deformed platy fry?

[Elle2]

Has anyone ever experienced chronic defects in their fry? I have some platies that seem to develop spinal defects as they age and I am unsure whether it is genetic or possibly due to something in my water.

At first I thought it was just birth defects, but as subsequent batches developed the same problem I began to worry. They are from the same breeding pair however, so it still seems to be possible that they are genetic problems.

Also, this particular female becomes VERY pregnant, so I am wondering if it could be caused from the large number of fish she carries.

I am worried b/c while the fish seem unaffected at first, as they grow older they seem more affected. They seem to have a difficult time swimming and I don't know whether they are in pain or not.

I cannot think of anything that could be contaminating the water. I don't use any cleaning products near the tank and the only things besides plants in there are 3 terracotta pots and two pieces of driftwood which are attached to a base- but I bought them at a large fish store so 'presumably' they would be safe.

Any thoughts?

 

[WaterPond]

it meens that the mother needs to be retired from her breeding career. Nothoing wrong with the water probably, just stop breeding, thats what i would do. You could get another pair to start breeding them.

 

[EXM]

I would be willing to bet on that you are keeping the fry too cold rather than it having to do with the parents. The same thing happened to my killifish when I bred them. I stuck the eggs in a plastic shoebox and when the fry were fully developed they were all one sex and deformed in the back and/or the tail.

 

[Elle2]

Thanks!

I actually did retire her... she was just constantly churning them out and I fealt bad for her (it wasn't even my intention to breed her - I was supposed to have 2 females but the person who supplied the fish made a mistake).

I didn't realise the fry needed a different temp. What would the appropriate temp be? I keep the tank at about 25 C (I think that's about 77 F ?)

 

[EXM]

Most platys and mollies are from central america and are able to tolerate temperatures up to about 88 degrees F. You should probably attempt to keep the fry at a constant temperature around 82 degrees F. It would be good for their health. Also, I did recently have a gorgious female guppy that did infact have like an ovary problem or something and could not be bred for she would produce misshapen fry. But otherwise many people don't realize that the fry of easy to keep and breed fish are usually hard to raise to even close to adulthood.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Fry do like a little warmer temperatures, but since it just started happening, I would be on WP's comment. Sounds like Momma has had enough babies.

 

[EXM]

I do agree with you. I have had some of the same thing happen with my Betta imbellis gigantica. They would be breedable for a couple of years but the females would require retiring after 2-3 years but the males could last 5-6 six before sterilization. [/b]

 

[zacusmaximus]

EXM, you had 5-6 year old bettas?

 

[DeFeKt]

haha thats funny..

It's interesting that her age has been considered, since there is no evidence of deformation since birth. I'm thinking, as you suggested, maybe some sort of a genetic disorder?
Does she show any signs? Are all the fry affected? or just alot of them? Are the parents from different sources? Maybe she carries something that doesn't appear in her body, but through what she produces.

btw, fry "like" warmer temperatures because it speeds up there metabolism. Making them ready for sale quicker.

 

[EXM]

Yes. I'm sorry. I said "Betta imbelis giganticae". He was really a Betta splendens, and yes, I did. I kept him in a hydroponic vase. You know the ones that have the plants coming out of the top and the roots in the water. He lived in that for about years and we managed to breed him in his 5th year and produce some somewhat decent fry. After that he was given to my ex-girlfriend, and after sufficient breeding for about 8-9 months, he croaked. But, when she bred him he did not produce sufficient fry but was willing to breed.