Help! Need Answers For Pregnant Platy!

[Darthaus12]

Ok, I have a top fin 3 way breeding box. I bought a platy yesterday who looks as she is about to explode. Her gravid spot is a dark brown, with little black dots. When should I put my platy into the breeding box?

 

[FallynLeigh]

Is her abdomen square-like?  it should look like the stomach drops directly down from the gills and anal fin... if so then she'll have her fry in a few days to a week.  But, honestly, I'd just leave her in the tank and let nature take its course, otherwise you'll soon be over run with fry.

 

[Darthaus12]

It does. I left her in the box last night and took her out this morning.

 

[FallynLeigh]

Then she's ready to drop.  You should expect fry in a few days!  It's up to you wether or not to use the breeding box.

 

[Darthaus12]

Thanks for your help Fallyn! I'll update or maybe start a thread when the fry are born!

 

[the_lock_man]

As Fallyn says, it is your choice whether to use the box or not, but here's a couple of things to think about.
 
(1) How are you going to cope with 30+ additional fry every month? Have you got a reliable outlet for the fry, once they are about 3 months old, that will take 30+ fish EVERY month? Or do you have the space for additional tanks to cope with that amount of fish?
 
(2) Breeder boxes are usually quite small. Keeping fish in a small environment is stressful, and can lead to problems with birthing. Furthermore, the water flow through them is limited, so ammonia builds up inside very quickly. It has to be flushed through with clean water very often (3-4 times per day). Do you have the time to do that? If not, the fish will be poisoning itself, and occasionally fiush have died because of this factor.

 

[ncguppy830]

As Fallyn says, it is your choice whether to use the box or not, but here's a couple of things to think about.
 
(1) How are you going to cope with 30+ additional fry every month? Have you got a reliable outlet for the fry, once they are about 3 months old, that will take 30+ fish EVERY month? Or do you have the space for additional tanks to cope with that amount of fish?
 
(2) Breeder boxes are usually quite small. Keeping fish in a small environment is stressful, and can lead to problems with birthing. Furthermore, the water flow through them is limited, so ammonia builds up inside very quickly. It has to be flushed through with clean water very often (3-4 times per day). Do you have the time to do that? If not, the fish will be poisoning itself, and occasionally fish have died because of this factor.

Well technically they've made breeder boxes that allow flow to come through at a higher than usual rate compared to other breeder boxes, but i agree with you never the less.