Platy Help Please

[Nyu]

Hi! I'm not exactly new new to fishkeeping and stuff, but I'm not exactly experienced. I have a 70L tank (18 gallons I think). I have, 6 platy's, (7 if you include the single fry I have in a net enclosure) and 10 neon tetra's. I have 3 questions and I hope you can answer them!

1. I have 3 females and 3 male platy's. 2 of the 3 females are pregnant. Their bellies are swollen and they look pregnant, but the don't seem to have this black spot that every site I go on seems to say that this is how you can tell that they're ready to give birth, but I've already put mine in a separate plastic tank enclosure thing, that floats around the tank. Was it to early to put them in there? Should I let them back in the tank, I'm a bit apprehensive to do that because it took me an hour to try and get them in the first place! Should I put them back or just leave them? And how long until they do give birth?

2. I noticed, for about a minute, one of my male platy's, swam around the surface, by the females in the plastic tank, almost horizontally with his body bent, he then stopped. Should I be worried?

3. Also, is it normal for male platy's to be aggresive to other fish? Because a certain male always seems to kind of bully my neon tetra's, not frequently though. Should I separate him from the rest?

Hope you can help, thanks!

 

[Nyu]

Anyone?

 

[Tory]

I knew mine were going to give birth when they sat on the gravel so it might be a little early yet. The gravid spot your talking about becomes more prominant as time goes on - and the black spot is the frys eyes you can see!! Gestation for mine was about a month and as soon as I saw her sitting on the gravel I popped her in the fry tank - I dont anymore, because I dont want to be overstocked so I leave them, and if I happen to see any fry swimming around after the bulk have been eaten, then I catch 'em.

Cant answer your question on the males behaviour toward the female, but its probably just a dominance thing chasing the neons - I have a male platy that used to be a bully, but my tiger barbs soon nipped it in the bud!

 

[Nyu]

I knew mine were going to give birth when they sat on the gravel so it might be a little early yet. The gravid spot your talking about becomes more prominant as time goes on - and the black spot is the frys eyes you can see!! Gestation for mine was about a month and as soon as I saw her sitting on the gravel I popped her in the fry tank - I dont anymore, because I dont want to be overstocked so I leave them, and if I happen to see any fry swimming around after the bulk have been eaten, then I catch 'em.

Cant answer your question on the males behaviour toward the female, but its probably just a dominance thing chasing the neons - I have a male platy that used to be a bully, but my tiger barbs soon nipped it in the bud!

Oooh. Now I can see the gravid spot. I Wasn't sure exactly what I was meant to be looking for but I looked it up lol. Ah, that's a good idea. Thanks!

Right, okay, well, I'm getting some glowlight tetra's soon, so maybe he won't be so mean. Thanks for your help

 

[OldMan47]

A male that is trying to mate with a female will swim up to her, place his body into a sort of S shape and move his gonopodium toward her vent opening. That is not only normal but something that you will see all the time if you have males and females mixed in the tank.
The dark gravid spot is a poor indicator of a fish being heavy with fry. Only fish of certain colors are able to show that dark spot because any that have color pigments in their skin will make it impossible to see. I have a very light colored female molly that never shows any color in her gravid spot at all. Although she has a very light color, it is a light colored pigment, not just an absence of pigment like you might see in a guppy. This is her right before her last drop that I saved fry from.

I find that a fish that is getting close to dropping fry will become squared off. Her abdomen will take on a square appearance. You can easily see that shape in my big molly although in a platy the shape is not quite as obvious and in a swordtail it may be much harder to see. The signs that Tory talks about are also useful in deciding when the fish is close to dropping fry.

 

[Nyu]

A male that is trying to mate with a female will swim up to her, place his body into a sort of S shape and move his gonopodium toward her vent opening. That is not only normal but something that you will see all the time if you have males and females mixed in the tank.
The dark gravid spot is a poor indicator of a fish being heavy with fry. Only fish of certain colors are able to show that dark spot because any that have color pigments in their skin will make it impossible to see. I have a very light colored female molly that never shows any color in her gravid spot at all. Although she has a very light color, it is a light colored pigment, not just an absence of pigment like you might see in a guppy. This is her right before her last drop that I saved fry from.

I find that a fish that is getting close to dropping fry will become squared off. Her abdomen will take on a square appearance. You can easily see that shape in my big molly although in a platy the shape is not quite as obvious and in a swordtail it may be much harder to see. The signs that Tory talks about are also useful in deciding when the fish is close to dropping fry.

Thanks! Yeah, I found I have four males and 2 females. One of the females is yellow and black, an you could see the gravid spot, but the other is red and so you can't. She went missing for a while, so I was kinda worried, but she appeared when I came in to feed them. Okay. Thank you! This information has helped alot