The truth about stocking livebearers?

[jenelle]

I'm about to upgrade my planted 15 g to a planted 45 g. I'm moving the fish currently in the 15 g over to the 45 g once it is cycled. (The 15 g is just too darn small!)

I am hoping the larger tank will cycle quickly if I use filter material from the 15 g.

My stocking plan:
- 8 harlequin rasboro
- 8 rummy nose tetra
- 2 german blue rams
- 2 endler (both male, but different types)
- 6 Julii cory
- 6 otos
- probably a bristlenose pleco
- 3 or 4 platy (1 male? 2 or 3 female?)

My question is about the platies... I love these guys and I currently have only 1 female. Once I add more, I know there will be babies galore, so does this mean my tank will get overstocked? Are all the babies doomed to be gobbled up? Am I making a cruel decision not to save them? Should I keep the 15 g as a nursery? But then what? Will LFS take free babies??

I can't quite resolve this question in my mind. Input appreciated.

 

[jenelle]

I just had a thought after reading some other threads that maybe I should just stick with 1 female platy and avoid the livebearer conundrum by getting one angel instead. However, I don't know much about angels and I don't know if they are compatible with everything that I've listed above.

Should this be an option I consider? I'll start researching info on angels in the meantime.

 

[jenelle]

Oops. Looks like angels would
eat my endlers. Maybe honey gouramis then, or back to the original platy plan!

 

[Mebbid]

Why not go with all male livebearers? No babies to worry about.

 

[jenelle]

Unfortunately, the platy I got on day 1 is a girl! I could get a couple other females, but I read if you have platys all of the same gender they pick on each other.


15 gallon, planted -
Moving up to 45 g soon!

 

[Masha]

I only recently got some swordtails so I'm not speaking from personal experience but from what I've read and others have advised me:

The tank is unlikely to get overstocked as the babies will get eaten unless it's really heavily planted.

Whether that is cruel or not is really something you'd have to decide for yourself - it's what happens in the wild, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's what you want to happen in your tank. None of my females have given birth yet and I'm a little dreading the event as I know all the fry will be eaten.

I'm more worried about what it is like for the females to give birth all the time. I don't think they care about the fry, but it must take a physical toll on their bodies. But as I've got a male and two females I suppose I'll find out one way or the other.

Also keep in mind that it is possible that the female you have is already pregnant and will give birth several times as she can store the sperm from a single mating. She might have mated before you bought her. Just depends how long you've had her. I know swordtails take 6 weeks to give birth, not sure if that is comparable to platies.