How Many Fry Is "too Many"?

[marcybeth0281]

My platy had her first set of babies a month ago in the 10-gallon tank (empty except for the fry). A few have died, but I still have a good solid 28 fry. Mama looked ready to drop again yesterday, so we transferred her back to the 10-gallon fry tank and she dropped this morning. We removed her after and she is back in the community tank and now we have at least 50 fry in the 10-gallon. Half newborn, half month-old.

My question is....how many is too many? The tank is cycled well and has been handling the bioload fine. I have a sponge filter set up. Feeding a combo of Hikari firstbites and frozen baby brine shrimp 3 times a day. How long can I keep them all in the 10-gallon? When will they start abiding by the "inch per gallon" rule? It looks like she may still be pregnant and will drop again in another month - OMG.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of them or how to find homes for them. I suppose I could Craigslist them, but I'm so busy and that will be a lot of coming and going setting up times for people to pick them up. We don't have a good local fish store here - just the chains - Pet Supermarket, Petco, and Petsmart. Blah, I'm overwhelmed. Help!

 

[yvez9]

platy fry aren't worth much to be honest. Some stores will trade them in for other fish or credit if you're lucky

in a 10 gallon, you could probably keep 50 or so if you move them to another tank at a half inch or something.

some people breed them to use as feeders for other fish. if you keep all your fry, you'll have alot in very short time. platies give birth every 4 weeks. we just leave our guppy fry in the tank and whatever makes it to adulthood wins. they sorta maintain their colony this way and the strongest of them survive.

 

[marcybeth0281]

well, i'm not trying to make any money off them - i just want to home them. lord, i don't want to keep them!

but...i'm a vegetarian and an advocate for animal rights and i just don't want them going as feeders or back into the main community tank to be sucked up in the filter or eaten by my gourami.

any other options?

how many fry have you guys had in a 10 gallon???

 

[Mikaila31]

Homing them will be difficult. All I can suggest is a large plastic storage bin like 30gal. Throw a HOB filter on it and a heater that doesn't touch the sides. Can keep the fish in there once cycled.

Though I would also suggest using them as feeders and what not. Its hard to find someone to take them. I had to offer 100 endler for free to who ever wanted them for whatever, in a fish club that has a few hundred members. One person did take all of them. I'm back up to 80ish endlers though, I've stopped saving the fry and don't feed the colony as much, this seems to help slow them down.

I've had 100ish endler fry/young fish in a 15gal, before I gave them away.

 

[Tolak]

Find a local club if a shop won't take them; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=292232

 

[saltynay]

i chuck my spare fry in the pond outside the strongest survive the weakest reaches the inevitable fate. Every time I want a new fish or new equiptment ect. I catch a few and swap them in with my LFS's as the strongest are the only ones that survive the harsher conditions of an unheated, unfiltered pond with a much wider range of wildlife predating on them. I am providing superior stock for my area then if I just took them out of a tank that had been used for holding in ideal conditions.

 

[yvez9]

as mentionned, platies aren't worth much until they are adults and you will just keep getting more.
some shopd will take some but don't expect much in return.

you live in florida, you could always dig a pond and put them in there. just don't put them in local rivers or lakes!!!

 

[Harlequins]

I'm in the same situation,i must have about 70 platy fry in a 30l tank! i have put four of the month old into my main tank,they seem be ok and growing faster than their siblings!!
But i'll have to go down my small lfs to see if they will take them when they're older,i did say to myself i wouldn't save the next drop and let them take their chance,but i felt guilty today when my mickey mouse platy dropped and seen the fry swimming around so i caught them

 

[marcybeth0281]

I'm not really comfortable with digging a pond. It's 100 degrees outside right now in Florida. Besides, I rent and I don't really have a place to do that. =/

I guess I'll just keep them all in the 10gallon until they are old enough and then see if Pet Supermarket will take them off my hands. I've seen fry in their tanks before.

I guess some people can just toss them out, but I just don't have it in me to do that.