Platy fry are different colours

[cutechic]

I have 7 platy fry that are a couple of weeks old. Both parents are mickey mouse platies. Some of the platy fry are almost a black colour, and others are orange. Is this normal?

 

[Butterfly Betta]

Pet store platies yes... They are mix-match fish massly produced and no concern for coloration.

If you bought them from a breeder, then no.


My blue two tones until I was able to get a stablized strain used to throw reds, mickeys, and albinos.

It took a few months to get it sorted out because every time I thought they'd breed for just the one color I was after, there was someone else showing up with different coloration

 

[cutechic]

Well, indirectly they're from an lfs. A friend bought several platies to breed and then gave me some of their offspring. Now the fish he gave me have given birth to the fry I talked about. I think about half of the fry I have are black, and the other half are orange.

 

[Butterfly Betta]

That is to be expected.

It takes a few generations to actually straighten out a lfs Platy's genes.

Just keep at it

You're doing fine

 

[cutechic]

Phewf, good to hear. I thought they had ammonia poisoning, because I know fish turn a darker colour when ammonia levels are too high, even though my ammonia reading is 0 ppm.

 

[guppymonkey]

Platies are strange. Even when two platies that look exactly the same are bred (like Mickey Mouse platies) they can produce fry that are different colors. It has something to do with their genetic structure but I forget what my book on platy breeding said. Its nothing out of the ordinary though.

 

[cutechic]

Excellent, thx for the info Now I just need to wait for my 10 gallon to cycle, and then I can put my fry into their new home!

 

[guppymonkey]

Excellent, thx for the info Now I just need to wait for my 10 gallon to cycle, and then I can put my fry into their new home!

If you want you can try either Stresszyme or Cycle both of which can help the tank cycle more quickly. I cycled my tank in about a week.

 

[cutechic]

I've just started using Stress Zyme. Since the tank has been cycling for 4 days, hopefully it'll only be a couple more days