decrease again. That is, older fish also do not bring large offspring.
- In the case of repeated birth after one fertilization in the past, the number of fry will decrease each time.
- Large adult individuals often give birth to about a hundred fry at once.
Interesting Guppy Facts
- Due to their unpretentiousness, guppies acclimatized in Russia: a small population lives in the Moscow River and some other reservoirs of the country. Apparently, initially they were released there by aquarists.
- Guppies successfully exterminate the larvae of malaria mosquitoes. The fish were even settled for the most part of the Earth's warm bodies of water to help fight the pest.
- The fishes received a name in honor of the scientist and priest, the Englishman Robert Guppy. In 1886, he was the first to report on live-bearing fish. It is noteworthy that he was ridiculed, not believing in the discovery.
- Guppies are the first fish in the world to be in space. On board the Soviet orbital station Salyut-5, they even managed to bring offspring. Unfortunately, it is not known how many fry give birth to guppies in space.
These are amazing guppy fish.