Everyone who has a pregnant fish will ask themselves “When will my aquarium fish have babies?” The truth is every saltwater and freshwater fish is different! It isn’t as simple as a human birth is when it comes to expected time of delivery.
Many aquarium hobbyist wake up one day to see their fish being bloated. The first task is to identify what type of fish you have. Identifying your fish will give you a better timeline on when your fish will be giving birth, will it be eggs, etc! On this list, we will be going over common fish that have babies, and when they are expected to give birth with details.
When will my Aquarium Fish Have Babies?
Seeing your fish pregnant is one of the most exciting moments when having an aquarium. Soon you will have a million tiny baby fish swimming around in your aquarium. However, you have no idea when the fish will have babies! Another factor to keep in mind is if the fish lays eggs or gives live birth. There are a ton of questions at hand to identify what is best for your aquarium. On this list we will be going over the most common type of fish that give birth! With each fish, the expected time of birth is also given. It is crucial to keep track of these moments to have the best health for your aquarium. Soon you will be a fish mom or dad!
Guppies
Guppies are a popular fish among freshwater aquarium hobbyist. They are very hardy fish and can adapt well to new environments and additions. They are usually grey in color while males tend to have white marks on their bodies. If you are looking to have a lot of fish babies in your aquarium, these are the fish for you! A female guppy can store sperm for up to eight months and reproduce babies numerous times. One thing to keep in mind is, these fish have live babies and don’t lay eggs. Others know this term as being a livebearer.
Zebra Danios
Zebra Danios are best in a large school with several being a similar size. When the aquarium fish has babies, it actually lays eggs instead of giving live birth! The Zebra Danio has a long blue stripe on the body and has a slim fit appearance. If you put a male and a female together, this will most likely result in babies being born. However, if the host parents are around the babies, the Zebra Danio couple will eat the babies. Make sure to keep them away from the filter to make sure they don’t get sucked up and die when born. It typically takes around 5-6 weeks for the freshwater aquarium fish to have babies.
Mollies
Mollies are great for a community aquarium and tend to have babies relatively fast. A good friend of mine had 4 Mollies in a 75 gallon freshwater aquarium, and after a year they had 50 of them! The babies are born alive and not as eggs, therefore, it is crucial to keep the babies away from filters in the freshwater aquarium. When shopping for these fish in the fish store, many of them will already be pregnant with babies when you purchase them! After being born, the babies will eat small flakes and algae as soon as possible. Please note that it takes around 5-6 weeks for the babies to be birthed in the aquarium!
Swordtails
By the appearance alone, Swordtails are very sought after freshwater fish for home aquariums. Swordtails and their babies come in an assortment of bright colors. These fish are very pleasant to look at in a freshwater aquarium. Female Swordtails usually produce babies in an aquarium once every 28 days. When attempting to breed them, keep one male for every three females to keep the aggression levels down for other tank mates. One thing to keep in mind, these fish give live birth! Therefore, there will be no eggs in the aquarium, just a bunch of small babies! A female Swordfish can give birth to around 20-50 babies each laying period. You could even start up your own breeding company with those numbers!
Convict Cichlids
Convict Cichlids are one of the most interesting species to lay eggs! Instead of several others listed above, these Cichlids actually lay eggs to have babies in the aquarium. These are one of the more bigger fish compared to other fish listed in this article. In order to get them to have babies, you need to have a very large aquarium with a female and a male. Make sure to give them a great amount of food! A fun fact about these fish is that they are great parents for these baby eggs! The female and the male will protect the eggs and make sure they have enough oxygen so that the babies are born healthy in the aquarium. Keep in mind that it usually takes several weeks for the babies to hatch once they are in the egg. These fish are typically more aggressive.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, each fish species has a different rate and time for giving birth. Some fish that lay eggs tend to take longer compared to fish that give live birth. Before your fish gives birth, keep in mind the surrounds and atmosphere of your home aquarium. You want to ensure that there are no current fish that would eat the baby fish. Unfortunately many large fish tend to eat smaller babies, so take precaution. It is recommended that you move the pregnant fish and the babies into a separate container or aquarium.
Make sure to complete research on your specific fish before it gives birth. If n research is done the fish may not give birth in the ideal part of your aquarium. The baby fish may not grow up to be big and strong like the parents! If you follow the proper steps and take critical action, your aquarium will be filled with a ton of baby fish!
