Didn't Expect Any Of This!

[forKiki]

Never really thought I would take this up but I recieved 2 Mickey Mouse fish for my birthday (not knowing whether they were male or female)
Looking at them at the beginning of the week I noticed that the one looked a lot bigger then when I first recieved them. Doing research online, I discovered that she was pregnant, though I'm not sure for how long. I am guessing the other fish was a male, but sadly he passed 2 days after I reliezed she, Kiki, was pregnant.
Ever since her mate has passed she has been depressed and not as active as she was before (I know they like to live with other fish). She is the only fish left in the tank now.

I'm just wondering if the male still needed to be around or if him not being there is going to stress her any, and what to do with the expecting fry! Any and all help would be great, I wasn't expecting any of this and haven't a clue what to do!

Thanks,
-forKiki

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Kiki. I must ask the never =ending question. How long has your tank been set up and how did you go about getting the tank ready for fish? I know the questions sound dumb but I am concerned that you may not have gotten all of the information you need. If you have never done a water change on the tank, try doing maybe 50% water change and use a water dechlorinator for the water you put back into the tank. If you fish seems to perk up, it is time for you to go read about fish-in cycling. There is a link to it in my signature area that will give you the basics of caring for your fish. I have pictures of two fish that are not platies but have a similar way to tell whether they are male or female. Fist picture is of a female. If you look at the bottom fin in the middle of the fish, you will see that it is triangular in shape. In this particular fish, there is a spot on that fin.

The next picture is a male of the same species. That fin is no longer a triangular shape but is long and thin instead. In many livebearers, including platies, this is the shape of the male sex organ. It is not a folded up fin but is actually a different shape. People do see a folded fin on some mollies and platies and sometimes mistake a female with a folded up fin for a male.

As far as having fry survive, if you have lots of hiding places in your tank and a female gives birth in the tank, some of the fry will escape and survive. I have a molly that dropped about 30 fry a few weeks ago and today they look like this in my tank. Note that mollies are less likely than platies to eat the fry. The cover that the fry have in this tank is the mossy looking stuff behind the female in the picture, it is called java moss. By the way, this female is about ready for her next drop. I am trying to get pictures of her right up to her delivery date.

 

[forKiki]

I didn't set up the tank at all, the fish were a suprise for my 15th birthday. The filter that I have is a Internal Whiper Power Filter from Tetra. The tank has been set up since Jan. 8. We are getting a bigger tank (5 gallon) tomorrow along with 2 new Mickey Mouse. What would I need to keep in mind with the new tank and fish?

Thanks for the help
forKiki

 

[forKiki]

Also, anything that I would need in order to help my fish live? I read the Fish-in cycling pin that was in your signature, but didn't understand any of it.

 

[OldMan47]

In your position, I would read the threads on fish-in and fishless cycling a new tank. The tank will come with some kind of filter but that thing is just hardware. What it does is provide a place for bacteria to grow. The bacteria are the real filter for your tank. Fish and decaying matter in a tank will all produce some ammonia. For the fish, most of it arrives in the water from their gills along with the CO2 that they produce. Ammonia is lethal to fish in very low concentrations. The fortunate thing is that there are bacteria that can convert the ammonia into nitrites. Nitrites are also a poison for the fish but they in turn can be converted by other bacteria into nitrates. Nitrates are almost harmless to the fish compared to those other compounds. What the fish-in or the fishless cycles try to do is to get the bacteria established in your filter so that the fish never really see much ammonia or nitrites in their water. Instead, the bacteria grab any ammonia available and use it as food , but in the process, they move the nitrogen through the whole cycle from ammonia to nitrites to nitrates.
Your best bet right now is to do a large water change n the remaining fish's water to reduce any poisons that have built up in the tank. Water changes should always be done using a water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramine that may be present in the tap water. It is also best if the new water is about the same temperature as the water you take out to avoid giving the fish a sudden chill or a sudden heat wave. After a large water change, read through the threads on cycling a tank so that you will know what you are up against with each method. There are links to each method in my signature area. As far as tomorrow's fish purchase, I would hold off on buying any fish right now but get the new larger tank set up and running without fish. If you have the room and can afford it, a larger tank of at least 10 gallons would be an even better choice. It turns out that it is easier to take care of a larger tank because there is more water and the water quality will be more stable if something happens like an overfeeding. Where I live, a 10 gallon is cheaper to buy than a 5 gallon because the 5 gallon tanks are not as popular and the fish stores sell tons of 10 gallon ones for fairly cheap.