Can u sell baby platies? Don't know what 2 do with them all!

[Christina]

Dear all,

My sunset platies keep breeding, and I don't like them to be eaten by my big catfish yet don't have enough room for them in my tank.

Is there a market for them at all? Do people pay for them, or should I just give them away to good homes?
If people do pay for them, how much should I say on an advert (I was thinking of advertising at my local pet shop)?

Any advice much appreciated,

Christina.

 

[grimlock3000]

They really do not have any value until you grow them out to about half an inch or a bit larger. That will take you a few months. Even then, Platys are dirt cheap so do not expect much for them, if anything.

Just let the Catfish eat them if you do not know what to do with them. IMO It is better to just let the Catfish eat them right away instead of having a bunch of baby fish you do not know what to do with.

 

[gozetec02]

They do make good food for other fish like cichlids and such. Or you could always scoop them out and send them down the sink but thats cruel and doesn't benefit anyone.

 

[Kasakato]

I have 5 in my fry tank. I would take them off your hands but you are a bit to far from me in Toronto. I am letting mine grow to about half of their adult size and them giving them to my LFS.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Yeah, I agree with Grimlock-n- Gozetec they are practically worthless, you can't make but pennies off'em.
If you know that all your fish and the tank are/is healthy then continue to let your Catfish eat'em, or since your squeamish if you have friend with fish who like fry then give'em away as feeders.
The use of feeders is usually a contested subject due to the high chance of introducing disease from commercial feeders, but some folks if they had a source they knew was clean/healthy would happily take'em off your hands.
My Oscar would love'em to pieces

 

[lyquidphyre]

If you can find a mom and pop lfs they might take them and give you store credit

I sold my overstocked guppy/platy tank and in the end I got about $40 in store credit

 

[gheitman]

My LFS buys the mollies I breed when they get about an inch and a half long. They pay me 60% of what they sell them for (usually with in store credit). If you want to raise your platies to this size you should get another tank just for raising them. I don't know if this is a practical solution for you or not.

 

[Blackpearl]

I've just sold 10 of my grown up platies to LFS, and they worth a dollar each (canadian).

What catfish will eat the platies? Just curious.

 

[jibboo]

I have 15 platy fry right now also (about 1 month old) ... I've been waiting for them to get big enough to introduce back into the tank and was prolly gonna keep a few and take the rest back to the lfs.

Anyways, my platy has already dropped one more batch (which I let the other fish eat) and is pregnant again ... so I'm running into the same problem that you have.

Will it be a problem if I keep 3 or 4 of the platy fry in with the parents? Will I have inbreeding problems? meaning will I get sick fish if they inbreed?

My fry seem to be growing nicely and are now eating flake food and bloodworms ... I wish they'd grow faster, so I could let them out, but I have some big guaramis that I'm very wary of.

 

[Christina]

I was wondering what everyone else did in this situation! Clearly the answer of taking the fish to the lfs is easier than trying to give them to people (especially when I don't know anyone with a tropical tank). I'll find out whether mine will do it.

My catfish that (I think) eats the platy babies is a Feather-Fin Catfish, or Synodontis eupterus. He/she has a very nice nature but his mouth is so big and they stay at the bottom when they've first been born (in my limited experience).

 

[Kasakato]

Which store was that?

 

[Blackpearl]

I didnt exactly sell my platies to LFS, but rather trade them. I brought them to Petland.

If you worry about inbreed, try trading your male platies with new male platies from LFS. At least you're introducing new gene pool (if I can use such term). But if you dont want any more babies, then fish out all your males and trade them with females. (Very) Slowly there will be no more males and no more babies....