General Platy Questions

[Laird-and-Dad]

Hi everyone! I have some platys that have looked pregnant for 3 weeks now.

Here are some pictures I just took:


Sunset Fire Wag Platy

And


Sunset Fire Platy

Are these fish pregnant? If so, when should I expect fry? How can I save at least some fry without using breeder nets or breeder tanks?

Also, we have 3 male platys. Two of them are being bullied by the other. They are both hanging out by the filter. Is this normal behavior? Is there anything I can do to get them to be more active?

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Pamiam]

Here is quick, general information. I hope this helps some.

Normally live bearer gestation period is 4-5 weeks if the female feels safe, I have heard of them carrying longer.

You will not have many or any fry survive if they are not separated. Big fish eat little fish. Even having lots of hiding spots and plants will not guarantee survival.

For my schools of fish I have 1 male and 5+ females. That is my 55 gal. tank. I believe the normal ratio is 1 male to 3 females. Males will battle for dominance over mating privileges. It also depends on tank size and space for each male.

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

Thank you so much! I have heard in the past of a 1:2 ratio, so that's what I did, but I wish now that I could have done 1:3 as my males are being aggressive. I have also heard of the gestation period being 4-5 weeks, but can you tell from the pictures how far along in the process they are? Also, because I don't have a tank that I could cycle in time for the fry, even if they were 5 weeks away, is there any way I could keep them safe in my main tank? I've heard adding hornwort to the top of the tank will help, but neither my local petco or petsmart has it and although I've yet to check my local fish-only store, they specialize in saltwater and barely have any fw selection. Is there another, more common floating plant that would serve the same purpose? Also, I would just like to confirm that they are definitely pregnant, and not bloated?

Thank you very much for your response!

 

[icydeath]

You could look for anacharis? This works incredibly well. If not, you can always buy a breeder box and scoop the fry up and put them in there. I like putting the fry in the box as it is less stressful on the mother, and stress can make her reabsorb them. But, if you are gentle and move slowly she should be okay. Also, right after you do it, turn off the lights as it can be rather stressful. I also like to dose with StressCoat, but that is totally optional.

Another thing you can do is get non toxic yarn and make a breeding mop!

Remember to cover the intake of your current filter with unused panty hose or the like to keep the fry from getting sucked in. A lot of people use a prefilter which is pretty nice in adding more filtration and more safety for fry.

Btw, you should consider buying (or making) a sponge filter as a supplementary filter. That way you always have a spare and more importantly, cycled, filter for the next time they have babies. Plus, a sponge filter won't suck them up.

Best of luck, - Raymond

 

[icydeath]

If they are hanging out by the filter you may want to check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels with a liquid kit.

Also, they look pretty pregnant.. They are starting to box off. Are the males the same way? If so, it could just be overfeeding. I doubt this however.

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

The males are not the same way, so then I assume that they are pregnant. For all my NH3 NO2 NO3 stats, see my thread 'Help!' here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/help-315787.html

EDIT: Oh haha I see that you have already been to that thread lol ?

 

[icydeath]

Woops. Didn't know it is the same tank! Silly me.. XD

The high ammonia levels is the reason they are by the filter (most likely) just keep up with the water changes every time ammonia and nitrite go up.

Try to temp match since you are doing this so frequently. I suggest you also use StressCoat as it is very useful in helping the fish deal with the stress. AQSalt can help too.

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

I currently have the NatGeo IFS 30 filter that came with the tanks, but I will definitely get a supplemental sponge filter.

I remember seeing anarchis, so I will buy some.

What is a breeding mop and how do I make it?

I will try a breeding box, but I've heard it can be stressful on the mothers, so I have been somewhat reluctant.

How would I make a sponge filter?

Thank you so much you've been really helpful.

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

How often should I do water changes? I am using aq salt but will pick up some stress coat. Would ammolock help too? What is temp matching?

 

[icydeath]

1. Spawning Mop

2. Sponge Filter
3. 25-50% daily or every three days (just keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite and make sure to change it if spikes)
4. Ammolock will help.
5. Just getting the temperature of the water you put in, the temperature of the tank. You only need to get close if you are willing to take the time to let the water slowly fill in.

I really like the guy who makes the sponge filter and a lot of cool diy stuff is on his channel so I suggest you check it out.

Also, check out the wall filter

This is as useful as the sponge filter and it will also keep work as a divider to keep the males from harassing her before she gives, will keep the babies safe after. Plus, until you get more females, you can use this if they are harassing her. Just use the airlift on the side without the fry.

Best of wishes, - Raymond

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

Thank you so much!! I will definitely be making a sponge filter although I'm not sure how the other one would work in my bow front. If I leave it in my current tank running long enough, will it gain enough bacteria that I could put it into my QT tank whenever necessary and not have to do a fishless cycle? I.e. Could I have a stack of two sponges in my 23, so that if I needed to put a fish in the QT (which I would also use as a hospital tank) immediately, I could just put in that filter and then put in the fish?

 

[ArtistGardener]

Just get a fry box that is made of netting and put it in your main tank. Rather than putting the mom in it, just wait until you see babies (you would need floating plants to protect them), then scoop them out of the tank with a cup and place them in there. The water will be the same as they were born in. That works very well until they are a bit larger; then you can transfer them to their own tank. Here is a photo of what I mean (available at a number of pet retailers). You'll know the females are close to dropping when the gravid spot gets darker (you can sometimes see babies eyes through the mom's skin) and she squares off drastically.

 

[icydeath]

Yeah you can stack two sponge filters. Just make sure you have holes that go that high so both sponges get flow.

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

Would the sponges gain enough beneficial bacteria so that I could just take one out and add it to the QT, and not have to do any cycling at all?

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

I will see about getting the mesh fry box. I have looked at only one of my LFS's, but they didn't have one.

Thank you!

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

Update--one of the males (the one who was the primary target of aggression) died this morning. ? Definitely replacing him with a female.

The other one is no longer being bullied and is not by the filter anymore!

I just want to thank you guys again for all your help!

 

[Pamiam]

If you get the fry box that the above post suggested, it is cheaper and you don't have to worry about fry being sucked in the filter, or eaten or making a mop thingy. I believe they are only a couple of bucks ...maybe 5 tops.

 

[Laird-and-Dad]

Ok yeah I will look into it.

 

[icydeath]

Would the sponges gain enough beneficial bacteria so that I could just take one out and add it to the QT, and not have to do any cycling at all?

That's the idea. It will also be useful if you need to set up a second tank for whatever reason.

I agree with the box, but it is always nice to have the sponge filter. Just keep an eye out for fry and scoop them in.

Best of luck! - Raymond

 

[icydeath]

You could also probably make one, if you can't find one, I'll tell you how to make one.