Platy Breeding

[asberry2]

I have two male platys and five female platys in a twenty gallon tank. They've been in there for about two months and there's been little signs of mating and no pregnant looking females and certainly no fry. I keep a very close eye on them. What could be the problem here? How could I encourage them to breed?

 

[Aron]

Perhaps your water parameters or water temperature? A very unlikely circumstance would be your males are infertile... But so long as they are three month plus they are practically baby creating machines! It is usually hard to stop platy fry popping up everywhere!!

I would wait a little longer and make sure the fry have somewhere to hide just incase you have missed a drop!? females sometimes don't fill out so much and appear as obviously pregnant.

 

[Fdsh5]

Are there hiding places for the fry? If not they won't make it. I have guppy grass and hornwort floating in my platy tank and the fry just hang out in there. As far as encouraging breeding, nothing special is required. They are good at populating a tank

 

[bruinsbro1997]

If water parameters are not off, then I would think they're being eaten. IMO fry can be eaten like that. Any other fish in the tank?

 

[asberry2]

The water quality is good and there is beyond enough hiding space for fry...there's some live plants and fake ones that are very dense and two small caves. I don't think I missed a drop but I guess its possible. I have been paying very close attention. I guess ill give it a little more time and if nothing happens try another male

 

[asberry2]

There's three cory catfish other than the platys and that's it...I didn't think they'd be responsible for eating any fry if it wasn't the platys

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Are they fully grown?

 

[Aron]

You're right corys won't bother fry but the adult platys definitely will actively hunt them down. If all is ok, like you said, wait longer.

 

[asberry2]

The platys are all fully grown looking...one of the females is just smaller than the rest. The females are slightly larger than the males. There are four red platys, two orange ones, and a black and white one...I didn't know if the different colors might affect their breeding? There is a 1 1/2 inch cory and two that are about 3/4 of an inch

 

[asberry2]

Let's say one of the females has fry. How many would one female have at one time? What are their chances for survival if I leave them in the community tank and don't use a breeder net or anything like that? How long until they're big or old enough not to get eaten?

 

[Fdsh5]

My platies are in a platy only tank. I honestly could not tell you how many fry they give birth to as I have never witnessed the birth. I usually find less than 5 of the fry swimming around with each batch. I don't separate them just let them hide and fend for themselves.

 

[asberry2]

Do any end up surviving or not usually?

 

[Aron]

Depending on conditions and diet 5-40 is not unusual, sometimes more. I usually get around 30ish from my swordtails which aren't far from platies. I would say without netting them you would get two or three survivors from each drop which isn't bad because, the way I look at it, the strongest survive and there will be a new batch each month an you don't want to get over run with little ones!

 

[Fdsh5]

That's exactly my thinking. The strongest survive and usually if they are big enough for me to see, they make it. Between the guppy grass and the rocks they have plenty of hiding spots.

 

[asberry2]

Should I do a water change while the platys are pregnant...especially when they get closer to giving birth or not?

 

[Fdsh5]

Personally I do not do any other water changes but my weekly 50% water change

 

[Robert123]

I have a pregant. Platy.




My tank stays at a temp of 22 •c
And ive only had her for about 4 weeks and she already pregant.
I have plenty of live plants in there and a aquis 750 filter.
So my water is so clear

 

[asberry2]

They still haven't had any babies...

 

[Robert123]

Havent they?
They should have done

 

[asberry2]

There's two female that look very pregnant to me...but they've looked really big for a long time. They seem to have a gravid spot and have for a while. I dont know how long their gestation period is but there's no way it could be this long.