Do Guppies Die After Giving Birth? How To Reduce This Chance?

Guppy fish can die quickly after giving birth or even during the birthing process. This may happen for a variety of reasons, which I’ll discuss in this essay. Some of these factors may be avoided (for example, by lowering stress and maintaining appropriate water conditions), while others may not.

No, all guppies do not die after giving birth. Only in some cases guppies die while giving birth or after giving birth. The most common cause behind their death is complications during labor. Another cause of guppy’s death is that guppy was already sick during pregnancy or at delivery time.

So, why do guppy fish die after giving birth, and what can be done to avoid this? You’ll learn the answer to this question, as well as a lot more, in this post. Guppies are, after all, lovely fish, and the final one is particularly so. It’s the last thing that you would want your guppy to die.

Is it True That Guppies Die After Giving Birth?

Guppies frequently die after giving birth, and in some situations, even during the birthing process. Unfortunately, there are a variety of causes for this, some of which are beyond your control. In some circumstances, though, you can lessen the likelihood of your fish dying after giving birth. Continue reading to learn about the various reasons why your guppy can die after giving birth, as well as how you can lessen the chances of this occurring.

How Can You Know if Guppy is Expecting or Not?

The gravid spot – a black patch under the tail at the rear of the belly – grows bigger and deeper in color when a female guppy is pregnant. An expanded abdomen is another sign, which gets more noticeable as the pregnancy progresses. Around her tummy, the female guppy will get bigger and heavier.

Related Post: Pregnant Guppies – How To Tell If Guppies are Pregnant?

Why do Guppies Take Too Long For Delivery Sometimes?

If the water conditions aren’t optimum for her, the gestation period can run anywhere from 21 to 30 days, or even longer. For example, if the water is excessively cold or if she feels threatened. Guppy females who are pregnant want water that is between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The pregnancy will persist longer in cooler water.

Female guppy fish have a little problem releasing fry provided everything in your tank is in order; but, painful labor might occur if the female guppy has trouble expelling the fry.

This occurs for a variety of reasons:

• Fry becomes stuck in the birth canal as a result of a deformity or an overdue pregnancy (stress can prevent female guppy fish from releasing the fry); the female becomes stressed as a result of being moved or handled in a way that causes stress (this can result in miscarriage or spontaneous abortion);
• Due to poor water quality, there were issues during labor. If your guppy fish is having trouble giving birth or the labor is taking too long, there are a few things you may do to help.
• Turn down the lights in the aquarium and make sure your fish have a comfy hiding place; some aquarists say that adding a pinch of aquarium salt to the water helps. Above importantly, make sure the water is clean and that there are lots of plants or decorations for the female guppy fish to hide behind.
• She should also be kept in her own breeding tank rather than in a mixed aquarium to avoid being harassed or stressed out by other fish.
• Furthermore, other fish will eat the fry, which you probably don’t want if you’re trying to breed them. Because you can remove the female as soon as she gives birth, a separate breeding tank will make it simpler to keep the fry from being eaten.

Complications During The Labor

Guppy fish can give birth to a large number of fry, and the procedure might take many hours, or even a day or two in certain cases. Female guppies attain reproductive maturity at three months of age, however, they may reach it sooner if the water conditions are ideal for breeding.

1. High Anxiety

Female guppy fish are more likely to feel agitated when they become pregnant. It’s critical that they don’t feel threatened. As a result, stress is a key risk factor for guppies becoming pregnant.

When you acquire a pregnant guppy from a pet store, the mere act of transferring her to a new aquarium with different water conditions than her previous tank exacerbates any stress she may be feeling. In an ideal world, pregnant female guppy fish should be left alone and kept as comfortable as possible.

You should match the water conditions of the original tank before relocating her to a breeding tank, otherwise, you risk stunning the fish due to the differences in water parameters. You should also give her plants for shelter and keep her away from other fish that could bother her.

Unpredictable swimming in the tank, unwillingness to feed, sitting at the bottom of the tank (although this might also be a sign that she’s about to spawn), and fading colors are all signs of stress. Technically, any significant behavioral change you detect might be a sign of stress, so keep a watch on your female guppy for any warning signals.

You should also feed pregnant guppy fish a nutritious diet because the pregnancy process, as well as the subsequent labor, may be quite taxing, given that guppies can produce anywhere from two to 200 fry each pregnancy.

2. Female Guppy Had Been Sick For Quite Some Time

It’s not always because of the pregnancy or stress causes that your female guppy fish dies after delivering the fry. It’s probable that if you acquired her from a pet store, she was sick before you ever took her home. It’s also conceivable that she became ill while in your care as a result of a variety of causes such as poor water quality, fluctuating temperatures, a parasite illness, or a bacterial infection.

You might be able to save her life if you catch the sickness in its early stages, depending on the ailment. Many guppy fish ailments can be passed on to fry, so you’ll want to cure them as well if at all feasible. As a result, I propose that you become familiar with the symptoms of the most frequent guppy fish ailments so that you may recognize disease symptoms early and provide appropriate treatment.

3. Poor Water Parameters

For pregnant guppy fish, poor water conditions can be a major source of stress. Inadequate water parameters can also be a problem, especially when female guppies are close to giving birth and are moved to a new location.

When putting up a breeding tank, I always replicate the precise water parameters of the tank of origin, as I described in one of the previous sections of this post. This will put the pregnant guppy fish at peace. I also make every effort to relocate her as promptly as feasible and with as little disruption as possible. Because of the great stress, your guppy fish is under, if the water conditions are substandard or inadequate, you increase the odds of anything going wrong during delivery.

4. Keeping a Female Guppy in a Breeding Box Causes Stress

When you have a larger tank and don’t want to set up a separate tank or just don’t have the time to properly set it up, breeding boxes might be handy. Even if you have a tiny aquarium, you can set up a breeding box – a hang-on kind – but you’ll need additional equipment to assist the water flow through the breeding box.

Breeding boxes, while essential, can be stressful for a pregnant guppy fish, especially if it’s too tiny or there’s nowhere else to put it. You shouldn’t leave her in the breeding box for more than the time it takes her to release the fry, ideally.

How Can You Lower Your Guppy’s Chances Of Dying After Giving Birth?

There are a few things you can do to aid your guppy after she gives birth, fortunately. There’s a strong probability your female will be alright if you do this. After that, make sure you put her somewhere quiet.

You should have a separate tank for her during her pregnancy and thereafter. Because there would be no other fish in the tank to bother her, this will make her feel less worried.  The tank doesn’t have to be enormous, but it should be at least 2.5 gallons (ideally bigger). This guarantees that she has adequate space to swim around if she so desires, but she will most likely choose to hide.

1. Make Certain There are a lot of Hiding Spots

You should also make sure that your guppy has plenty of hiding spots in his aquarium. Plants are the ideal option, especially floating plants with roots, which will provide them with a sense of security.

On that topic, if you intend to retain the fry, bunch the plants together so they have somewhere to hide.

2. Give Her Enough to Eat

It’s crucial to feed your guppies well at all times, but it’s especially critical during and after pregnancy. You should strive to increase the amount of live food you feed them in order to better imitate their natural surroundings.

Daphnia, brine shrimp, and mosquito larvae are the ideal live foods for your guppy to eat, and she’ll go crazy for them. Remember to feed her high-quality tropical fish flakes and blanched veggies in addition to this.

3. Maintain a High Level of Water Quality

You should also make sure that the tank’s water quality is ideal. So, check the water parameters and, if required, make changes. The best approach to improve the parameters is to do a water change.

If there is a build-up of ammonia, an ammonia detoxifier, such as API Ammo Lock, can be used. It doesn’t actually eliminate the ammonia; instead, it renders it inert, allowing the beneficial bacteria in your tank to feed on it.

4. Move Your Female at The Appropriate Moment

One of the strategies for moving your girl is to make sure you’re moving her at the proper moment. If you move her to a smaller tank too soon, she will get too agitated by the change. However, if you wait too long, she will become much more worried. After your female has mated, you should move her for about 18 days. This will limit her chances of being shocked and prevent her from becoming anxious about being in such a small tank.

The Bottom Line on Do Guppies Die After Giving Birth?

There are a variety of reasons why your guppy fish may die shortly after giving birth, including preexisting illnesses (e.g., an illness), issues that emerge during delivery (e.g., fry being caught in the birth canal), and insufficient keeping conditions.

In any case, ensuring that your pregnant guppy fish is well cared for by removing stress, maintaining appropriate water conditions, and providing a nutritious diet helps reduce the odds of something going wrong during delivery. Always keep an eye on your fish for infections, and avoid buying guppy fish that are already pregnant if at all possible. Purchase your guppies from a reliable breeder that focuses on producing healthy fish.