First Delivery, Am I Doing This Right?

[FishySarah]

Those of you who've been following the boards know how long I have been trying to have a bunch of platy babies. I actually think my male is sterile or too old- but anyway, I got a new platy, and she was pregnant when she came.

I put her directly in my prepared fry tank. It's a five gallon with a clump of java moss and a bunch of (unfortunately) pond snails, hope they don't hurt the fry. Well, Sunday morning around 4 am I went and looked and there floating right behind her was a tiny platy baby. It was so little you could barely believe it was a fish- it must have been a second or two old. It didn't know how to swim yet. As I watched, it slowly sank to the bottom and started moving its tail. In the morning, I had a few little fry. I was afraid that the platy would eat them, so I went to move her to the 29 gallon and dropped her on the floor (!!!) Can't tell you how terrible I feel about that. Anyway, today five platy babies came out of hiding.

The thing is- she's still pregnant. She's huge. I know there are more in there, but I don't want to put her back in the fry tank or she'll eat the five, and I don't want to lose my very first babies! Anyway, this afternoon, still pregnant. If she dropped any, they were already eaten (I had several pregnancies play out in the tank, but I never found single fry. My barbs are really evil about hunting them down) So I put her in breeding trap. I didnt' want to do it, but I really don't want to lose her fry. She seemed to settle down in a little while...well, I'm waiting, the light is off, and I have the temperature at 80 degrees, is there anything I can do now? Should I be doing anything else? I put java moss in the bottom of the trap for her babies to feel more comfortable...I guess all I can do is wait, and resist the urge to check on her every five minutes!

 

[theotheragentm]

Snails will not bother the fry. Since this is your first batch, it is understandable that you want to save the fry that you already know will be safe, but the fry probably stand a better chance in the fry tank, even with the mother there. The mother will have stress from the breeding trap, and she may abort fry. What you're doing is alright though.

Don't bother resisting. Just hangout by the tanks and move the TV closer.

 

[modaz]

ok, without sounding like im having a go at you, please understand that im not,
the temptation to save fry is so high when its your first batch but believe me for the sake of the mother do as little as you can, platy can take upto 24 hours to give birth so give her time, she will do it as nature allows her.
my suggestion is to scoop her up in a net whilst shes in the trap but dont take her out of the water, hold the net so shes still in the water and lower the trap in the water that way she will still have her body supported by water, whilst shes still in the net put the trap in the fry tank, get a small clean bowl and put this under the net she is in then without taking her out of the water allow her to swim into the bowl.
thentake the bowl to the trap, again lower the trap so its deep inthe water and place the bowl with her in it above the trap, lower her gently into the trap and she will swim into the trap on her own, then have the trap floating in the fry tank.
if you follow this then she will come to no more harm, do not let her come out of water as being pregnant she will suffer so much wieght pressure and that will stress her to the point of either aborting the fry or even dying herself.
if you have a problem doing this get someone to help you do this, i always have someone help me, its so much easier.
leave her with the lights off and she will ave the rest of her fry, she might eat a few but there is nothing you can do about it, just except it, she will give birth to around 30-50 fry so you will have plenty left.
when she had them give her time to relax whilst she in the trap and feed her, this will ease the hunger so then she wont eat the fry, gently lift her into the bowl again and put her back into the main tank, remember to adjust her to the water first as shes just given birth and will be very fragile............good luck
doing this means that you havent got the harder job of getting the tiny fry out of the trap to go into the fry tank.
this is what i do and some people do different
oh by the way mine gave birth to 3 fry one week then the rest a week later, dont ask me why

 

[modaz]

ok, without sounding like im having a go at you, please understand that im not,
the temptation to save fry is so high when its your first batch but believe me for the sake of the mother do as little as you can, platy can take upto 24 hours to give birth so give her time, she will do it as nature allows her.
my suggestion is to scoop her up in a net whilst shes in the trap but dont take her out of the water, hold the net so shes still in the water and lower the trap in the water that way she will still have her body supported by water, whilst shes still in the net put the trap in the fry tank, get a small clean bowl and put this under the net she is in then without taking her out of the water allow her to swim into the bowl.
thentake the bowl to the trap, again lower the trap so its deep inthe water and place the bowl with her in it above the trap, lower her gently into the trap and she will swim into the trap on her own, then have the trap floating in the fry tank.
if you follow this then she will come to no more harm, do not let her come out of water as being pregnant she will suffer so much wieght pressure and that will stress her to the point of either aborting the fry or even dying herself.
if you have a problem doing this get someone to help you do this, i always have someone help me, its so much easier.
leave her with the lights off and she will ave the rest of her fry, she might eat a few but there is nothing you can do about it, just except it, she will give birth to around 30-50 fry so you will have plenty left.
when she had them give her time to relax whilst she in the trap and feed her, this will ease the hunger so then she wont eat the fry, gently lift her into the bowl again and put her back into the main tank, remember to adjust her to the water first as shes just given birth and will be very fragile............good luck
doing this means that you havent got the harder job of getting the tiny fry out of the trap to go into the fry tank.
this is what i do and some people do different
oh by the way mine gave birth to 3 fry one week then the rest a week later, dont ask me why

better still play some Barry white, suppose to work wonders

 

[FishySarah]

When I went to the tank after reading your e-mail modez, I saw that she was trying so hard to get out of the trap. I kept remembering what happened the last time I used the trap and all the crap I put this poor fish through what with dropping her and everything.

I used a small bowl and let her swim into it from the trap, then lowered the bowl right into the fry tank. I know that this seems like a complete reversal from what I was saying before, as I am putting the already born fry at risk, but it seemed like the right thing to do. After all, the fry have cover, I assume they will retreat if she starts chasing them. If shes' going to have thirty and she eats one or two, I suppose I can live with that. It's better than them being born dead plus her suffering in the trap. I want fry, but I also have a responsibility to the fish I bought, to make sure she won't suffer and I will probably get more fry this way anyway.

I have the lights off now and will not disturb her until I check on her in the morning. I hope I did the right thing.

 

[modaz]

im sure that things will turn out good for you, you have a good nights rest and see what the morning brings.........fingers crossed for you and your new arrivals. let us know what happens.bless you

 

[fishlette]

Those of you who've been following the boards know how long I have been trying to have a bunch of platy babies. I actually think my male is sterile or too old- but anyway, I got a new platy, and she was pregnant when she came.

I put her directly in my prepared fry tank. It's a five gallon with a clump of java moss and a bunch of (unfortunately) pond snails, hope they don't hurt the fry. Well, Sunday morning around 4 am I went and looked and there floating right behind her was a tiny platy baby. It was so little you could barely believe it was a fish- it must have been a second or two old. It didn't know how to swim yet. As I watched, it slowly sank to the bottom and started moving its tail. In the morning, I had a few little fry. I was afraid that the platy would eat them, so I went to move her to the 29 gallon and dropped her on the floor (!!!) Can't tell you how terrible I feel about that. Anyway, today five platy babies came out of hiding.

The thing is- she's still pregnant. She's huge. I know there are more in there, but I don't want to put her back in the fry tank or she'll eat the five, and I don't want to lose my very first babies! Anyway, this afternoon, still pregnant. If she dropped any, they were already eaten (I had several pregnancies play out in the tank, but I never found single fry. My barbs are really evil about hunting them down) So I put her in breeding trap. I didnt' want to do it, but I really don't want to lose her fry. She seemed to settle down in a little while...well, I'm waiting, the light is off, and I have the temperature at 80 degrees, is there anything I can do now? Should I be doing anything else? I put java moss in the bottom of the trap for her babies to feel more comfortable...I guess all I can do is wait, and resist the urge to check on her every five minutes!

theotheragent is right. you will always stress a little more when your first fry come but if you make sure that your girlie is well fed she will have no need to eat her young. heaps of plants and hiding places will also ensure that they have enough places to be safe. generally platys are pretty good mums ignoring their babies more often tat not unless they are hungry

 

[FishySarah]

Well, I just moved my play back into the big tank. I can't say for certain, it looks like there are a few new fry. I moved the java moss around while i was chasing her, but they are so small and the same color as the gravel, so it was impossible to get a head count. I'm guessing about two or three little new ones, but there may be more. I will try to get a head count when I feed them after I get home. I'll let you know.

My first fry and its been quite a harrowing experience for both of us!! (the mom and me) But she seems to be fine and since they store sperm I'm hoping for another batch in a month. I'm feeding them hikari first bites, btw, and I think I'm all set. The tank they're in has a sponge filter like they recommend, so they won't get sucked up.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

 

[mollie_lover]

Snails will not bother the fry. Since this is your first batch, it is understandable that you want to save the fry that you already know will be safe, but the fry probably stand a better chance in the fry tank, even with the mother there. The mother will have stress from the breeding trap, and she may abort fry. What you're doing is alright though.

Don't bother resisting. Just hangout by the tanks and move the TV closer.

last time i put the mother wid her fry she had eaten them.. so now when the mother droped them last nite i left them alone in a breeding net.

 

[cheesy feet]

There shoudl be enough coverage that the fry should hide,just like in the wild..

 

[FishySarah]

The mother is in the big tank and doing well, but still not eating much. Hopefully she will be ok. I counted seven fry when I fed them this morning. A few new ones may still be hiding, but I am happy with seven. It would be hard to handle thirty. I'm hoping they will be ok in the five gallon tank for a while. I will probably have another batch in a month, so I am hoping these will be big enough to be in my 29 gallon by then. What do you think? How long will it take for them to reach full size, or at least big enough to sell back to the pet store?

 

[theotheragentm]

Each LFS is different, but most want at least an inch before they will take them. That way they can see color and general healthiness.

 

[ladycage]

Are the fry swimming around the tank and eating? I've heard that once they get bigger than the mouth of adults you can put them in the big tank.

 

[FishySarah]

This afternoon when I fed them I saw eight come up and eat, but tonight only three did. I saw several hovering below. I could see some of the food sinking, so I think its ok, the food will get to the fry. There is a great deal of cover and they are probably hiding. I will feed them once before I go to bed.

I have been feeding them hikari first bites using a toothpick. This is what I read to do online but it seems like only a minuscule amount of food is getting in the tank. I guess the fry's stomachs are real small though. I am feeding them four times a day: Once at 8am, once when I get home between 3:30-4 pm (I don't like that gap but there's nothing I can do about it) once around 7 and once at 10 or so. Does it sound like I'm doing right?

It seems like they are growing so fast! They have already doubled in size in just a few days, I think. I hope all eight are still alive, they all looked healthy a few hours ago. I did a 75% water change yesterday and am testing ammonia in the fry tank- I heard fry are really sensitive to ammonia in the water, more so than adult fish.

Do I have my bases covered?

 

[theotheragentm]

If the fry are the only things in the tank, they are not producing waste fast enough to create a real problem. Bacteria should be able to keep up with the waste they produce. Don't worry about the water changes so much. Once a week is a very safe thing to do still if they're the only things in the tank and the tank is relatively large for the fry.

I just go with crushed flake personally, as I have it available to me. If the fry will eat, I would feed them. You can squeeze in another feeding each day.