You will probably notice the males picking on the females, as a 3 female to 1 male ratio is preferred (so no one female is being picked on). Otherwise, it sounds like your set up is suitable. The snails will help maybe a little, but not majorly. You will still have to do many water changes with the smaller tank as the fry will need fed several times a day. Keep in mind that you have 4 females, and if it's their first time breeding they can have anywhere from 8-20 fry (their first time and many more there after).

You will be able to tell when your female is ready to pop by the gravid spot (the dark spot on her abdomen, close to the anus). If I recall correctly, I think it's a cycle of 28 days from fertilization to birth. You will be able to tell... trust me. Mine used to rest on the bottom of the tank because I imagine their bellies were quite heavy. You can only keep the female in the breeding box/net for 24 hours... otherwise you will stress her out tremendously... and she could lose her babies.

It is likely that your female is pregnant if she was with males at the pet store. If not, she very well could be over eating, but guppies are very easy to breed... so my guess is she IS pregnant.

I never had a filter in my fry tank, but I made sure the water was well aerated and clean. So the air stone will be fine, an added bonus to relieve stress from the babies.

Water changes should be performed carefully. It takes some getting used to. I did not use a siphon to perform my water changes. Also, keep in mind that the fry will be more sensitive than their parents, during the first little bit of life, to water changes. So do little changes more frequently. I'd say maybe 1/2 gallon every week, or more if your specific tank needs it. I used a one gallon tank for my fry, but I only had one or two females breeding at a time and they were new mommies.

Good luck.
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Phishie
Site Coordinator

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

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