# How long for this Swordtail to drop



## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

Can someone please give me some guidance on when this Swordtail may drop her fry. I'm not very good at judging this. I have a nursery tank waiting to put her in but I've heard if you move them too soon or too late it can cause her to abort the fry.

I don't think it is too soon because she is looking really round but I think it may be too late. Any advice would be good.








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## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

OK, well I decided to put her in the breeding tank any way, and it seems it was the right thing to do. I did notice yesterday that she was sitting pretty still and not moving much but then one of the other fish would come and disturb her. I got the tank set up with water out of the main tank - the filter sponge had also been in the main tank for a while to gather some bacteria. 

After she was put in I noticed she was sitting pretty still again and then would dart to the top and then to the bottom over and over and repeat this process. I decided to leave her alone and see how it went. I woke up this morning and she was back to normal size and there were some fry in the tank. I have only been able to count 10 fry but I'm sure there are more hiding some where. I have put glass marbles in the bottom of the tank for the fry to hide in and I think they are all hiding in there at the moment. 

I don't know whether she would still have dropped over night had I left her in the main tank but if she had I probably would have had no fry this morning. I've got six mollies that survived an over night birth in the main tank and they are about three months old at the moment but they I think are the exception rather than the rule.


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## ashes2ashes13 (Jan 29, 2012)

Congrats on the fry. Just for future reference, you can tell when a live bearer is about to drop by several things. They get almost square instead of round...lots of times you can see the babies eyes through the gravid spot depending on the color of the fish. Usually the female will either start hiding and not want attention from other fish, or sometimes they go to the top of the water and kind of pant when they are about to begin laboring. Often, putting them in a breeder trap will bring on stress induced labor, so that may be why she dropped after being moved to the breeder trap. I am glad you now have fry though. Enjoy them.


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