New To Breeding - Pregnant Platy?

[Annastasia]

Are there Live Plants in the tank? She could be eating Planaria, and other little yummy bugs off them. Otherwise, what are you feeding her? Does she look any thinner? When you look at her face on, does her stomach appear rounded or squarish?

 

[dwarfgourami]

It should be noted that right before, and while giving birth female Livebearers won't eat. They have a special hormone that takes away their appetite before they start giving birth, so they won't eat their own fry.

I know you all are probably now wondering, how come everyone says parents can eat their own fry? Well, because the other Livebearers will have no problem eating them, and once the hormone wears off the female, she'll eat some too.

Annastasia, I have seen a female platy literally turn round and eat what just plopped out of her tummy- and then go on to have at least 14 more fry. Hormones are not entirely reliable things.

 

[Ddraig Goch]

I have seen some Platys eat their fry as they are giving birth too, on the other hand, I have also seen a Platy fry balanced on the nose of it's mother and she has ignored it. I guess it just depends on the individual fish.

Most of my pregnant fish eat ravenously the last few days before giving birth, some of them quite happily eat while giving birth. Like I said before, it just depends on the individual fish.

As far as I can tell it has been about 2 days. However, when I leave the room and come back she is sometimes swimming about, so maybe she eats so from the bottom then. When she sees me she generally hides in her stump.

Sounds like she is just being shy, she is probably eating when you are not in the room. Maybe you could catch her eating if you sit still so she thinks you've gone.

I think it might help if you put one of your pregnant Guppies in with her for company.

 

[Annastasia]

Edited. I'm having a bad day, don't mind me.

 

[Ddraig Goch]

Let's just attack my advice a little more...

Apparently I am totally wrong, so I'll go erase it...

Not attacking your advice, just adding to it with other peoples observations. Erasing it would be silly as you always have good advice to give.

 

[Annastasia]

Ddraig, don't worry. I know you weren't attacking it. I was being over-sensitive, I've had a bad day.

This advice wasn't good. It happens more so with Guppies the Platies, I don't know what I was thinking. *Smacks self* Anyway, I erased it already, and forgot what I said. Oh well.

 

[Ddraig Goch]

I've bred more Platys than Guppies, I've only just started with them recently.

 

[SnowyzMom]

Annastasia wonderful guppy info. I totally enjoyed reading all of it. Just a couple of comments to add.

Java moss, if you can buy a handful of it, is a wonderful play area and hidey hole for guppy fry. I can buy a clump for $4 at the lfs and it multiplies all over. It's good to once in awhile gently open up the clump abit, let the inner bits get some light and air. The fry tend to nibble on it as well as hide in it.

Word of warning: Guppies make rabbits look like monks!

I have had Cories eat guppy fry. I was even netting out a nicely coloured fry one day (yes even teeny I could see the start of colour on that one) and a danged corey jumped into the net, got the fry and jumped out again! ARGH. I had the fry cornered in the bottom corner of the tank and the corey beat me to him. Yeeesh. If my cories spot guppy fry stupidly staying still on the gravel they will dash and get them. At least the big female cories sure do. But I guess this way I get alot of extremely fast, not too dense guppies eh?