Female Pygmy Platy Had A Baby

[wolfrad]

My pygmy/dwaarf platy I guess had some or one baby tonight, found it swimming in the 5 gallon with the mom. There are or seems to be plenty of silk plants for it to hide in, just wondering is they are agressive at eating their live babies as are other live bearers? My 7 yr. old daughter saw it tonight and was getting upset cause she didn't want the momma to eat the baby and I told her if the baby was still in there tomorrow I'd go to walmart and get a baby saver for the little one. Also not being to familiar with platy's is it possible she only had one baby or is it there a better chance she ate the rest?

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I THINK that platys usually ignore their babies, but it's better to put it in a breeding trap. The other babies are probably hiding, but then again I really don't know much about platys...

 

[Annaconda]

I have a tank full of platys, with silk plants, They do eat their babies , if you do not remove them.

 

[fishboy619]

ive found the mothers dont bother but the males and maybe other females will make a snack of the fry,if you really want to save the little one, you need to buy a breeding net/trap, other wise let it take its chances hiding in the main tank, platies usally have fry from anywhere between 1 to 50, ofcorse, some have lots more.

 

[modaz]

in general the fry can be eaten by other fish but platties are suppose to be one of the very few that do not eat their fry but the risk is there, you must get a nursing net or breeder what ever you want to call it. be aware that platties store sperm and the chance that she will drop some more fry is quite high, try not to put her in the net if you think shes gunna drop more you dont want to stress her out, its nice to hear that yur child has an interest in this, suppose it will keep her occupied for the weekend in this dreadful weather. tell us what other fish you have in your tank.....congrats with your new arrival and keep a look out for some more, keep us posted

 

[theotheragentm]

Platies will eat fry, whether it is their fry or another fish's batch of fry. Bigger fish eat smaller fish. That's generally how it works in the livebearer world. If you want to ensure the fry grow up to adult size, separate out a few of them into a net breeder. I don't like to put pregnant fish into net breeders or breeding traps for birthing as it causes stress to the fish and can lead to aborted fry.

 

[mnbyiuopre]

My platys are monsters with fry. They chase and devour the little things!!!! 'm not sure if they eat their own though. Never had platy fry.

 

[theotheragentm]

Yes, they will eat their own fry. Appetite of the mother is supposed to be suppressed after giving birth, but I've seen a mother give birth, turn around, and make a snack out of her own fry.

 

[roman]

i would remove it

my platy had 17 fry and right as i turned around 2 were eaten

either get a tank divider or a breeding trap

 

[Betta91]

Even if the mother doesn't end up eating the baby, there are a number of risks that could still kill it. From what I have experienced, newborn fry can easily get stuck in between pebbles of gravel, get eaten by other fish, get sucked into the filter, etc...If I were you, I'd get a breeding trap.