Now They're Here, Now They're Not

[starsatnight]

i'm new to livebearers and recently bought a male and a female red coral platy for my small tank. within 3 weeks the female's belly swelled up to gigantic proportions and she displayed the typical gravid spot(s).

one evening her belly looked squared-off and sort of boxy. i was going to go to the lfs to pick up a breeding net/basket thingy for the pending birth, but by the next morning i saw two teeny fry swimming about. one in the grassy plastic plant and one hanging out by the heater. i had to head out to work and by the time i got home there were no fry to be seen. i felt just awful. poor things.

even though it's only been about a week, the female seems to be getting a big belly again and i'm seeing more gravid spots. could she be giving birth again so soon?

how can i be better prepared to give the fry a chance?

thanks in advance.

 

[theotheragentm]

I prefer not to use breeder boxes or breeder nets as it stresses out the fish. I prefer to see if I can move fry to the breeder net shortly after a birthing. She will give birth in another four weeks. Don't worry too much. Be watchful of the tank. You may still have some fry swimming about in there, hiding.

 

[starsatnight]

I prefer not to use breeder boxes or breeder nets as it stresses out the fish. I prefer to see if I can move fry to the breeder net shortly after a birthing. She will give birth in another four weeks. Don't worry too much. Be watchful of the tank. You may still have some fry swimming about in there, hiding.

thanks! i'd actually read that it stresses the fish. i was planning on trying to separate the fry from the adults as soon as i saw them. and i have been searching and searching for the fry - the tank is 5Gallons - they don't have a lot of places to hide! i do have a lot of plants (plastic) and am hoping some of them will emerge one day!

 

[theotheragentm]

When my fish were mating, I would find fry up to five days later when I wasn't looking for them. You can flush them out if you take a cup of water and pour it back into the tank. It creates a big enough current that the fry can't swim against and get pushed off the bottom. Be aware though that other fish may try to grab any fry that come up, so be ready.