hello i am new to these forums.

I have one 1 female swortail and 2 males.

When i got my female swordtail it didnt have that dark spot

then with some time i noticed a little spot and it slowly gets darker.

so is it a gravid spot?does it mean that my female swordtail is pregnant?

Hi, welcome to the forums Yep it looks like your sword is pregnant

oh thats great.

i hope to see some fry soon

If you want to save some babies seperate the female in a small heavily planted tank preferably or maybe a breeding trap only slightly before she is about to drop. She shouldn't eat the young for the first 24 hours as her organs will not function properly in this time due to her pregnancy (thats what I heard)

Good luck

I would believe that one. I have seen the female pop one out and then spin around and gobble up the one second old fry.

Like the folks say, in a community tank most of the fry will get eaten, either by the parents or other fish.

If you have a second tank, or a breeding net that hangs in the tank, fill it up with some plants (java moss is good) and put the female in there. When you see some fry hiding in the moss, pull the female out and start feeding them some very fine food. That way you can save most of them, and after a few weeks they will be big enough to survive in the main tank.

Cheers

Ian

thanks for all the advice.

but just one question,how will

i know when she is ready to drop the fry?

Hey, it might be best for someone else to answer this question... But I think its roughly about 28 days after getting pregnant, so maybe put it in about 25 days after you noticed the gravid spot, this also depends on the size space she is going in. If its a breeding trap don't put her in too soon as this environment is stressful for them, if its a small tank with some swimming room put her in whenever you like really. Hope this helps, i don't know the time for certain and haven't really bred swords... :oops: :-? (Thought I would type an answer incase noone else does though )

Also, with time the spot will get darker as you say and she will get fatter.

They can drop new fry every 4 - 6 weeks. They will be very fat when due, the gravid spot darkens and, if birth is imminent, you can often see the eyes of the fry through the belly.

Thanks again for the advice it helps a lot

i have no problem breeding platies (similar to swords) simply by putting java moss in the community tank, no need for breeding traps ect