Hi, some fish species actually store sperm from earlier 'meetings' so can produce fry many time without a male even being in the tank
Thank you very much! Very interesting. I would like to add more fish to the tank but I don't want the babies to be in danger so how long is she going to keep doing this?
Live-bearers like platies, guppies, mollies...etc, breed and give birth all the time and gestation (sp?) is about a month long, meaning a female can give birth every month (the average brood about 40). You are going to need some more tanks if you want to keep the babies.
-If you want to keep them: the best thing to do is to buy a small tank, 10 gallons is ideal. Then move a very gravid female into the empty tank. Have it cycled and heated and use a sponge filter so you dont suck up the fry. It help to have some platnt like java moss for the fry to feed and hide in. Let her give birth and when she is done remove her. You can feed the fry on very, very crushed flake, or buy fry food which is usually just powdered flake. Remeber how often they give birth you will have so you will soon need more than just a 10 gallon if you plan on keeping your fry.
-If you dont want a lot of fry simply leave it be. Most of the fry will be eaten but a few will most likely survive, one day you might just notice a new addition to the tank and wonder where it came from....I know it sounds cruel but its nature and in the wild almost all of the fry wouldnt survive.
Good luck with your breeding and new fry, it is great fun and a good learning experience into breeding fish.
Drew
Edit-On a side note, make sure to cull any deformed fish. I usually dont get that many with my platies but it does occur. It sounds cruel but you are not doing the hobby or the fish any favors by continuing the breeding of deformed fish. You will usually notice a very bent spine or sometimes a fry with swimbladder issues.
