Help! Where Are These Babies Coming From?

[fishforthekids]

I have ONE female red wag platy, two x-ray tetras and one male Beta. I have had these fish for four months. As of three days ago, I have a baby red-wag swimming around my tank. This seems quite impossible to me. I am 99% sure this baby is a platy, because it looks SO much like my adult red-wag--complete with red body, black fins and black lips. It is slightly tranparent, so I first thought it was an x-ray. But as it is growing, it looks exactly like a platy!!??!!??

Any ideas what is going on? How long could a platy carry around a fertilized egg before it gives birth to the baby?

Please help. Very confused!

 

[wendywc]

The female platy must have been already pregnant when you got her from the store. BTW, if your tank is big enough, you should really get 4 more platies and 4 more xray tetras... these fish should be kept in groups.

 

[fishforthekids]

So, is it possible that she could have carried that baby around for three or four months before it popped out?

Sadly, my tank is only 5 gallons.

 

[dwarfgourami]

So, is it possible that she could have carried that baby around for three or four months before it popped out?

Sadly, my tank is only 5 gallons.

They can store the result of one mating for months and have it develop when they are ready. A platy who has mated once may go on giving birth every 4 weeks or so for half a year or more.

 

[doresy]

Yes the females of many species of fish can store sperm for fertilisation in the absense of males....Survival! My guppies were giving birth long before I (stupidly) introduced males to my tank.