Family Argument On Whether She Is Pregnant

[RobGoldsmith]

So my brother and I have been arguing on whether this fish is pregnant. He says she is, I say no.

She gave birth to five fry on the 29th of November (4 weeks ago ish) and is in with one male. I cant see any spots around her fin and tbh she has always been fat! Can you tell from these pics? I find it hard to work out if their belly has dropped though.

lol @ the Ram, best fish in the world! The face cracks me up hahahaha

I guess it leads me to the question, if she isnt pregnant, why not!? lol

Thanks
Rob

 

[KittyKat]

Yes, she is. The only time a female livebearer would not be pregnant is if she has never been in the same tank as a male or if it has been over 9 months since she was last in the same tank as a male (but the latter is not guaranteed).

Otherwise, the only possibility is that she or the male is infertile (which I have never come across in a livebearer).

 

[RobGoldsmith]

So the basic shout is, if she is with a male, she is pregnant. No give away from my photos? I just wonder about when to put her in a separate area etc. Cheers

 

[KittyKat]

It is hard to tell how close she is. I have personally seen platys have anywhere from 5 to 50 fry, and have heard of them having up to 150. If she will have 5-15/20 fry then it is unlikely that you will notice any difference in her at all.

I also find that it is considerably better to create a good environment for the fish to have fry in as opposed to moving the fish whenever she is due. Undue stress often can create problems, including a delayed drop.

 

[Harlequins]

Looking at her she has a dark gravid spot,could have week or so to go

If she dropped fry 29th nov its more than likely she'll drop again soon.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Ok, maybe I will let them hide in the tank then, last time i used a fry net and only caught one fry! it sat in the net until the gourammi sucked at it every time it landed on the bottom, it died!

I have a lot of stones and weed so hopefully any lil ones will be able to hide until they can out swim everything!

I guess I keep an eye on it and see if anything happens, she arrived pregnant last time so will be my first fry from two of my own fish. Fingers crossed!!!

Cheers

Oddly enough she has started trying to rub her sides on the plants today, hope that isnt anything bad!

 

[KittyKat]

Some of the fry will still be fathered by the male she mated with last (and possibly even the one before that), it usually takes a few drops for most of the fry to be by the latest male. This is why serious breeders prize virgin females when buying show stock for breeding.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Thats quite interesting! He hasnt left her alone all day, it is starting to frustrate her. she is swimming from end to end along the glass and he's swimming up against her banging against her sides

Going to keep an eye out for babies now. My tank is at max capacity so any more than a few fry will cripple my tank. I have another unused tank but last time i put fry in there they died so i think i will just let these swim free and hope that a few make it!

Fairly exciting! - Tonights pics

 

[KittyKat]

Tank size and stock? (Your sig is out of date!) There is a reason why the rule is "at least 2 females per male livebearer".. they are hormones with fins.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Yes well out of date, i had better do a count around and see what i have now!
Here is the tank

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Guys
Any ideas how far away I am? This fish is starting to look like it has a square belly!

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

You could always get a breeders net to put in your main tank to give the fry the best chance of survival rather than putting them in a different tank if you wanted?

 

[loraxchick]

Shes close being square like that. Watch her for hiding. Good sign shes nearly ready to drop-finding an out-of-the-way place. Love your tank BTW
cheers

 

[Harlequins]

Definately a big girl and close to dropping,her back end needs to drop a bit more then she'll drop

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Thanks, having it above my desk is one hell of a distraction though, swear I notice a million things I wouldnt normally. As it is only 8/9cm wide though it means fry nets and breeder traps are hard to come by! This is why ive bought loads of new stones and plants to make a lot of extra cover.

Thanks again
Rob