my platys are like rabbits

[jimluann]

55 gallon tank with Platys (actual number undetermined) 5 zebra danios, 6 rasboras, and 2 algae eaters.

I read about platys being live bearers, but I thought that conditions had to be "just right" in order to happen. Four months ago we started out with 2 males and 6 female platys. At last count we have about 15-18 little ones of various sizes.

We did nothing special, must be the fry have a good place to hide and find food. Every morning we have this adventure to try and find new babies and to check on the others. Our seven year old has come up with a system of descriptive names. We have called the smallest who stay hidden under things "babies," When they venture out, but mostly in the tangle of plants and such, we call them kids. Teenagers swim out in the open around other adults, and Graduates go to the top and eat with the big dogs.

Two questions

1) What does a person do with all these fish? I understand math and can see a whole tank full of fish in a hurry. I asked the lfs and they told me that they could not take them. Is there a fish adoption agency somewhere?

2) Is there a Platy "salt peeter" out there that can help with population control? Am I going to have to resort to sending the males to the local water treatment plant?

I need some advice

 

[55gallons]

you could list the fish for free on here or craigslist.org in your state/city-


you could say - 2.1 ratio per person - or up to 6 per person/house hold depending on housing avail at thier home -

you could say free - and willing to ship if new owner pays shipping -

 

[zenkatydid]

find another fish shop? advertising them in your local paper is good too, but beware they may sell as feeders.

i have heard that livebearers will only reproduce to the point of a sustainable group in their environment, but i'm not sure i trust that. if you don't want them to breed your best bet is to remove all of one sex. i would go with removing the females, because even after the males are gone, they will continue having babies with stored sperm for months and you will never catch up with it.

edit: another option would be to introduce a fish that will eat the fry... but not sure what your seven year old will think of that

 

[Zagz]

IME livebearer's will continue to breed well beyond a tank's capacity. My guppies bred over 300 fry in a 15 gal tank. I ended up separating the males from the females 5 months ago. That being said the females are still having babies as they can store the sperm for several months.

I either give the fry to the lfs when they get big enough or auction them at our local aquarium club.

 

[garth7]

This is a very good question... I was planning on getting some platties... I was wondering though if it was hard to ship the fish out...