Guppies are also known as million fish because they can breed out of control. If you keep male and female guppies in the same tank, they will breed like crazy.
You must know that a female guppy fish can store the sperm of a male guppy fish and use it in the future to get pregnant multiple times. With such mating behavior of guppies, it is essential to know how they mate. So, How do guppies mate? Let us find out.
Male guppies have a gonopodium which they use to transfer the sperm to a female guppies body. Female guppies use that sperm to fertilize the eggs inside their body and give birth to the guppy fry. The average gestation period of female guppies is 28-30 days.
This article will discuss how guppies mate and how to know if the guppy fish is pregnant. So, let us get into it.
Contents
How do guppies breed?
Male guppies use their gonopodium to transfer the package of sperm to the female guppies.
The gonopodium is a modified anal fin of male guppies used for the purpose of insemination.
The male guppy will move toward the female guppy, point its gonopodium towards the female guppy, and tap the female for 1 second.
The process of depositing the package of sperm to the female guppies takes milliseconds.
This time is enough to pass the sperm and fertilize the female guppy fish.
With such mating behavior, male guppies can mate multiple times a day with female guppies.
Guppies mating behavior.
Male guppies bend their spine to the side and start roaming and dancing, displaying their beautiful fins around female guppies.
If the female guppy is interested in mating with the male guppy, she will move towards the male guppy fish.
Male guppies only eat and mate during their whole life journey.
Female guppies remain pregnant most of the time because of such mating behaviors of guppies.
How often do guppies mate?
Guppies are also known as million fish because they can reproduce like crazy.
If we keep male and female guppies in the same tank and provide adequate conditions for mating, female guppies can give birth once every month.
Female guppies also store the sperm of the male guppies inside them and use it to get pregnant in the future during their lifetime for multiple times.
A female guppy can get pregnant right after giving birth to the fry.
So, when you keep both male and female guppies in the same tank, you will encounter lots of fry in your tank.
Also read: When To Put Pregnant Guppy In A Breeding Box?
How long does it take for guppies to mate?
Guppies become sexually mature at two months of age, meaning they can mate after getting two months old.
So, if you keep young male and female guppies in the same tank, they will breed out of control.
Female guppies can get pregnant once every month and can give birth to 10-100 babies at a time.
How to know if my guppy is pregnant?
These are the signs that indicate that your guppy fish is pregnant:
- Your female guppy will develop a dark and enlarged gravid spot.
- Your female guppy will have an angular shape belly (\_/).
- Your female guppy will eat less and will avoid eating.
- Your female guppy will show hiding behavior.
- You will notice aggression in your female guppy.
- Your female guppy will swim at one spot most of the time.
- The presence of a male guppy in a tank also indicates pregnancy.
Signs like darker and enlarged gravid spot, big round belly, loss of appetite, and pooping a lot indicates that your pregnant guppy is about to give birth.
Also read: Is My Guppy Pregnant?
How to take care of a guppy fry?
Taking care of a guppy fry is not a challenging job.
You should take care of some things to ensure your guppy fry’s healthy lifespan and faster development.
When guppy fry is born, it will be about 0.25 inches in size.
The most important thing you have to do is separate the mother guppy from the guppy fry as soon as she releases the fry.
Guppies lack parental instinct and will happily feed on their fry, thinking of them as a tasty snack.
So to keep your guppy fry alive, separate them from the adults.
Now, guppy fry will not be able to feed on every food as every food will not fit in their mouth.
So, consider feeding your guppy fry food in the form of powder.
Crush the food like flake food and other live food in the form of powder and feed to your guppy fry.
Guppy fry will require more food than adult guppies, so don’t get confused by their size and feed them at least 2-3 times a day to ensure their faster development.
Make sure not to keep guppy fry in a breeding box for more than two weeks, as it will affect their growth.
Once the guppy fry reaches the size that doesn’t fit the adult fish’s mouth, you can introduce them to adults.
Also read: When Can Guppy Fry Go With Adults?
Conclusion:
Guppies use their gonopodium to transfer the package of sperm to the female guppies.
Female guppies use that sperm to fertilize the eggs inside them and give birth to the fry.
Male guppies use their colorful tails to attract female guppies. They dance and jiggle around female guppies to attract them for mating.
It takes milliseconds for a male guppy to transfer the sperm inside female guppies.
Reference: NCBI, PNAS, ResearchGate, JSTOR