3 Platy Fry - 8-9mm Long

[LilMuppet]

After the death of the other two platy fry a weeks ago we now appear to have three more. I know they normally have 6+ fry, but ours have only had three and they are already 8-9mm long and can only be a day or two old - though I think they were gave birth last night due to the size of the pregnant platy (could there be more fry on the way with such a small amount apparent?).

Is it worth getting a breeding net for these three? I've heard once they get to 12-15mm long they are much safer.

The last two were hiding near the bottom in a thick plant that was torn apart resulting in the previous two platy fry going missing, as this was not platy territory, however these three are at the top hiding in the plants that were ripped up and are now growing near the surface.

If I can find one in the local shops I'm willing to get one, but only if it is worth it. I've heard that they should only be kept in them for 3 or so weeks maximum, but with such a small number of fry, can this be increased?

These fry are a mix of Sunset Wag / Tuxedo. All of our livebearing bunch (3 sunset wags, 1 red, 1 tuxedo and 1 swordtail) are being quite protective of this area and the only fish they share this territory with is a Dwarf Male Gourami, are they known for eating fry of this size?

Cheers for any answers!

 

[LilMuppet]

Make that four. They're hanging around in the plants in twos.

 

[lilfishie]

most fish will gladly eat fry, if you want them to survive i suggest a breeder, then when they are big enough not to fit in the mouth of the largest fish they should be safe, good luck

 

[LilMuppet]

Couldn't get one so far, might have to wait until the next cycle of fry, but they're all still there AND there are now five! From two females or can there be a period of hours between fry?

They're already the same size as the last two we saw ever were. One is substantially bigger than the rest - about 10-11mm!

I'll keep my eyes peeled for a breeder.

 

[Jozlyn]

I use a plastic kitchen sieve (the type you use to sieve flour) as a temporary holder for fry as I can't get breeding nets or traps where I live. It works well, just float in the top of your tank and pop the fry in, makes it really easy to feed them their own food and to keep an eye on them.

Here's a pic, my dalmation molly fry didn't stay in there long tho, there were too many, I just put them in there while I was setting up the fry tank. However I plan to move a couple of guppy fry (at least I think they're guppy fry) into it tonight to see if I can save them.

 

[theotheragentm]

Get a plastic cup and poke holes in it. That should suffice. It will give you circulated water for heating and filtration. Done and done.

 

[LilMuppet]

Took the advice and got a net breeder today, it's bigger than the area they were hiding in so that's a bonus and I managed to get a lot of weed in it...

Only I got four in there and then couldn't find the fifth at all, he was definitely there before the light was removed to get access to them all... is it usual to lose one in transfering them?

He may have been eaten by our big Gourami, but if he does by some miracle reappear then I'll try to transfer him over with a cup or something. Just feel a little bad that I managed to lose one.

 

[lilfishie]

hes probably just hiding, they are very good at it, good luck with them

 

[LilMuppet]

It's not that light, it's taken with a rubbish mobile phone. The lights are in the centre of the tank and I've placed it where it's furthest away from both lights, should it be alright?

I've switched off the right light for now.

This gives a better picture of how light it is with both lights on.

 

[theotheragentm]

How large is that tank? Is that a Clown Loach I see there? They need a lot more room in the future and prefer to be in groups. They grow to 12" in length and are pretty active.

 

[LilMuppet]

It's 160 litres, there are 2 in there, 5-6 year olds that have only grown an inch since we had them!

 

[LilMuppet]

I come with great news, last night when I turned the light off and looked at the tank 20 minutes later, I saw a flash of a fry, but missed him when trying to catch him. Later on I turned the light on once more to have a go and eventually got him to safety.

Then I saw another platy fry! After a bit of bother, we now have six fry in the breeder net, 3 with black spots on them, 3 without, either the 3 without are from a different platy or a mixture in the same bunch!