I Have Babies...with No Males Around?

[aquariagirl1976]

Hi all! Here is the story...

About a month ago I bought a female red wag platy and a dalmation molly and put them in my cycled 35 gallon. Within 3 days of bringing them home, I had 15 fry. I moved both of the females into another tank (20 gallon cycled) and left the fry in the 35 gallon. The fry are a month old now. I have just found more fry in the 20 gallon where there is just the 2 females. How did one of the females have fry without a male around??? The first round of fry are now turning the colors of the red wag, but some are still clear with a little bit of black marking so I always thought that both females had had given birth so I am baffled as to who would have had these fry?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Common livebearer females like platys can store sperm in them, so can continue to have quite a few pregnancies even in the absence of a current male .

 

[drewry]

thay can have up to 6 broods with out a male like tokis says common livebeares store sperm

 

[afishdude]

thay can have up to 6 broods with out a male like tokis says common livebeares store sperm

thats incorrect, its 3-4 births, or roughly 3-4 monthes

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

thay can have up to 6 broods with out a male like tokis says common livebeares store sperm

thats incorrect, its 3-4 births, or roughly 3-4 monthes

Hm i don't think there is any hard fast rule to it, i think it varys a great deal, in most cases i have seen of this the female livebearer only has one or two pregnancies this way, although i once read a story a long time ago in this forum of a female platy having 7 pregnancies this way.

 

[afishdude]

everything i have read in the past 2 years says 3 to 4 with 5 being the absoulute max.
but i guess its possible to have 6

 

[fry_lover]

i'd like to see some articles or evidence that its 3-4 times only, i dont actually dispute it, i would just like to see the literature, as i am interested

 

[afishdude]

it was a wile ago, and im heading to help my uncle move his camper so il try to look them up when i get back later

 

[dunchp]

I don't think that it is a particularly serious argument; some websites say 2-3 months; the attached URL says 6 months. My experience is certainly more than 2-3 months and I am already on to my 4th brood from a Xiphophorus kallmani which I have no male.

It is only Poeciliidae which can store sperm; Goodeidae, Anablepidae and Hemirhamphidae cannot.

http/jhered.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/96/4/346

 

[lilfishie]

i have had a few guppies have 7 lots of fry with no male around

 

[aquariagirl1976]

Well, that answers my question fully!

Thanks for all of the responses everyone.

Jennifer.