# DEAD baby guppies.



## Strawberry (Jan 18, 2009)

I have just had one female give birth, its her first, and in the morning when i found her she was really skinny, but no babies, so I thought she ate them, then I noticed they were all at the bottom of the breeding net, dead. This has never happened before, and I don't understand what caused it? They were all fully formed.. was the water too warm? or was she too stressed so she retained them? Maybe she aborted?

Please help.
Thanks


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## Strawberry (Jan 18, 2009)

Pleasse pleasse help!!


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

the nets totally stress them out, was she going mad up and down the sides and along the bottom?

you might do better getting a little tank with maybe a sponge filter and put plants in for the babies to hide in when they are born.

i`m lucky my endlers dont eat their little `uns!


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

pigglywiggly said:


> the nets totally stress them out, was she going mad up and down the sides and along the bottom?
> 
> you might do better getting a little tank with maybe a sponge filter and put plants in for the babies to hide in when they are born.
> 
> i`m lucky my endlers dont eat their little `uns!


 
That wouldn`t kill the young ,sounds to me they weren`t viable .

Better luck next time .


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

i believe stress late in the pregnancy can cause the fry to be still born

the only other thing i can think of off the top of my head are too low a temperature but then i doubt they would have been so well developed nor would you have got any living young previously (you said it "hadn't happened before" so i assume you've had successful births?)

hopefully someone who has more guppy experience will be able to help or confirm anything suggested so far


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

Graylord said:


> That wouldn`t kill the young ,sounds to me they weren`t viable .
> 
> Better luck next time .


i have to disagree, in my experience breeding traps do upset adult fish put in them.


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## TroJon (Aug 20, 2009)

pigglywiggly said:


> i have to disagree, in my experience breeding traps do upset adult fish put in them.


Regardless of stress or not, they do NOT kill the young. I have used them thousands of times before without deaths.

I personally think they would have died from over heating or lack of oxygen- did you check the water? It could be nitrites/nitrates etc also.

Did the babies ever move/swim? If so, the above are most likely. If they are still balled up in the egg shape and haven't swam, it's likely they were premature and caused by stress or heat (the latter is far more likely).


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

TroJon said:


> Regardless of stress or not, they do NOT kill the young. I have used them thousands of times before without deaths.


as i said, stress late in the pregnancy can cause the fry to be stillborn:



> *Putting the female fish into the trap puts an added stress on the fish, resulting in a higher percentage of stillborn fry, or even the death of the fish. *


it just depends on the individual fish, i've used breeding traps before and the females seemed quite content wheras others just try to get out and are obviously unhappy

some people use them with great success (like yourself) whilst others encounter problems


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## TroJon (Aug 20, 2009)

daftlassieEmma said:


> as i said, stress late in the pregnancy can cause the fry to be stillborn:
> 
> 
> it just depends on the individual fish, i've used breeding traps before and the females seemed quite content wheras others just try to get out and are obviously unhappy
> ...


Turn the lights off.

I can't see how a stressed fish would cause the babies to be still born, unless they were prematurely ejected before finished development.


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## MJ75 (Feb 5, 2009)

Strawberry said:


> I have just had one female give birth, its her first, and in the morning when i found her she was really skinny, but no babies, so I thought she ate them, then I noticed they were all at the bottom of the breeding net, dead. This has never happened before, and I don't understand what caused it? They were all fully formed.. was the water too warm? or was she too stressed so she retained them? Maybe she aborted?
> 
> Please help.
> Thanks


There are a few reasons why this can happen. What are your water parameters? Measure the tanks temperature, Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and hardness levels and post the results. Without these no one can clarify if your water is unsuitable or not for starters.

Breeding traps are far from ideal and do stress the gravid females, though they should not inflict the same amount of stress on the fry. A better method for livebearers is a sperate tank full of plants such as Salvinia and Cabomba so the fry can take refuge without being eaten.


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

TroJon said:


> Turn the lights off.
> 
> I can't see how a stressed fish would cause the babies to be still born, unless they were prematurely ejected before finished development.


never tried having the lights out but i always had some java moss/floating plants in : victory:

i don't know the ins and outs of it (though i think it will possibly have something to do with certain hormone levels being elevated) but i know it is a cause, quite interested to find out though; having a look for any articles etc. on the subject


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