Guppies are the most common fish aquarist prefer to add to their home aquarium. Unfortunately, when we keep male and female guppies together, they can breed like crazy.
But, sometimes, we encounter that our female guppy is giving birth without the presence of a male guppy in the tank, which raises a query. Can a female guppy give birth without a male? Let us find out.
A female guppy cannot give birth without a male, as male guppy sperm is needed for a female guppy to be pregnant. However, a female guppy can hold the sperm for years and can get pregnant multiple times. So, your female guppy may be giving birth without a male presence as she has already mated.
This article will discuss how to know if a female guppy is pregnant. Also, we will discuss how to take care of a pregnant guppy. So, let us get into it.
Contents
Can a female guppy get pregnant without a male guppy?
A female guppy cannot get pregnant without a male guppy.
A female guppy needs a male sperm to get pregnant and give birth to fry.
You must know that a female guppy can store sperm and get pregnant from single insemination.
So, it is not that a female guppy can give birth without a male when your female guppy gets pregnant without male guppies in the tank, as your female guppy has already mated before.
How does a female guppy get pregnant?
The mating process in guppies is very fast, and it takes seconds only to guppies for mating.
Male guppies have gonopodium, a modified anal fin of male guppies.
When the condition is suitable, the male guppy approaches the female guppy for mating by swimming around them.
A female guppy rarely remains still for mating with a male guppy, and because of this, the male guppy starts chasing the female guppy.
The male guppy expands its gonopodium towards the female guppy anal vent to transfer the pack of sperm to the female guppy.
The gonopodium fin (anal fin) of male guppies has a tube that helps male guppies convey the sperm to the female guppy.
How often can female guppies give birth?
You must know that guppy fish is also known as million fish.
The reason behind that is guppy can get pregnant right after releasing the fry.
The average gestation period of guppies is 30 days, which means that a female guppy can get pregnant every 30 days.
Also, female guppies carry the sperm of male guppies and can get pregnant multiple times using that sperm.
Which solves the query of the female guppy getting pregnant without the presence of a male guppy in the tank.
Usually, pet stores keep male and female guppies together, so your female guppy may have already mated there before you bought it and moved guppy to your home aquarium.
Female guppies start mating at the age of two months. From there, they can mate like crazy.
A female pregnant guppy can give birth to 2-200 fry at a time.
How to know if my guppy is pregnant?
There are various signs that indicate that your female guppy is pregnant.
The primary sign of a female pregnant guppy is a gravid spot.
The gravid spot is a dark spot located just behind the anal fin of female guppies.
The gravid spot becomes darker and larger when a female guppy gets pregnant.
Over time the gravid spot becomes larger and larger, indicating that the time of releasing the fry is coming closer.
Your female pregnant guppy will also form a big round belly with an enlarged gravid spot.
Some behavioral changes indicate your female guppy is pregnant:
- Your female guppy will show hiding behavior.
- Your female guppy will show aggression.
- Your female guppy will avoid eating.
- Your female guppy will swim in one place.
- You will see your female guppy lying at the bottom of the tank most of the time.
These all behavioral changes can happen because of other reasons also like stress and illness.
So, consider looking for physical changes like gravid spot and round belly to confirm if your female guppy is pregnant or suffering from other issues.
Also read: Is My Guppy Pregnant?
Pregnant guppy care.
The gestation period of a female pregnant guppy is 30 days, and it is essential to take good care of the pregnant guppy during this time.
During this time, your female pregnant guppy will show some behavior changes like aggression, refusal to eat, and swimming at one spot.
You should feed your pregnant guppy veggie pellets and flake food twice a day.
Feed them a small pinch of pellets or flake food at a time as the diet of your guppy will get change at this time, and they will prefer eating less.
Providing adequate water conditions and parameters is essential to keep your pregnant guppy comfortable and a suitable environment for releasing the fry.
You can also consider moving your pregnant guppy to a separate tank.
Moving to a separate tank will provide them with more space, and they will be comfortable there for releasing the fry.
But, make sure to match the water conditions and parameters of the home aquarium when moving your pregnant guppy to a separate tank.
| Particulars | Guppy Requirement |
|---|---|
| Water temperature | 72-82 °F |
| Water pH level | 6.8-7.8 |
Once the pregnant guppy releases the fry, separate the mother guppy from the fry, as the mother guppy will feed on the fry.
Also read: Why Is My Pregnant Guppy Not Eating?
Conclusion:
Female guppies cannot give birth without male guppies as they need male sperm to get pregnant.
However, female guppies can store the male sperm and use it for getting pregnant multiple times throughout their lives.
So, if you find that your female guppy is pregnant, but there is no male guppy present in your aquarium, your female guppy has already mated before you add them to your aquarium.