Breeding Help

[Pocket_Miner]

Hi there,

I recently obtained 8 platies, 4 male 4 female from what I can see. They travelled a good 2 hour journey before arriving at my house, when I added them to my community tank the majority of them had a look around and are now hovering just above the bottom and not really moving.

I obtained these fish for free as the owner wanted them gone as they were breeding on him which he didn't want. I am hoping they are pregnant but their natural colouring has a black spot around the tail area so hard to tell. Do you think they could just be stressed?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[fluttermoth]

Are these fish in an established tank or a new one?

 

[Pocket_Miner]

The tank has been set up for over a week now and the Danios have been in the tank for about 5 days.
The tank is a planted 60l BiOrb

 

[fluttermoth]

Did you cycle the tank using ammonia or fish food before the fish went in?

 

[Pocket_Miner]

I had the plants in the tank and added in some Tetra flakes the day after it was set up.
The Danios are perfectly happy and swimming constantly about the tank.

It's just the new Platys that we're added, they have been breeding every month and the previous owner was more than happy to give away. The females appear to be half the size of the males. The males are slowly swimming above the females as they hover near the bottom.

 

[Pocket_Miner]

Here is a pic of the male swimming over the females.

 

[fluttermoth]

It sounds like your tank isn't cycled, tbh. The danios are more tolerant of any raised levels of ammonia or nitrite, which is why they're so often recommended for fish-in cycles (which we do not advocate on this forum).
 
You desperately, urgently, need to get some test kits (liquid or tablet based ones, not the paper strip kind) for both ammonia and nitrite. In the meantime, I'd suggest 50% water changes, every day, until you can get the water tested.
 
Something like 90/95% of all fish 'diseases' turn out to be related to water quality, so it is vital you can monitor it.

 

[Pocket_Miner]

Don't think the pics went through. Ok thanks, so keep doing daily water changes untill the bacteria builds up and ammonia and nitrite are gone?

 

[fluttermoth]

That's about it, yes.

 

[Pocket_Miner]

Ok, many thanks for your help.

 

[Pocket_Miner]

When I looked into the tank this morning, all the platys were swimming around the tank together alongside the Molly's. They seem a lot more active now.
Will still continue to do daily water changes and get my water checked.

 

[Pocket_Miner]

As the lights for my dank started to dimm approaching night the male platys got very excited frantically swimming around the tank and then swimming over and chasing the females.
The males appeared to be trying to push their tail against the female while chasing them untill finally the females gave up and both make and females thrust their tales together a few times.

Is this them breeding, as I hope it is.
Any suggestions?

 

[fluttermoth]

Sounds like it; they do prefer to do their mating in dimmer lighting, or at night.
 
Livebearers have been breeding themselves, very successfully, for thousands of years. You don't need to do anything, apart from making sure your water is in tip top condition and keeping them on a good diet.