Platy Help Required

[platyoutofwater]

Hi there, new to the forum and new to the world of owning fish I guess though I have done a lot of research since purchasing a tank to ensure that the conditions are right for the fish as I would not wish to subject a life to unhealthy conditions.

I have had the tank for around three months now, when it was first cycled I started off with one platy and she has been absolutely vibrant in the tank, she has more energy than I do! Checked the water and all levels appear to be fine so I was quite impressed with myself for a novice.

At the weekend I felt it was time to get her some company so I purchased two further female platys (not gone for males as I do not think I am quite ready for breeding fish yet) and introduced them to the tank on Saturday morning. The original fish appears to have accepted them save for the occasional bit of chasing.

The one fish seems to be absolutely fine, eating normally and swimming about the tank much in the same manner as the original fish. However, the other fish doesn't appear to have settled so well and has barely, if at all, eaten since entering the tank.

She will generally stay low in the tank, though as I type this she is now having a little swim around. It is here size compared to the other two and her lack of eating that concerns me as she surely won't last long unless she starts to eat and I do not wish to sit back and let it happen, I want to be proactive and do all I can to help.

I have inserted two photos of the fish, she is the largely black fish with orange top and bottom.

I cannot see any forms of flakiness in the scales or any clamping of the fin, when she chooses to swim about she swims fine, but she moves very slowly and will stay in the same place for prolonged periods, whereas the other two move about the tank freely, constantly scavenging for food.

Any assistance you can lend me would be greatly appreciated as I am very worried for her.


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[Ian086]

I think you may need to prepare for fry!!. Those two fish(orange and pale/white) in the center of the picture look very pregnant to me, particularly the orange one. Most livebearers are pregnant when bought from fish stores, especially if they are not separated from the males. Even then, if they are not separated from a very young age, they can/will be pregnant. They can store sperm and use it for 3+ batches of fry.
The lethargic fish, it could be a water quality issue. Are your water results good. Are you using strips or a liquid test kit....It also could be just a territory issue. Females can be territorial/aggressive to each other just like males....

 

[platyoutofwater]

I think you may need to prepare for fry!!. Those two fish(orange and pale/white) in the center of the picture look very pregnant to me, particularly the orange one. Most livebearers are pregnant when bought from fish stores, especially if they are not separated from the males. Even then, if they are not separated from a very young age, they can/will be pregnant. They can store sperm and use it for 3+ batches of fry.
The lethargic fish, it could be a water quality issue. Are your water results good. Are you using strips or a liquid test kit....It also could be just a territory issue. Females can be territorial/aggressive to each other just like males....

Really?

Here are pics focussing on those two, the white/transparent one has been in the tank for three months now and has always been that size really, I just put it down to the food she devours, she's eating the share of the lethargic one right now!

If they are pregnant, what do you recommend in terms of protecting the fry as I would imagine they will be eaten if I do nothing? The orange one certainly looks as though she could be pregnant.

I have been taking it to my local store to check and they tell me the levels are fine though I may pick up a tester kit myself, any recommendations? I am in the UK.

She hasn't eaten again this morning, getting really worried now for her, sometimes she'll come to the top of the tank and I'll attempt to get food in then but it seems to scare her and she heads straight down again.

 

[Canary bird]

I would go and get a breeder net from one of the pet shops, I would imagine the are cheap there I know I only paid about 8 euros for a floating one (which I clip to the side now as It squished one of my guppies !) and keep watching, I don't put my females in I tend to wait and catch the fry and put them in , the females really don't like it in there so I don't put them in, at least this way I generally catch a good few fry and some hide in the tank. As for food get some frozen blood worm, they come in like tiny ice cubes pop one in and I'm sure she will come and eat some, I know none of my fish can resist them , and if you do have babies get some baby food too or finely crush the flakes into a powder and feed them that..

Good luck I hope your platy is ok, they are cool fish and very peaceful , in my experience ...

 

[platyoutofwater]

I think the orange one is definitely pregnant, going to get a breeder net later. The problem I face is that I work full time (and then some) so whilst it might stress her out, it may be worth me putting her in the net else my chances of catching any fry would be slim! How do you know that she's about to pop?

The lethargic fish is far more energetic now but she still will not eat, I'm thinking it may be the flakes I'm feeding her so going to see what else I can pick up later in terms of flakes and some live food.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[Canary bird]

I think the orange one is definitely pregnant, going to get a breeder net later. The problem I face is that I work full time (and then some) so whilst it might stress her out, it may be worth me putting her in the net else my chances of catching any fry would be slim! How do you know that she's about to pop?

The lethargic fish is far more energetic now but she still will not eat, I'm thinking it may be the flakes I'm feeding her so going to see what else I can pick up later in terms of flakes and some live food.

Thank you for the advice.

They tend to go square , the belly flattens off on the bottom, but you should be able to see a big black dot near her anal fin, that's her babies , as for food try a good quality one like new life spectrum it's a bit more expensive but not a single bit gets wasted, also I find the flakes are always huge so crumble them up a bit ,

Good luck and if you don't have time to get to the shops try eBay , I live in Tenerife and get 99% of my fish products from eBay..

 

[Ian086]

You got all the advice you need from Canary bird. Just to add, don't worry about catching all the fry. If you have some hiding spots(fake/real plants, rocks, caves etc) in the tank, many/most fry will survive. I have two platies in my 12g, the 'mother and the 'father', a small piece of driftwood and I still saved 25+ fry. Some of the fry were swimming right by the adult platies faces and they took no notice. They are fast and experts at hiding!!.
The more batches of fry she/they have, the better you will get at spotting the signs of imminent birth. Good luck with them

 

[platyoutofwater]

I think she is starting to go square, I picked up a breeder net, now I just to work out how t o get her in there, I really should have picked up a small net to use whilst I was there!

 

[Canary bird]

I think she is starting to go square, I picked up a breeder net, now I just to work out how t o get her in there, I really should have picked up a small net to use whilst I was there!

Lol that would have been a good idea !

Do you have a plastic colander or plastic sieve or something like in plastic though ? Maybe you could catch her in that ? Or pop in and get a net

 

[platyoutofwater]

Lol that would have been a good idea !

Do you have a plastic colander or plastic sieve or something like in plastic though ? Maybe you could catch her in that ? Or pop in and get a net

I think I'll go for the net in the morning, just hope she doesn't pop by then!!

 

[platyoutofwater]

Too late for the net, she gave birth today! Got back and saw loads of little ones swimming about the tank, I think the white/transparent one has eaten a lot of them because she's a greedy fish, managed to save three.

Really annoyed with myself, should have had her in the breeder net this morning, you live and you learn I guess but it's frustrating.

 

[Canary bird]

Too late for the net, she gave birth today! Got back and saw loads of little ones swimming about the tank, I think the white/transparent one has eaten a lot of them because she's a greedy fish, managed to save three.

Really annoyed with myself, should have had her in the breeder net this morning, you live and you learn I guess but it's frustrating.

Aww , well at least you got 3 , my platy hides for days when she's having babies so I never actually see her giving birth, and only ever get 2 or 3 out and into the nursery, unlike the mollies and guppies who come to the front of the tank and pop them out I've also found the platy fry to be very very small, and slow growing compared with my mollies and guppies ,
Good luck with your next batch

 

[platyoutofwater]

I presume they'll have to stay in the net for some time then in that case? I have liquifood to feed them so have given them a bit of that before heading back to work.

Meant to say that the lethargic fish died a couple of days ago, she hadn't eaten in the time I'd had her so I imagine there was a preexisting problem there before I had her.

 

[Canary bird]

I presume they'll have to stay in the net for some time then in that case? I have liquifood to feed them so have given them a bit of that before heading back to work.

Meant to say that the lethargic fish died a couple of days ago, she hadn't eaten in the time I'd had her so I imagine there was a preexisting problem there before I had her.

Ah poor thing

Yes I would leave them there a few weeks, but keep it clean , net the Fry out into a tub and clean the breeder net , and then put them in, I used very very finely crushed flakes after a week or so, but still give them the baby food too, I feed mine about 3 times a day only a tiny amount , but it seems to have worked for me.

I just sold 15 of my first babies today wish I could keep them all

 

[Ian086]

Congrats on the fry. You will get better at this as each batch arrives. Get a little diary and make note of the date, add 4weeks and you will have the next due date, almost to the day. Do you have a male in there??

 

[platyoutofwater]

Congrats on the fry. You will get better at this as each batch arrives. Get a little diary and make note of the date, add 4weeks and you will have the next due date, almost to the day. Do you have a male in there??

The frustration is that I knew it was coming today or tomorrow, I just didn't do enough to get her into the breeding net, I shouldn't have waited for the net, I should have used other means to get her in without stressing her out.

She will give birth again?! Oh Lord! There are no males in there, just two females. I was hoping to avoid the breeding process yet, that went well eh

 

[Ian086]

The frustration is that I knew it was coming today or tomorrow, I just didn't do enough to get her into the breeding net, I shouldn't have waited for the net, I should have used other means to get her in without stressing her out.

She will give birth again?! Oh Lord! There are no males in there, just two females. I was hoping to avoid the breeding process yet, that went well eh

Don't beat yourself up!!. You made a mistake, big deal. We are do. In fairness though, I wouldn't call it a mistake. You were inexperienced, now you've gained experience. That's what it's all about....gaining experience and learning.
It's possible she might have more, she could have stored sperm. You'll know in about two weeks whether she is or not...haha

 

[platyoutofwater]

Very pleased to report that I have rectified the situation somewhat. Woke up this morning feeling proactive, I had managed to get three of the little ones into the breeder net last night with a spoon, but this morning picked up a net then set about saving them all.

Got the large fish out of the tank to begin with then began to shift the little ones from their hiding spaces once it was safe.

Now have thirteen of them in the breeder net all happily swimming about in safety with some foliage in there for them.

In terms of raising them, I am using 3/4 drops of Liquifry No2 4 times daily and leaving the tank lights on all day for them. Is there anything specific I should be doing to assist their development?

Many thanks for your contributions thus far.

 

[Ian086]

Your certainly on the right track. You don't really need the lights on all day, the usual time, 6-8hrs, will be fine. Keeping the water pristine, is the best piece of advice I can give you. Good luck with the little ones....

 

[platyoutofwater]

Your certainly on the right track. You don't really need the lights on all day, the usual time, 6-8hrs, will be fine. Keeping the water pristine, is the best piece of advice I can give you. Good luck with the little ones....

I shall certainly be monitoring the water like a hawk.

Had a minor heart attack this morning, I woke up and turned on the lights from afar and thought to myself, the mother fish looks awful close to the breeder trap. As I got closer, it dawned on me that she was actually inside it! I have absolutely no idea how she managed to get in there being as it is pinned to the side of the tank and the edge is a good inch or so above water level, but in there she was.

Fortunately, I left the divider between mother and fry up from when I first caught them all and their survival instinct must have kicked in so she couldn't get to them, all 13 present and accounted for!

I need a second tank...