Is My Platy Pregnant Or Just Fat?

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dsiegel13

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Just curious, is she preggers or just fat, I can't tell, from above and front she looks very pregnant. From the side however she looks fat. She does have a white dot/tube starting to descend from her anus area, so are babies coming soon?

Platy Red Gills.jpg
 
I don't know the answer I'm sorry, but my platy is fatter then yours and I am also curious as to whether or not she is pregnant. I did read that if they have black spots on their underbelly then apparently they are pregnant, but I can't see any on mine so she may just be fat :( We did call her Vicky Pollard though :blink:

Look forward to hearing an answer, here is mine:

SAM_0372.jpg


Kez
 
She gave birth last night, I missed it...

I could tell, because this morning she was half the size and there was no big belly...then my daughter said "Hey Daddy, what is that swimming by the moss?"

It was a fry, the only that I have been able to see so far.

So yeah! and awww!
 
And there may be more hiding in the moss! Great photos, by the way. Can even see the birthing tube descending!

And to KezJona, the "black spot on her underbelly" I'm sure is a gravid spot, and it's near the anus.
 
And there may be more hiding in the moss! Great photos, by the way. Can even see the birthing tube descending!

Thank you! I did not know that was the birthing tube, thought it was her anus and she had to poop. Guess that is why I missed the birth, wanted to put her in the birthing trap so that we could salvage a couple fry... next time, seems all my platties are pregnant (well except this one)
 
Unless you're going to start breeding with the intention of keeping hundreds of fry to maturity, please don't use a birthing trap. It's extremely stressful to the pregnant fish, to the point that she'll self abort the fry or reabsorb them. The reason they have so many fry is with the anticipation that most will NOT survive, so they have a lot knowing that at least a few will. The moss is great for fry, and if they're smart (which apparently some are) they'll hide there.
 
Unless you're going to start breeding with the intention of keeping hundreds of fry to maturity, please don't use a birthing trap. It's extremely stressful to the pregnant fish, to the point that she'll self abort the fry or reabsorb them. The reason they have so many fry is with the anticipation that most will NOT survive, so they have a lot knowing that at least a few will. The moss is great for fry, and if they're smart (which apparently some are) they'll hide there.

I was not going to breed my platties, they seem to have that all under control by themselves. Didn't like the trap the one time I put her in it, she seemed too confined. The reason for trying the trap was so that my kids could see the fry, but hey they found them fine enough swimming free (and for their lives from the other fish).

Fry question? Since I am not trying to breed them, but inevitably a couple could survive, and I do not want to dissuade their survival, what do I feed them?? I usually give my fish flake that I break up a bit (mid size pieces). I don't see the fry getting to eat them and if I crush up flake really small, my filter and flow in the tank will probably blow the crushed pieces away from where the fry are hiding (I placed the moss mound as far from the filter inlet as possible, so they would not be accidentally sucked up the filter when they are just trying to hide).

Another question, at what age (week) will the fry be big enough to survive on their own in the tank w/o having to hide all day/night?
 
Unless you're going to start breeding with the intention of keeping hundreds of fry to maturity, please don't use a birthing trap. It's extremely stressful to the pregnant fish, to the point that she'll self abort the fry or reabsorb them. The reason they have so many fry is with the anticipation that most will NOT survive, so they have a lot knowing that at least a few will. The moss is great for fry, and if they're smart (which apparently some are) they'll hide there.

I was not going to breed my platties, they seem to have that all under control by themselves. Didn't like the trap the one time I put her in it, she seemed too confined. The reason for trying the trap was so that my kids could see the fry, but hey they found them fine enough swimming free (and for their lives from the other fish).

Fry question? Since I am not trying to breed them, but inevitably a couple could survive, and I do not want to dissuade their survival, what do I feed them?? I usually give my fish flake that I break up a bit (mid size pieces). I don't see the fry getting to eat them and if I crush up flake really small, my filter and flow in the tank will probably blow the crushed pieces away from where the fry are hiding (I placed the moss mound as far from the filter inlet as possible, so they would not be accidentally sucked up the filter when they are just trying to hide).

Another question, at what age (week) will the fry be big enough to survive on their own in the tank w/o having to hide all day/night?

Kids do love seeing those tiny little fry swimming around! But I think it's more fun for them to watch just a few than dozens. Easier for them to keep track of them too.

I feed my fry ground up flakes. Just take regular flakes and grind them with a mortar and pestle into almost a powder. Remember, their mouths are tiny and they can only eat what will fit in their mouths. Some folks feed baby brine shrimp, and I started that as well, but later on I figured they wouldn't be getting shrimp as a regular part of their diet, so why start them off on it? I also would feed them cooked egg yolk, just a tiny amount because too much will cloud the water.

The age at which they'll survive is pretty relative. If you have them surviving now ...

Keep in mind that they also will forage between mealtimes.
 
I feed my fry ground up flakes. Just take regular flakes and grind them with a mortar and pestle into almost a powder. Remember, their mouths are tiny and they can only eat what will fit in their mouths. Some folks feed baby brine shrimp, and I started that as well, but later on I figured they wouldn't be getting shrimp as a regular part of their diet, so why start them off on it? I also would feed them cooked egg yolk, just a tiny amount because too much will cloud the water.

The age at which they'll survive is pretty relative. If you have them surviving now ...

Keep in mind that they also will forage between mealtimes.

Thanks!

I will crush up some flake tonight when I get home and hope for the best. I will have to distract the bigger fish somehow to accomplish some crush reaching the bottom.

I will try to dump the crush near my floating raft. I tied a bunch of pieces of plastic plants together into a make-shift raft that is tied to my heater and floats on the top of the water, hopefully the fry can make it from the relative safety of the moss mound to the raft safely. The raft also floats directly above the moss mound w/o denying it light, so hopefully the crush will sink into the mound.
 
Sounds like a good plan! I just feed my adults their regular food on one side of the tank and put the fry food on the other. Nobody has starved yet!
biggrin.gif
 
I agree with This Old Spouse.
You will soon be over run with them as I did when I kept moving the heavily pregnent females to a birthing tank.
I have now made the decision to let them drop in the main tank and see then sell of the survivors when they are bigger.
 

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