Platy Giving Birth :)

[Sarahstan]

Hey my Mickey Mouse Platy is just giving birth and I was totally unprepared for it!! I have her in a 125L tank with 3 other fish. Just tested water on Saturday and all perfect  What do I need to do to keep fry alive - they are currently being devoured as soon as they are born poor little things!! I can't afford to set up a nursery tank right now, but have a friend who will take some fry, so just wanting to know what I do until they get bigger 

 

[csfishkeeper]

A place to hide is best for new fry. Plants, little house decorations, driftwood, things like that. Even a little terracotta pot would help.
 
Fry are pretty good at hiding if they have a place to do so.

 

[bluesword23516]

If there are aggressive fish in the tank they wont last long.  I would try getting a breeding box to house them in for quite a while.
The way I collect fry is kind of weird, but usually doesn't stress the female out too much.  Breeding boxes can be very stressful for a fish, so I sit and watch my female and have a net in may hand just under her by about 5 inches. She is probably ok with that and will just drop the fry, and the fry will usually fall in. If you only have a few aggressive fish some of the fry will live, but they only have a few hours, most will be at the top so you can just scoop them out and put them strait into the breeding box.