Are My Two Platies Near Labor?

[ninjacheesefish]

I had a silver molly, it dropped 6 fry. I think many of them got eaten by her, the other silver molly and the columbian tetras (they look so evil)

But yes, other fish in the tank will eat the fry, even with hiding places. The smart ones will hide.

Livebearers are the rabbits of the fish world.

 

[Kevin8688]

Yeah from what I've read sure sound like it. Been keeping an eye on my blue plates one of them seen fat the other one sorta looks slimmer. Not sure what's going on there maybe it dropped fry.

 

[Akasha72]

Hi again Kevin8688, I just wanted to post and say that the platy I posted the picture of has/is dropped/dropping. I'm trying to get the fry with the turkey baster at the moment.

She's either dropped in the night and these are the few that survived (4 so far) or she's in the plants dropping now - I can't work out which as she's hiding. So from that picture I posted we're looking at about 3 days. I thought it might give you some incline as to what you can look for with your fish.

She's been hiding out a lot in the last couple of days so that's another sign I forgot to mention

 

[Kevin8688]

Yeah I've been trying to look for signs but every time I get close to them all my fish come up to me because they know I'm the one that feeds them. Nice idea on how to collect the fry it sounds a lot easier. I was looking at my plates and they were still round shaped not yet squared. I was looking at the one female that had already delivered. None my plates are no where near the size yours was.

Congratulations on your babies .

 

[Akasha72]

she's actually in the process of dropping, I'm sucking out one after another. She's eaten a couple but that's to be expected and the male is following her around like a lost sheep!

I've just fed them some bloodworms - no idea if she's finished yet - she's still pretty big so I'm guessing not. I think it's gonna be a long night

 

[Kevin8688]

I find it weird how two of my females have dropped and I've never seen them as big as the one you showed me. I feed them everyday and sometimes just stare at them and one day after coming back from school I see babies. It was just out of the blue, because if I've seen my females the size yours was I'd notice she was close but mines don't is it maybe because they are still young?

 

[Akasha72]

nothing to do with their age - the female in the pic was born herself at xmas - she's not even 6 months old. Sometimes they get really really big (like this one did) and sometimes they don't - seems to depend on the amount they drop.

I lost count today at about 20, and they were all big healthy fry - no stragglers at all. There was another swimming around in the tank but it's hidden itself well and now I can't find it - perhaps eaten or still hiding. It will either turn up or it won't

As for mummy, she's still squared off a bit and still hiding in the plants a bit so I'm wondering if there's more to come and she's just having a rest. We'll see what the morning brings.

I currently have 5 platy about 3 months old in my fry tank, another 10 or so about 3 weeks old, 50+ guppy fry and the one's I added today. If mummy has anymore they'll have to take their chance in my main tank as the fry tank is over-full and I can't get to my lfs to offload them until next week. It's gonna be daily water changes I think just to keep ammonia at bay

 

[Kevin8688]

That's really awesome! I've still been keeping an eye on my blue platiee couple times a day to make sure she isn't delivering. It's hard to notice any strange behaviors from them since every time I get close they all start swimming over each other at the top of the tank thinking I'm going to feed them xD.

 

[Kevin8688]

One of my blue platies that I had shown you before is hiding behind these tall plants that I have in my tank and really isn't moving much she's just floating there. Fish would come and move her she'd swim away then come right back here are some pics of her. Would you say she's near she's squared off and pretty big I think I can even see her birthing tube sticking out. Tried my best with the pictures, everything I get next to the tank all the other fish would get close.

 

[Kevin8688]

I just woke up a couple minutes ago and woke up to 17 fry. I'll post a picture later. Still need one female and she looks huge little smaller than the one of the picture you posted. She hasn't showed any different behaviors though.

 

[Akasha72]

Congratulations

 

[Kevin8688]

I was staring at y fish tank as always and I saw my black Molly which Oh had no idea had a a pair for. I managed to rescue 4 of them and also one that's orange no idea if it was from my bumble bee platy or my CAE. Over all have like 40+fry lol.

 

[craftyfishlady]

congrats on your fry!! They are awesome to watch and raise! I'm raising my 2nd ever batch of molly fry at the moment, had 2 drops in less than a week from 2 different mums - I have about 23 - they never stay still long enough to count them properly LOL!

Kirsty
---XXX---

 

[Kevin8688]

Thanks going t OK see if I get a 10 gallon tank so that I can put them all there xD.