Difference Between Platy & Guppy Fry

[bgormley]

Hi guys
I have now raised quite a few platy fry in the last couple of months and find them fascinating to watch. I also have guppies in my tank and I can't be sure if the last few fry i've rescued are platy or guppy - what do i look for to distinguish between the two? Thanks!!

 

[Annastasia]

It's hard, but Platies are usually born more orange/red (provided the parents are that color!), while Guppies tend to be grayish. Also, Platies tend to be a little plumper, and Guppies look thinner. It's hard to tell when they are very young, but by a few weeks or a month you should be able to tell easily.

 

[bgormley]

These latest ones are very greyish/brownish, and my platy fry were orange or blue. So maybe they're guppies! They also seem very skinny. Only thing is....the mommy guppies all still have their gravid spots...

 

[Annastasia]

Females will always have gravid spots. It's where they store sperm, eggs, have parts of the reproductive system, etc. The fry also develop there, but that's not the only thing that gives it color. So it's quite possible for them to have fry, and still have a dark gravid. It's also thought that they may have more then one batch growing in there at a time, which would also lead to it having color all the time.

 

[bgormley]

Ahhh that explains it...! Thanks Annastasia for the great advice as usual!

 

[Morquinn]

I could tell right away which were platy fry and which were guppy fry.... from my experience only, guppy fry were longer and skinnier looking than these little platy fry that kind of have a bigger shaped head when they are just born. I also noticed that my guppy fry tend to hide in floating plants rather than hide in the rocks like my platy fry... and I also think that platy fry tend to be more cautious, while my guppy fry just flew around the tank with no fear. But then again, this is my experience only. These were also my first batches ever... so I wasnt experienced yet, but I learned quickly, cuz I sat there for hours and drove everyone nuts just staring into the tank.

 

[bgormley]

Hi Morquinn
I'm still a bit like that. People think i've gone mad sitting with my nose pressed up against the tank trying to spot fry. My family think i'm on a par with 'nessie watchers'. These recent fry still seem very brownish and i've found a teeny platy fry today that is orange and my other platy fry were orange or blue from the outset so my guess is that they must be guppies