Hey Matt. Welcome to the boards.

Usually you want a 3 to 1 ratio of females to males because the males tend to pick on the females when they're pregnant. They are very persistent. You should NOT put a pregnant female into a breeding box until she is very close to giving birth, and no more than 24 hours because it is very stressful for her... well both aspects are very stressful. You can tell how close she is to delivering by the gravid spot (located by her anus). It will get darker the closer she is to delivery. In my experience it would be a reddish color, but I've also had some that had a greyish gravid spot. My best friend could see the little ones inside hers, but I could not. It depends on your fish what you can see and what color the gravid spot is. Usually when she is close to delivering, she will rest her big belly on the bottom of the tank or on some decor. In my experience, my females would refuse food during the last couple of days.

You could separate the females and males, but live bearers eat their young, so if the one female is giving birth you may lose a few by the other female.

Water quality is extremely important for the fry, so you will have to keep up with the water changes. The fry require feedings at least 4 times a day, so your tank can get quite nasty very quickly.

If you have any other questions, I'll do my best to help you.
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Phishie
Site Coordinator

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

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