Pregnant Platy hiding

[ezzephyr]

Hi
I just introduced a new female platy into my tank as I only had one male and one female ( i was worrying about the male harassing the female) now she has gone straight to hide in my little coral cove, i know she is pregnant as she has a gravid spot near her anal fin.
I just wanted some advice on pregnant platys and to know why she has gone straight to hide.
Thanks

 

[ezzephyr]

The food came out and she (mickey Mouse platy) came out luckily-
Is it just a normal thing for new platies to hide when they’re pregnant?
Also I’m just checking- is she pregnant? As I’m not an expert, I have just done a little research and made that assumption.
Just as a side question my male platy got badly bullied before and we had to give the two bullies away, when the bullies were there he kept squishing his tale fin up the back of the filter to (I think) hide it from the other fish as I think they were nipping it a lot- he had pretty much completely lost the use of his tail fin, it was clamped and he was almost treading water and swimming with his other fins and hid a lot - a couple of weeks back he showed signs of mild fin rot so I treated him and now that’s gone we decided to get the females to give him some company, he has perked up a bit now the females are here but still doesn’t have use of his tale fin, he still hides but now comes out for food and sometimes swims a bit, he isn’t acting really ill it just looks like his tail fin is badly injured and it is stopping him from swimming- do you think it will heal over time? Do I need to medicate him? Is it an illness?
Sorry for bombarding you with questions and I’m looking forward to hearing some opinions,
Thanks

 

[Aesthetic-fish]

Does your platy always hide? Or just occasionally hide? Also, how long has your platy been pregnant? Usually, if a pregnant live bearing fish starts to hide, they are looking for somewhere to drop and release their fry. Do you have a lot of ornaments and plants in your tank for them to hide in? The fry wouldn't feel safe if you are lacking plants and floating plants. Try getting a breeding box for the fry to spend their earliest stages in the tank without getting eaten. Those are the only reasons I could come up with your platy hiding. I'll do some more research. Hope your platy will do well! Reply soon!!

Btw, do you see any signs of stress or illness in your female platy? If not, I think she should be fine. Usually this behavior occurs before the time of birth. Not right away, but near the time of birth.

To answer your question about your male. Does he have clamped fins? If you could send a picture of him, that would really help. You said he had SLIGHT fin rot? Is his fin still clamped? And, does he frequently come out or does he just hide and rarely come out? If he has clamped fins, then try using some stress coat. This is usually due to stress. And do some water changes if not already. I'm not really sure what else to say without a picture. Your descriptions are clear, it's just I'm still not quite certain about how to treat him. Please attach a picture of him. Thank you!! Really soon!! Btw, is your tank sufficiently heated and filtere? Tank size?

 

[ezzephyr]

Hi thankyou for your reply!
I got the female the day before yesterday later realising that she may be pregnant, she is hiding a lot but comes out to eat and isn’t showing any signs of illness- not struggling to swim, no fungus. in the shop she had no where to hide so maybe she is trying to find a place to drop.
I do have a lot of ornaments in my tank, not too many, I have a coral cove, A little pineapple (both in which they can hide in) And around four live plants and four fake plants.
The only sign I see is that when I come she hides so maybe she is just scared of me? None of my they platies have been scared of me before that’s all.
My male platys tale fin is clamped but not as clamped as before and a couple of weeks back I noticed it slightly spasm a few times but I haven’t noticed that recently- he is sometimes out and tries to swim and other times he is hiding in the plants- He loves his food though!
When the two males were there he never came out but now he is making an effort to come out more.
With the fin rot- I only noticed one slight patch from an angle on the top of his tail fin , my mum didn’t notice it but I did and I treated him accordingly.
I will try some stress coat- do you know where you can buy that from?
My tank is only 25litre which I know is way too small for platies- pets at home sold us it saying that is was fine but I have done more research and I know it is too small I got to a different pet shop now , at the moment I don’t have the money to buy a new bigger one- I was thinking of getting a 100litre- I am saving up now.
I do not use a heater, their water is not cold though, I will take it’s temp then get back to you, I have a couple of white cloud minnows in there which I know aren’t good with heated tanks.
I have a filter.
I am thinking of saving for a sponge filter though which I have heard is better.
I will attach some images in a second
Thanks again

 

[ezzephyr]

He is not looking like a happy boy bless him

 

[ezzephyr]

I am happy to say that they have all come out to eat,
Below is some links to him swimming and also moon (the pregnant Mickey Mouse one)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tTX-QCWk_NrXr5cKF0uBCWigyjj5xeA6/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k8BvuPm6LURWcUqPqOclJxtHLRxeET_3/view?usp=drivesdk

 

[Aesthetic-fish]

how strong is the flow of your filter? Usually, a fish with clamped fins should be able to swim decently without struggling. Also, what type of filter do you have? Canister, HOB, or sponge? maybe send a video and picture of the filter just so can be certain. if you dont use a heater, what temp is your tank? Also, for clamped fins, do some water changes. Because six gallons is not a ton of water, you would have to perform water changes weekly. what is your water change schedule? tip: when you change water you can use stresscoat as a water conditioner. the packaging on the bottle should explain. you can get stresscoat at your local pet shop. for places like petsmart and petland. where do you live? the shops exist depending on where your location is. please reply soon!

 

[ezzephyr]

Thankyou!
Today I just got a new filter to add to the tank (a spong filter)
I will send some photos tomorrow as it’s quite late now
I have luckily found somewhere which sell stress coat!
I’m am from the UK
I have done a water change today and will do one every day for 4 days.
Thankyou so much for your help
Also I have forgotten to check the temp so will do that tomorrow as well!

 

[Aesthetic-fish]

It is my pleasure to help you! Good luck with your male and your new fry!