DreaminginBlue
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2016
- Messages
- 779
Hello,
I am planning on breeding platies. I have been doing research and know the basics, 1:3 or at least 1:2 ratio of males to females, they are livebearers, best to have a fry tank, etc. I am going to keep the fish in my 26 gallon planted community tank, and set up a 10 gallon fry tank to put the fry in.
I'm thinking perhaps I'll start with one set, maybe two or three females plus the handsome red wagtail male I already have. Maybe later I will get another male and 2-3 more females, but I figure starting slow (especially with such prolific breeders) is a better idea. I know when selecting stock one should look for healthy, active fish with no signs of illness, but I'm stumped when it comes for selection of strain.
I don't know if I should just get more red wagtails, so that I can be fairly certain what the fry will look like (even though I learned that it is very rare for a fish to be solely of one strain, and that background traits from parents or grandparents could make random appearances). I am also considering getting some other strains and seeing what happens. I really love the honeybee platies and the metallic blue ones. The marigold and sunset are also gorgeous. However, I am worried I will end up with dull fry. I guess I like to know what I'm doing going into anything, so I don't want to just pick some fish I like and toss them in the tank without some idea of what might happen. I know it's hard to predict what fry will look like sometimes because of genes popping up from past generations, but if there is anyone with personal experience with platies (or other fish, for that matter) who can help me, that would be great.
I've tried Punnett squares, but to no avail. Every Google search yields "just try it and then you'll see what happens," but I figure there must be some rhyme and reason to this process.
All help is greatly appreciated.
I am planning on breeding platies. I have been doing research and know the basics, 1:3 or at least 1:2 ratio of males to females, they are livebearers, best to have a fry tank, etc. I am going to keep the fish in my 26 gallon planted community tank, and set up a 10 gallon fry tank to put the fry in.
I'm thinking perhaps I'll start with one set, maybe two or three females plus the handsome red wagtail male I already have. Maybe later I will get another male and 2-3 more females, but I figure starting slow (especially with such prolific breeders) is a better idea. I know when selecting stock one should look for healthy, active fish with no signs of illness, but I'm stumped when it comes for selection of strain.
I don't know if I should just get more red wagtails, so that I can be fairly certain what the fry will look like (even though I learned that it is very rare for a fish to be solely of one strain, and that background traits from parents or grandparents could make random appearances). I am also considering getting some other strains and seeing what happens. I really love the honeybee platies and the metallic blue ones. The marigold and sunset are also gorgeous. However, I am worried I will end up with dull fry. I guess I like to know what I'm doing going into anything, so I don't want to just pick some fish I like and toss them in the tank without some idea of what might happen. I know it's hard to predict what fry will look like sometimes because of genes popping up from past generations, but if there is anyone with personal experience with platies (or other fish, for that matter) who can help me, that would be great.
I've tried Punnett squares, but to no avail. Every Google search yields "just try it and then you'll see what happens," but I figure there must be some rhyme and reason to this process.
All help is greatly appreciated.
