Platys-pregnant or constipated??

[Rdeyer]

this seems like a stupid question, but i really don’t know. I’m not even sure if they are male or female. We got them from a neighbor when they were babies about 2 months ago. How can you tell the difference? I gave them a few peas today to see if that helps? 2 of the 3 have a bloated belly, the 3rd seems fine. Also, I’m trying to upload photos but it says they are too big so if anyone can help with that too. They are just iPhone photos.

 

[Colin_T]

If the pictures are too big for the website, set the camera's resolution to its lowest setting and take some more. The lower resolution will make the images smaller and they should fit on this website. Check the pictures on your pc and find a couple that are clear and show the problem, and post them here. Make sure you turn the camera's resolution back up after you have taken the pics otherwise all your pictures will be small.

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Female livebearers (platies, swordtails, guppies, mollies) have a fan or triangular shaped anal (bottom) fin.
Male livebearers have a long straight anal fin called a gonopodium.

 

[Rdeyer]

I uploaded the photos. Hopefully this works!

 

[Colin_T]

There are 3 red wagtail platies in the pictures. The fat ones look like pregnant/ gravid females. There is one fish that looks like a young male.

If the fish are still eating properly, I would just do regular water changes and gravel cleans, and put lots of plants in the tank. The best plant for livebearers is Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta), which grows on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. It has big roots and lots of branches for baby fish to hide in and you can use a plastic container to scoop the babies up and put them in a breeding net or rearing tank.

 

[Rdeyer]

There are 3 red wagtail platies in the pictures. The fat ones look like pregnant/ gravid females. There is one fish that looks like a young male.

If the fish are still eating properly, I would just do regular water changes and gravel cleans, and put lots of plants in the tank. The best plant for livebearers is Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta), which grows on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. It has big roots and lots of branches for baby fish to hide in and you can use a plastic container to scoop the babies up and put them in a breeding net or rearing tank.

Thank you!!

 

[Rdeyer]

Thank you!!

There are 3 red wagtail platies in the pictures. The fat ones look like pregnant/ gravid females. There is one fish that looks like a young male.

If the fish are still eating properly, I would just do regular water changes and gravel cleans, and put lots of plants in the tank. The best plant for livebearers is Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta), which grows on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. It has big roots and lots of branches for baby fish to hide in and you can use a plastic container to scoop the babies up and put them in a breeding net or rearing tank.

I may be getting rid of that male. Lol. It’s only a 2.2 gallon tank in my 5 year olds room. Haha, not interested in doing this every 4 weeks

 

[FishFinatic77]

A 2.2 gallon tank is way too small for platies. It is even too small for a betta in my opinion, though you could probably get away with it. I would get rid of the platies or upgrade the tank size to at least a 10 gallon.

 

[seangee]

I may be getting rid of that male. Lol. It’s only a 2.2 gallon tank in my 5 year olds room. Haha, not interested in doing this every 4 weeks

I do agree with @FishFinatic77. You should know that the females store the sperm for later use (up to 6 months) so just getting the male out is not going to change anything. And of course if a male fry happens to survive ...