2 Month Old Platy Fry Not Much Bigger

[AdamTheZombie]

Hey all, about two months ago I had a sunburst platy give birth to a load of fry. They haven't really grown since then. They ate about 3 times a day for the first month and once a day now, but a good amount. I would say they have not even doubled in size. They live in the breeder trap they were born in that I added live plant leaves to. They are healthy and active, just not growing. Are they permanently stunted? Can I do anything?

For reference, I had a single sailfin Molly fry that was form a week before these guys who's already been transferred to the main tank and is about 8 times bigger. I know sailfins get bigger so maybe they just grow faster.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I've had one or two in a batch who have not grown, but never an entire batch. I do find my platies grow more slowly than my guppy fry used to but they still have a noticeable growth. I am wondering if the fact that they have remained in the breeder and your dropped feedings has a lot to do with it. I've always feed all babies a min of 3 feedings until 3 months and two until they are near full size.

 

[Sarah92]

Hi I'm having the same problem, I found around 20 molly fry and 2 platy fry in my 40litre tank, I didn't know my fish were pregnant. The Molly's have survived but the platy fry not growing and dying. One of the 2 platy frys died a week after, I found another one in tank put him in breeder net the died. Found another he survived the move. I then found another platy which was bigger maybe 3 times new born size so I moved him in the breeder net he lasted a week and died? Why? He was a good size bigger than the other platy fry that I have the only one that has grown. Then at the weekend I found another platy fry and decided to leave him in the plant well 2 days later he wasn't to be seen, definitely been eaten. So I am back down to 2 platy fry, they have not grown much maybe 3mm, I had a look in the tank earlier to find one had died, weird thing is it looked like he had no insides just skin but he did have insides when born. I was told on another site to not do water change while I have fry as it will shock them but this site says different they are 4 week old. Can you help me please.

 

[Mothi]

I think they're not growing much because they are in a breeding trap and you have cut down on feeding. For fast growth, it's best to have them in a separate tank with 4-5 feeds a day and partial water changes daily.

 

[Sarah92]

I have only one tank and I feed them a generous amount daily and they have food left over in the trap I just puzzled by the fact my Molly's are ok and they are beig treated the same I will do the water change 25% a week incase they can't cope with the change daily thank you for your help if you feel there's any other important information about fry that I may not know please feel free to advise me

 

[bluesword23516]

I think they're not growing much because they are in a breeding trap and you have cut down on feeding. For fast growth, it's best to have them in a separate tank with 4-5 feeds a day and partial water changes daily.

It is probably this. Because there are so many fry in such a limited space they don't have room to grow. You can get a tank separator that can help or you can let them go in the tank. But it is easiest to raise fry in a separate tank until they are larger than the other fish's mouths. 

 

[Alasse]

More room, more food, more water changes <------- secret to quick fry growth

 

[Sarah92]

Thank you so much for all yor help much appreciated

 

[fluttermoth]

It is water changes that are the key. Many fish, livebearers among them, produce a hormone that stops the growth of the fish once it reaches a certain concentration.
 
If you want your fry to grow properly, you must keep the levels of that hormone low with as a large volume of water as you can, plus many, many water changes. I do at least 50% a day in fry/grow out tanks.
 
As long as you are careful to dechlorinate and temperature match the new water, it will not harm your fry to do large or multiple water changes.

 

[Sarah92]

Thank you I now have a tank separater and they have weekly water changes and look ok found a young one and he can't swim properly called him tornado

 

[bluesword23516]

Good luck with them! They should grow much better with a larger space. If you keep Tornado or he doesn't die it might be best to keep him separated to make sure he doesn't breed. It might be something that just happened to him or it could be genetics. 
How does he not swim right? 

 

[Sarah92]

He is doing ok at the moment, he looks dead on the bottom of the gravel but his back fin is flapping, he then starts swimming on his side instead of up right he is small maybe 1cm long and 3mm depth have noticed he starts to swim up right but then swims on his side again like us sleeping on our side instead of on our belly best way to explain it. They have a lot more room and because they live at my partners house they only get fed in the morning and then when his parents return from work late afternoon, I have 1 sunset platy 2 red with black dots platys 1 red platy with black fins and 1 Dalmatian Molly (did have a high fin black Molly too and 2 other sunset platys, platys had white spots and Molly died when found my fry, he didn't want to be a daddy of 18 haha) also before fry I had 6 copper and black neons don't know there proper name, they tiny even in adulthood though but before the fry again they all died at the same time oh and I had a small sucker fish as I call them he looked like the fish bullied him of his potatoe (yes the fish loved to eat his potatoe chunk)
I'll get a photo of him tomorrow and try and post it

 

[Sarah92]

Hey it not let me upload a photo it says it's too big but my dad mentioned it could be something to do with air in his bladder like the incorrect level

 

[bluesword23516]

You can try putting the photo on another website and then attaching the link. It could be something with swim bladder

 

[Sarah92]

I put a pea in the fry section and although I didn't see him eat any I've not seen him lying on the bottom I've tried looking for him in tank but cannot find him he is very distinctive compared to my others but I foun one similar to him he was the only one that that a jet black back all others are grey he must of grown a bit and stretched his markings cause he was small too