Unsure if my female mickey mouse platy is fat or pregnant, help

[Ian086]

That's awesome news I've had her for about a year now and this is the first patch im trying to save. I have her in the breeder box right now but she just seems really stressed I put a blanket over the top to try to help clam her but idk how well its working... how long can she stay in that breeder box, is there anything to help calm down her down or move things along?

I would say she's nearly ready. Good idea with the blanket, was going to suggest that!!..Personally i just knock off all lights and airstones but your doing that already..Imo there's not much more you can do, mother nature will take over now.. I know it's hard, but try and leave the tank alone, they usually give birth during the night when it's quiet and dark in the room..
Check out my pictures of my fry tank, it's picture no.6, it's my platy actually giving birth!!!..Also you'll see the way i have the fry tank set-up, i know it's not pretty(at the moment!!), but i'm waiting till the fry are big enough to move to my 55g and then i'm going to change the set-up. Replace the gravel with sand..Note the tights on my filter..I have taken out the smaller filter since, only had it there while i cycled my new one...

 

[_skyla_]

That's awesome news I've had her for about a year now and this is the first patch im trying to save. I have her in the breeder box right now but she just seems really stressed I put a blanket over the top to try to help clam her but idk how well its working... how long can she stay in that breeder box, is there anything to help calm down her down or move things along?

What I did was with my platy was put some floating plant cover in the breeder and turned the lights out and she had the fry by morning. If she gets too stressed and doesn't have them soon you could let her have the babies in the tank and scoop them out with a net into the breeder. I did that with my guppy female.

 

[fishenthusiastbeginner]

I just checked it out this morning it looks pretty good also checked on my platy and not even one little fry I would put her back in the big tank but I hav so many others in there I think the fry would all just get eaten right away that or id never be able to find them

 

[Tropicallie]

I just checked it out this morning it looks pretty good also checked on my platy and not even one little fry I would put her back in the big tank but I hav so many others in there I think the fry would all just get eaten right away that or id never be able to find them

Just give her a few days! My first pregnant guppy I had her in the breeder box and then took her out because she hadn't dropped them. Literally the day I took her out she dropped them in the big tank and I freaked out and tried to net out all the babies. It was a disaster.

 

[fishenthusiastbeginner]

That sounds like a horrible first timer experience! Wow, but ok ill leave her in there for a few more days might go to a lfs and get some floating plants to try and help relax her a little more, thank you all for the help/suggestions ill keep you updated on what's going on

 

[Ian086]

That sounds like a horrible first timer experience! Wow, but ok ill leave her in there for a few more days might go to a lfs and get some floating plants to try and help relax her a little more, thank you all for the help/suggestions ill keep you updated on what's going on

Hey, if you have any spare fake plants, just use them. Pull them out of the anchor and they'll float!!

 

[fishenthusiastbeginner]

Good idea and way cheaper hopefully ill hav some

 

[delfisherman]

I used to have molly babies every 4 weeks and found that if you floated lotsa plants and around the time you think they would give birth raise the tank temp by 2-4 degrees and it makes them pop. i once caught my balloon molly in the act. at one point i had over 150 baby platy's, mollys and swords

 

[fishenthusiastbeginner]

I still haven't seen anything and she's still the same size if not a tad but bigger

 

[Chiragbrahmani]

my mickey mouse platy also pregnent?

Can any one conform my platy is pregnant or its normal. I buy couple of days ago.

 

[my_fish77]

Personally for me I would have got a mesh cage. The only reason to why is because the female will get very stressed in a small space and she can see the others on the out side. Many people have dried a breeders box and came back to check on their fish and it died from the stress.

 

[Fdsh5]

I use this trick for swordtails but it can be used for platies too. I put the mom in a 5 gallon bucket with an air stone. Then I put a ton of pillow stuffing on top of the bucket and place a piece of foam on top of the bucket. When the fry are born, they swim through the stuffing and swim in the water on top of the bucket and the mom can't get to them.