Panic!

[Jezah]

My Platy is finally giving birth! She has had 3 so far, and I am seriously so nervous! I didnt think it would be tonight since she ate like a pig this morning. Guess she doesnt mind eating before giving birth! I have her and the babies in a 2.5 gallon tank with some 4 month old fry from another batch. The babies are so small, I dont remember them ever being that small! First incident was when a baby got stuck on the glass out of the water...dont know how he did it....but he did! They are hiding in the edges of the gravel, and I am so nevous the gravel will shift and they will get squished! I am so anxious! I wanna get momma out of there as soon as she is done...but she is taking her time! is there any way to tell when the birthing is over?

 

[longhorn13]

i'd give her a little time to recover before moving her. she shouldn't try to eat the babies right off the bat, and moving her immediately after would stress her even more than she already is.

 

[bigfish]

go shopping and find a breeding net, its a net over a plastic frame and it hangs on the side of the tank u cud then scoop up the new arrivals and put them in there for safety and mommy fish can't eat them!!!

 

[Jezah]

Ah! She finished giving birth like 3 hours after I posted. 13 babies in all, but a couple(as i feared) got squished in the gravel. Now they are in the 2 1/2 gallon grow out tank with big fat river rocks as substrate. They seem to be ok, none the worse for wear from their hectic few minutes of life. One question....I have a undergravel filter....will the babies get sucked into the intake plate? All it is is a peice of plastic with slots in it that is attached to a tube with an airstone in it. Not really a filter...more of a...mixer? Lol, I dunno. The suction doesnt seem to be too much for my older fry, but maybe I should not turn it on when the little babies are in there?