my guppies

Question
Hi, i have just bought some guppy fish, I have 3 male and 4 female. I was wondering how U know when they are pregnant or even mating as some of my female guppies are quite fat but i carnt tell if they are pregnant! The males keep following the females and brushing against them is this a sign of mating? I also have 2 gruami fish male and female. the female is really fat but i don't know if she is pregnant, or what to look for in that type of fish.
thanks nikita  

Answer
Hi Nikita,
 Adult female guppies are almost always pregnant.  The following behavior is the male courting the female and attempting to mate.  

 Gouramis don't get pregnant like guppies.  While guppies have
internal fertilization and give birth to live young, gouramis carry eggs which the female lays and the male tends in a
bubble nest at the surface of the tank.  They are very tiny
eggs which hatch in about 3 days or less.  A female gourami who is about to lay eggs can get quite round in the belly region, but just because a gourami is round on the belly does not necessarily mean that she is full of eggs.

-- Ron
 rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
 Cichlid Research  Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>