Pregnant Platy Advice Please

[JoyB]

Hi

After reading some of the very interesting posts and useful tips on here I think my platy may be pregnant. I can't see the gravid spot but after comparing her with pictures of pregnant platies I'm presuming she is.

As this is my first time and a newbie to tropical fish I'm not sure whether to leave the pregnant platy alone or perhaps buy a net and put her in that?

I also have 5 baby catfish that someone has given me.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Joy

 

[Angry_Platy]

What other fish do you have besides her? (and besides the catfish)

Do you want to keep the fry? If so you will need to somehow isolate the female from the other fish....this may involve using a breeding trap (if you don't have a spare tank)....

If you have lots of hiding places in the tank the babies may survive without your help. If you do use a breeding trap wait till your female is REALLY big (she will look like she is going to burst) before you put her in. If she starts stressing out take her out.

DW too much if you don't manage to save any fry. Platies will give birth every 28-30 days

GOOD LUCK

 

[JoyB]

Hi

I have 9 platies including the pregnant one and 5 baby catfish. My tank is approximately 20 gallon and is 2' tall. I have one large plastic plant that is the same height as the tank. I also have driftwood.

I'd like to be able to keep the fry but if she has too many I won't know what to do with them all but keeping a few would be nice.

I don't have a spare tank so my only option would be to buy a breeding trap. If I decide to do that how long to I keep the platy in with her fry? Will she eat them?

Joy

 

[Kittycat]

If you just want a few, I think tossing in a couple of plants would allow you to do that, some may get eaten, but some will probably survive.

 

[Angry_Platy]

She will eat them unless you remove her once she has dropped a good percentage of her fry. Chances are yu won't see this happen though. For me, all my fry births happen during the night and I wake up to a million of them.

Basically the less time she is in the breeders trap/net the less stressed she will be and the more likely that she will give birth to healthy fry. If you put her in too soon he may stress out and abort....

Signs to look for.....EXTREMELY fat, looks like she will burst. Hangs at the top of water, higher respiration rate. Gets angry when other fish go near her. May or may not eat.

If you notice this then it would be safe to move her into the trap/net. She will also feel safer this way since the other fish can't hassle her. If you put java moss or similar in the trap/net the fry may be able to hide hence saving you more.

GOOD LUCK

 

[JoyB]

Hi

Thank you all very much for the advice - I'll certainly come back and let you know how I get on.

Joy

 

[vidiots]

If you are worried about having too many, then I would do nothing. By doing nothing, most of the fry will be eaten by the other fish, and only a few will survive.