I've been unable to find any info on just how the gestation and delivery works. Does the female go into seclusion? Does she have them all at once or over the course of a couple of days? How often can or will she get pregnant? How many fry do they have in a brood or litter or whatever its called? I have a Mollie who has been sort of hiding out, but when I feed them she is just as active as ever. When she is done she goes back to her cave. There are at least a couple of fry in the tank. This has gone on for almost 2 days.
Livebearing Fish
- Thread starter Thyra
- Start date
Most livebearing fish have a gestation period of 3-5 weeks. Most of the time it will take 12-36 hours to finish the birthing process. You can suck out the fry and place them in a separated area of the tank (i.e. breeder net/trap or divide off the tank) if you are concerned about them getting eaten. She can get pregnant every time after she gives birth, but many times with livebearers the fish can store the male's sperm and can have up to 6 batches from the same father. Most of the time there are 20 to 30 fry in every brood. Things can start to get out of control unless you cull out unwanted fry or donate them to a local fish store.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!