Guppies are the most common fish species that every aquarist loves to add to their aquarium. But, unfortunately, if male guppy and female guppy are kept together, they will breed out of control. Such behavior will make us curious if guppies are life bearers or lay eggs. So, Do guppies lay eggs? Let us find out.
Guppies are life bearers and don’t lay eggs. Female guppy stores the eggs inside her body during pregnancy. They give birth to fry once the eggs hatch. The gestation period of guppy is 30 days. Unstable parameters, poor water conditions, and stress affect the duration of the gestation period.
We will discuss how guppy reproduces and how we can ensure the survivability of our guppy fry once they are born in this article. Also, we will know how to detect that our female guppy is pregnant. So, let us get into it.

Contents
Do guppies lay eggs.
Guppies do not lay eggs.
Guppies are livebearers and give birth to fry.
However, there can be situations where you can find eggs in your guppies aquarium:
- When eggs are not fertilized
- When the fry are not formed properly
- When eggs are not formed properly
These are the three situations in which your guppy will try to release the egg out from their body.
When eggs are not fertilized
The eggs fertilize inside the body of the female guppy.
Sometimes the eggs form but fail to fertilize.
Female guppies try to release the eggs from their bodies in such a situation.
It is also essential for them to release the dead egg from the body as it can affect their health.
When the fry are not formed properly
It is possible that sometimes female pregnant guppies are not able to form the fry properly.
In such a situation, they release the egg.
These eggs are bigger as the guppy fry is present in them.
There can also be some movements inside the eggs.
In general, it’s a miscarriage. However, if the guppy fry is born, it will not be healthy enough to survive and live a happy lifespan.
When the eggs are not formed properly
Guppies keep the eggs inside their body during the gestation period.
It is possible that sometimes eggs are not formed properly.
The reason behind it can be poor water conditions and stress.
How do guppy fish reproduce?
Guppies are life bearers and give birth to fry.
Female pregnant guppies store the eggs inside their body during the gestation period and then give birth to fry.
The male guppy tries to approach the female guppy when the condition is suitable.
The female guppy will try to avoid the male guppy, which results in the male guppy chasing the female guppy for inseminating the female guppy.
When the male guppy finally gets near the female guppy, it expands its gonopodium towards the female guppy’s anal vent.
The gonopodium is the male anal fin located behind the ventral fins.
Gonopodium contains a tube that helps to transfer the sperm to the female guppy fish.
Guppies mating are quick and take less than a second.
When you see it, you will think that the male guppy is just nipping at the female guppy vent where the gravid spot is present.
Female guppy can give birth to 5-120 guppy fry at a time.
If you don’t want to overcrowd your guppies aquarium, consider keeping only male guppies.
Keeping only female guppies can also result in your female guppy is pregnant.
A female guppy can get pregnant multiple times from single fertilization.
It is also possible that your female guppy was already pregnant when you bought it from the pet store.
How to know if my guppy is pregnant?
There are various signs which tell you that your female guppy is pregnant.
The primary sign is a gravid spot.
A gravid spot is a dark spot located behind the anal fin of your female guppy.
A gravid spot will enlarge and become darker when your female guppy is pregnant.
Your pregnant guppy will have a big round belly.
With physical indications, there is also a behavioral indication.
Your female guppy will show hiding and aggressive behavior.

You will see your female guppy hiding behind the plants or at one aquarium corner.
Pregnant guppy will become less active because of stress and weakness.
A pregnant female guppy will show aggressiveness to cover its weakness from other tankmates.
When the pregnant female guppy is about to release fry, it will start showing hiding behavior and avoid eating.
Also read: Is My Guppy Pregnant?
How often can guppy get pregnant?
Guppy fish is also known as million fish.
It is because guppy can get pregnant right after giving birth to fry.
The gestation period of a pregnant guppy is 25-30 days, depending on the water condition and other factors.
A female guppy fish can be pregnant multiple times from single fertilization.
A female guppy can store sperm for a lifetime, which makes them able to get pregnant again and again.
This is why there is a possibility of a female guppy giving birth in the absence of a male guppy.
Female guppies can result in overcrowding your tank.
This is why we suggest keeping male guppies only if you don’t want to make your tank overcrowded with guppies.
How to care for guppy fry?
Female pregnant guppy gives birth in quantity.
A female pregnant guppy can give birth to 5-120 guppy fry at a time.
When guppy fry is born, they are 1/4 inches in size.
There are many things you have to do in case of keeping your guppy fry alive.
Guppies don’t have parental instinct and will happily feed on their fry.
Keeping the fry away from adult guppies and even mother guppy is essential to ensure their survival.
Keep your guppy fry for 2-3 weeks in a separate tank to let them grow in a size that will not fit the guppies and other tankmates’ mouths.
Don’t keep your guppy fry in a breeding box for too long, as it will affect their growth process and health.
However, adding plenty of hiding places in your tank will also ensure that your guppy fry will survive hiding in those places.
Guppy fry will feed on the same food adult guppy prefer to eat.
Baby brine shrimp will be best for your guppy fry.
Make sure to crush the flake food and make a powder to feed if you want to provide flake food to your guppy fry.
Guppy fry will need more food than an adult guppy.
Provide food in small quantities 4-5 times a day to your guppy fry.

When we provide more food to our guppy fry, the water will get dirty in a small gap.
So, perform a regular water change to keep your water clean.
Once your guppy fry gets 3-4 weeks old, you can introduce them to your home aquarium.
Also read: Guppy Fish Growth Stages.
Live bearing aquarium fish species.
Including guppy fish species, many more aquarium fish species are life bearers.
Some aquarium fish species that give birth to fry are:
- Molly
- Platy
- Anableps
- Swordtail
- Mosquito fish and many more
Conclusion:
Guppy fish are life bearers and give birth to fry.
If you keep male guppy and female guppy together in an aquarium, they will breed out of control.
Soon your guppies aquarium will get overcrowded with guppies.
To eliminate this issue, consider keeping only male guppies in your aquarium.
Reference: ResearchGate, NCBI, ScienceDirect, Biology dictionary