The Platy and the guppy

[SCFatz]

The Platy and the guppy...

Ok..heres the deal.Not long after I started the tank one of the kids picked out a sail fin platy.Orange and black female.

After we had this fish for a while I noticed it was most likely pregnant based on the size and color gravid(sp?) spot.I never saw it drop any fry but I think the guppy did....heres why I say that...the guppy spends most of his day right under the platy,kinda like shes an underwater food dispenser or something.

When I say right under I mean right under...almost/sometimes touching her.

I have two other male gupps in the tank and the often join in,but it seems like they are just following the actions of the first.

The problem is the platy gets rather tired of it and trys to run,dipping though caves and in and around plants to lose the guy.Sometimes it works,but he will find her again sooner or later and it on again.

I've noticed over the last week that she will (on occasion) turn and take a run at him and he'll scurry for a moment or two,so shes getting pretty fed up with it....although she doesn't look stressed (colorwise).

Right now shes just under two inches.Will she get big enough and mean enough to keep him at bay in the future?There is no chance of more fry as she is the only platy in the tank.Is my theory of why the gup is acting this way plausible?Do gups school?Mine seem too...

The wife says shes tired of seeing the poor fish running and hiding over the harassment and I have to agree with her.

Suggestions?Thoughts?

Fatz

 

[Zagz]

She will get larger than the guppy but he can still harass her. Do you have only the 3 male guppies in the tank or is there females as well? He may be trying to mate with her in the abscense of any guppy females. It's not terribly likely but possible. When my male guppies are trying to mate with the females they do exactly as you described. You can provide more hiding spots for her or get a tank divider and use it to give her some relief. If she doesn't get any relief from this, she will get stressed and be succeptible to illness.

Sorry to be the one to tell you this but regardless of having any male platies in the tank, your platy can have more babies. Livebearer's can store sperm for several months.

 

[SCFatz]

Sorry to be the one to tell you this but regardless of having any male platies in the tank, your platy can have more babies. Livebearer's can store sperm for several months

Interesting..I had thought I remembered something like that from years ago,but I wasn't quite sure at all. Potent fellas aint they?! lol

Well its been almost two months so I'll wait it out for a while longer.It didn't seem to bad last night so maybe its on the wane.

And yes...just three male gups,no females.I really want to avoid the whole guppy fry batches.They are after all the under water rabbit.

Thanks for the reply Zagz.

Fatz

 

[Zagz]

Hopefully they will leave her alone as she gets bigger. She will outsize them by a fair bit so here's hoping.