Pregnant platy??pls help!

[Melika2928]

Hey. I have a platy I think is preggers. Not 100% positive but she keeps getting bigger. I am open to any opinions. I have never had fry before so I am really in the dark. She is in a 5g with a female friend currently. Homemade sponge filter and a heater at a constant 76. Been feeding her bloodworms, flakes and zucchini. Recently became more aggressive with her tank mate and has been unusually shy, and is hiding all the time. So... Is she or isn't she? Pls help.

 

[Oohitsae]

Oh yeah, definitely pregnant! Will probably drop fry within a week or two.

When she does drop the fry, try to remove either all of them, or move the adults back onto the main tank if you want to save them. You can feed them finely crushed flakes, hikari first bites, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, live/frozen baby brine, microworms or similar food. Basically anything an adult fish will eat in a smaller size.

Good luck!

 

[Melika2928]

Ty. I made a fry saver for the tank just in case. Her belly is starting to look really flat today so I put her in it tonight. It has cut outs big enough for fry to fall through (an inch in length and a cm wide) and the tank is full of anacharis that were taken from the tank she had been in before. Since the trap is the same length of the tank i put both girls in it as well as some plants. Will that work? Or should I just leave them be? Guess I am lucky I asked my friend if she had any spare tanks. She gave me a 10g that I can use for a grow out tank.

 

[Ian086]

Ty. I made a fry saver for the tank just in case. Her belly is starting to look really flat today so I put her in it tonight. It has cut outs big enough for fry to fall through (an inch in length and a cm wide) and the tank is full of anacharis that were taken from the tank she had been in before. Since the trap is the same length of the tank i put both girls in it as well as some plants. Will that work? Or should I just leave them be? Guess I am lucky I asked my friend if she had any spare tanks. She gave me a 10g that I can use for a grow out tank.

That should work fine. I would do the opposite with the tanks. Use the 10g for the females and use the 5g for the grow out. Just remember to cycle the 10g for the females. I would separate the females asap. The non pregnant female will stress the pregnant female. She will get square when she's ready and I would guess about 7-10 days. Just remember, you will probably not be able to save every fry, some maybe still-born, get eaten or just not survive. Don't be alarmed, this is pretty normal. Just remember to keep there water good. The food, you have been give good advice already. I am a big fan of First Bites(Hikari). Are you planning on keeping the fry or trade them/give away???

 

[Melika2928]

I was looking to trade depending on how many there are, and how many survive. I still have plenty of room in the main tank as well and was looking to add more fish to it anyway. We will see. Ill keep this thread updated. Thanks for the help!

 

[Cneracker]

I have had great results with First Bites as well! They really help develop the little fry's!

 

[Melika2928]

The babies are here! So far I count 7 or 8 fry.

 

[Ian086]

The babies are here! So far I count 7 or 8 fry.

Congrats. Was she in a trap??

 

[Ian086]

Got some fry myself. 3 day old Molly fry and 2wk old Pepper Cory's....

 

[Melika2928]

Never had fry before. They are about a day old.

 

[Melika2928]

Congrats. Was she in a trap??

No she wasn't in a trap. I got home really late last night and forgot. She was in her own tank filled with anacharis. I moved her into the trap this morning in case she wasn't done, one I made with cut outs in the bottom. She swam right into it on her own.

 

[Melika2928]

Question. I have read that platy fry can eat algae. M y little 5 gallon my fry are in is starting to grow algae due to using a light to keep the water heated. I am doing pwc every other day and am watching how much I feed them vs how much they eat. My question is should I worry about cleaning off the algae, or should I leave it be?

 

[Ian086]

Question. I have read that platy fry can eat algae. M y little 5 gallon my fry are in is starting to grow algae due to using a light to keep the water heated. I am doing pwc every other day and am watching how much I feed them vs how much they eat. My question is should I worry about cleaning off the algae, or should I leave it be?

I'm not sure about the algae to be honest. I know they do eat the algae and a little certainly won't do any harm. Letting it take over the tank, i'm not sure. If I was you I would get a nano heater. The fry grow much faster if you raise the temp. I keep my fry tank around 80-82. I would only have the light on for 6-8 hours.

 

[Melika2928]

I'm not sure about the algae to be honest. I know they do eat the algae and a little certainly won't do any harm. Letting it take over the tank, i'm not sure. If I was you I would get a nano heater. The fry grow much faster if you raise the temp. I keep my fry tank around 80-82. I would only have the light on for 6-8 hours.

Unfortunately I don't have the money for a heater at the moment. Ill see if I can find someone with a spare. The algae isn't bad yet, just starting to show. Thanks anyway.

 

[Melika2928]

So I now have a second batch of fry. Count is approximately 28. Momma is only 2 weeks away from the next batch. Gonna be overrun soon.

 

[Melika2928]

Here's some pics!