Do Guppies Give Birth At Night?         

There is a lot of confusion when you are new in fishkeeping and the same was with me. When I saw first time a pregnant guppy in my tank and had questions like “Do guppies give birth at night?”

Through my experiences I learned, yes, guppies give birth at night. Pregnant guppy prefer dark environment due to calmness and no disturbance as all other fish are resting.

 Just like me, you might have some questions regarding:

• What time do guppies give birth? (Day or Night)
• How do guppies give birth?
• Where do guppies give birth?

In this article, I will answer all your queries.

Let’s get started.

Do Guppies Give Birth In The Dark?   

Yes, guppies give birth in the dark. Over the years of experience, I observed that during the evening pregnant guppy goes into labor while next morning when I woke up, and saw she already delivered babies.

This does not mean female guppy cannot give birth during the day. There is no specific time when she releases fries. It depends on the environment whether favourable, comfortable, and stress-free for pregnant guppy.

At night, guppies find peace in the dark and no disturbance. Hence, there is more possibility of guppies giving birth in the dark.

---

What Time Do Guppies Give Birth?     

Guppies are livebearers meaning they do not lay eggs but give birth to young guppy fish.

Generally, female guppies give birth anytime when they feel comfortable. So, it is important to provide good food, a safe environment, and a healthy tank life which makes it easy for pregnant guppy to deliver babies.

Do Guppies Give Birth At Night Or Morning?

Many newbies are curious to know: “Do guppies give birth at night or morning?”. Pregnant guppy fish prefer night time to give birth, however, you will notice some female guppies may give birth in the day due to a suitable tank environment.

Hence, it is important to be prepared before the pregnant guppy gives birth to fries. This will help smooth delivery and you can save guppy fries from being eaten up by mother guppy and other tankmates.

---

How To Tell Guppies Give Birth?

The gestation period for guppies is 25 to 30 days. So, when you see male and female guppy fish mating then within 3-5 days female guppy becomes pregnant.

After, 20-25 days start looking for pregnant guppy signs of delivery such as:

1. The shape of the belly is bulky and boxy.

2. Their gravid spot becomes darker.

3. Female guppy is swimming inconsistently.

4. They are breathing fast and heavily.

5. Pregnant guppy does not feel like eating.

6. There are very frequent contractions or shivering.

7. Female guppy shows more aggressive behavior towards other tank mates.

8. Pregnant guppy keeps on hiding to get comfortable.

So, these are the signs of pregnant guppies just before giving birth.

---

How Do Guppies Give Birth?

Guppies are livebearers which means guppies hold young guppies in their womb.

If pregnant guppies behave differently than her routine, then this indicates she is about to deliver fries.

To give birth, female guppy will find a hiding spot or safe place. During contraction, she will push out young fries which look like tiny balls.

Further, baby guppies straighten the body and swim on the top of the tank. This is a sign of fit guppy fry. In contrast, if guppy fries go to the bottom of the tank, they are unhealthy and may die soon.

I often see pregnant guppies give birth in dark either on the grass or gravel in my aquarium. Further, it is quite common that mother guppy starts eating their fries in the morning because she lacks parental instinct.

This lesson always inclines me to separate pregnant guppies before releasing fries.

Should I Separate Pregnant Guppies?

Yes, you should pregnant guppies for the below advantages:

• You can save guppy fries from being eaten up.
• It gives a comfortable and stress-free environment for releasing baby guppies.
• Easy availability of food without competing with other guppies.
• There is no harassment of male guppy.

However, there are some disadvantages of separating pregnant guppies:

• Guppy is a social fish, so cannot live long in isolation. Hence, if delivery takes more than 24 hours then put her back in main tank.
• You must be careful while transferring pregnant guppy to another tank because there is a high risk of getting hurt.

Do Guppies Hide When Giving Birth?

Yes, female guppies hide when giving birth.

Hiding is one of the most common behavior of pregnant guppy before giving birth. So, next time when you see pregnant guppy hiding then be ready, she is in labor and looking for a peaceful place to deliver guppy fries.

Pregnant guppies require proper care such as high-quality nutritious food, open space to deliver, adequate water parameters and temperature.

---

How Long Do Guppies Give Birth?

Female guppies are pregnant every month and will release fries around 25 days after mating.

Generally, my female guppies give birth in 2 to 8 hours, but it is not the same every time. In some cases where pregnant guppies are stressed, it may take 12 hours or more to release fry.

Do Guppies Give Birth All At Once?   

No, guppies don’t give birth all at once. I often observe a gap of a few seconds between the release of two fries.

But there is a misconception that guppies give birth all at once. Female guppies after pooping a group of guppy fry, will take a break and again start delivering young ones. Hence, pregnant guppy may rest between the two groups of fries delivery.

Often new in fishkeeping have questions like “How many fish do guppies give birth to?” Poecilia reticulata (Guppy Fish) is popular as a “million fish”. Guppies give birth to 2 – 200 guppy fry. So, that would be a lot of babies every month as guppies reproduce very quickly but not to worry with proper care and adequate pre-measure helps to save mother guppies and guppy fries from dying.

---

Where Do Guppies Give Birth? 

Guppies swim all around the tank and the same goes with pregnant guppy. Here the question is in which part of the tank do guppies give birth?

So, to your surprise, pregnant guppy is looking for a comfy and calm place to give birth. This can be either behind caves or decoration, in between the plants or grass or gravel, or near the heater. But there is no such precise place where guppies give birth.

I usually see female guppy delivering guppy fry within the plants or close to heater which keeps her warm.

Do Guppies Give Birth At The Bottom Of The Tank?

Yes, guppies give birth at the bottom of the tank when a female guppy feels safe and cozy. There is no such specific location to give birth. The pregnant guppy wants to rest first and in second place wants to find a good shelter to deliver baby guppy.

Do Guppies Give Birth At The Top Of The Tank?

Yes, guppies give birth at the top of the tank if there is a lack of oxygen.

Pregnant guppy staying at top of tank due to suffocation in the other parts of the aquarium. Guppies swimming at surface will hide behind the plants and deliver babies.

This is the correct time to transfer female guppy to birthing tank.

---

How To Make Guppies Give Birth Faster?    

You can follow below mentioned steps to make guppies give birth faster:

1. Regularly perform tests to check whether the water parameters and temperature are ideal or not.
2. Right water temperature is the key to quickening the birthing process. If the water is too cold then the pregnant guppy will take time to give birth. Hence, warm water will aid female guppy. Don’t overheat water as it will suffocate guppies.
3. High-quality food provides good nutrition to pregnant guppy.
4. Increase hiding spots in the tank which will provide a safe environment.

I am sharing a personal trick that I use normally by adding a divider in the tank so female guppies feel safe and which don’t disturb her habituated tank eco-system.

---

How To Know When Guppy Is Finished Giving Birth?      

Many of us are always excited to know how long does it take for a guppy to finish giving birth. However, it becomes hard to find out. But I look for these signs:

1. There are no more contractions.
2. Female guppy has stopped pushing out baby guppy for a longtime.
3. She has become active and swimming all around the aquarium.
4. Female guppies belly and gravid spot are back to normal.
5. She is now peaceful in behavior.
6. Mother guppy is hungrier as well as eating more than earlier.
7. Guppy is not hiding behind caves, driftwood or any other decorations.

Now, if you have separated female guppy from main tank then this is right time to move back to community tank.

---

Why Is My Female Guppy Not Giving Birth?

Early in my fishkeeping journey I faced this issue very often, so I am going to share what I learned. There are various reasons why is my female guppy not giving birth:

1. The tank water parameters are not optimum as per guppies requirement.
2. The water of aquarium is cold which makes it hard for pregnant guppy to deliver.
3. Pregnant guppies are not getting balanced diet as well as fed at irregular intervals.
4. Female guppies are stressed due to harassment by male guppies.
5. Pregnant guppy might be sick before pregnancy.
6. Female guppy has become old.

---

Conclusion 

Do guppies give birth at night? – Pregnant guppies prefer to give birth in peace and with minimum disturbance.

You should look for guppies pregnancy signs and take care of all needs to ease the delivery of guppy fry.

Further, good tank condition and environment play important role in fast and smooth releasing of young guppies.

If you still have questions, feel free to ask in comment box.

Happy Guppy Keeping!

---

FAQS

1. Why Are My Guppies At The Bottom Of The Tank At Night?   

The guppies are at bottom of the tank at night because they are tired after super active day. Guppies is laying at the bottom of the tank to take rest and sleep. You should turn off the lights, so guppies can sleep at night.

2. What Do Guppies Do At Night?         

Guppies sleep at night that does not mean they close their eyes. Guppies have eyelids which always remain open, they just take rest which comes mind and provide energy for next day.

---