Platy Question

[arrynyo]

I have a question about my female platy that i have in my tank. I know that if pregnant, the babies are supposed to drop within a month. But this platy that i have is HUGE and shese been this way for the past 3 months. now im not an expert, but i think something may be wrong. there is only 1 other male platy in there with her and some female mollies but nobody seems to bother her, the water is fine because i havent had a death in almost a year, and im not overfeeding because she is the only one that is fat! she was normal sized when i got her then she ballooned up. is she even pregnant? if anybody has any info or help id be happy to hear from you

 

[mfdrookie516]

got a picture of her? when you say ballooned up, do you mean she looks like a balloon molly or something like that? Dont assume your water is fine because none of your fish have died... Might be worth testing, though i seriously doubt jacked up water parameters would cause bloating... BTW, welcome to AA

EDIT: forgot about dropsy, thanks Jamie

 

[DragonFish71]

Welcome to AA.

And I second mfd on the water testing.

If you look at her from the top does she look like a pine cone? If so, then it might be dropsy, which is an indicator of bad water conditions. Of course, a picture would really help.

 

[arrynyo]

ill post a few pics up within the next few minutes

 

[arrynyo]

platy questions pics

here are the pics of her. like i said shes been like this for the longest with no fluctuations in her size, i just cant pin it down...

 

[DragonFish71]

Hm ok, not looking like a pinecone. Not that I can tell anyway. I'm seeing a bit of flatness in pics 1 & 2 at her belly. Hard to tell for sure if it's just the quality of the pics or actually there. If it is flatness, she could very well be ready to give birth. Just because you haven't seen fry doesn't mean she hasn't popped some out. Our females drop a few at a time instead of a huge drop. You say she just ballooned up, I know that's a sign with ours and our's do seem to stay ballooned for a few months then go skinny.


Outside of that, I'm not seeing anything indicating illness. Her fins are fanned out nicely, not clamped. No cloudy eyes, no "salt" looking spots. No cotton like masses. Again, based on picture quality. From what I see, healthy and prego.

 

[DragonFish71]

Another thing, are you feeding them with freeze dried foods? If so, soak it in a cup of tank water first. It can cause them to bloat. Not saying that's whats going on, just an idea that hit me. If you get really concerned, not that I see any reason to be, you can try a boiled pea. Boil it,let it cool, tear off that outer part and give her a little bit. Just in case of constipation. Another idea.

 

[arrynyo]

yeah im working on the peas and im glad she seems to look good i know my pics are kinda crappy ill put a few more up and use a higher resolution but i never thought she could hold them for this long......

 

[arrynyo]

Another thing, are you feeding them with freeze dried foods? If so, soak it in a cup of tank water first. It can cause them to bloat. Not saying that's whats going on, just an idea that hit me. If you get really concerned, not that I see any reason to be, you can try a boiled pea. Boil it,let it cool, tear off that outer part and give her a little bit. Just in case of constipation. Another idea.

the only thing ive been feeding them is regular flakes (the tropical kind) i do have some goldfish flakes if they are better but other than that i might give them some ground up brine shrimp every once in a while

 

[arrynyo]

new better pics

here are the higher resolution pics which i must say look way better. i have her in the net (and trust me i was VERY gentile i didnt want to stress her out) so she wouldnt be a blur

 

[DragonFish71]

She looks good to me. Honestly I think she's just way prego.

The food you're giving her is fine. And like mfd said, keep an eye on your water parameters.

 

[arrynyo]

thanks now i feel better about her i thought she was going to pop. so i should just wait for babies then?

 

[DragonFish71]

Yep, now you wait. You might see her hanging near the bottom, hiding behind some decor and breathing heavy. If you do, that can indicate she is gonna pop. Also, remember I had posted about the "flatness" on her belly? It could get flatter just before she pops. Make sure you have place for the fry to hide, if you want to keep them that is.

 

[arrynyo]

i guess i was just being impatient i hope she drops a whole mess of them because ive been waiting since december for her to drop and i cant take it anymore. i do have some goo places for the fry to hide i overturned the fake coral i have in there and also i have some plastic and real plants. but ill take them out anyways i want as many to make it as possible. thanks for the help too i appreciate it greatly