Pregnant Platy???

[BobK]

Hi everyone. I've been reading through hundreds of your posts and have learned a great deal. I have one male and one female mickey mouse platys. Four weeks ago, when I was doing a regular pwc, I saw some fry in the bucket. I found a total of four and I moved the mother back to my 75G tank. Two fry survived and are growing fast.

Here's the problem. The mother is small, probably young. She didn't get plump when she was pregnant. They are both dark red so you can't see the gravid spot. Anyway, she was looking pregnant again shortly after. She should be due right around now. However, now she looks much slimmer and there is no evidence that she gave birth. I don't know if she aborted or if they were all eaten, but I have a lot of hiding places for fry and would think I'd see at least one of them. Also, yesterday she had a long poop and small parts of it (in different spots) were black.

Did she abort? Why do they have miscarriages? My water quality is very high. Ammonia and nitrite are always 0. I don't test for nitrate but I do 1-2 pwc's of 20% a week.

Thanks in advance for your help and I'm sorry about the long message.

 

[MAM]

its possible all were eaten, despite the hiding places. i've experienced that many times. its also possible she aborted due to some other stress factor besides water quality (over ardent male, other fish, temp change, etc). wish i could be more helpful on this but sometimes its just hard to know for sure....................

 

[willywonka099]

I doubt ashe aborted ...I had a swordtail that did the exact same thing ... biggest fish poo I had ever seen inch for inch !!! I would say she was constipated nad mroe than likely is preggo still you just can't tell Any fish in there besides the plattys ?

 

[Def]

I bet you spot some fry in a couple of weeks. If you even have a few hiding places, some will survive.

 

[BobK]

Thanks everybody for the quick responses. Yes, I have other fish in the tank. 3 zebra danios, 5 cories and a humongous 11 inch pleco, peanut. Peanut is probably the culprit but he's not aggressive at all. They all have plenty of room (11 fish in a 75G) and everybody gets along well. I just bought a 10 gallon to use as a fry tank. I think maybe I'll transfer the mother into it. The male never seems interested in her which I find rather strange.

 

[willywonka099]

Oh man danios !!! that's a first danio if you are serious in breeding ... As you have noticed they are extremely quick and will wipe out a fry population if givin the chance !!! A birthing tank would be very nice !! and maybe even 2 more females

 

[BobK]

I didn't even think about the Danios. I went to Walmart a couple of days ago and got one of those 10 gallon kits. I've set it up and put some gravel from my big tank to speed up the cycling. I've got some filter media from the big tank I'm gonna put in there too. I was thinking about getting 2 more females after reading so many of the posts in this forum. Thanks for the advice!!!

 

[Coral platy]

my platy fry took 5wewks to pop out.
I bet they are ok. Just watch in your tank every day.
when they do pop out do not put the lights on.
My sure you have undergravel filter or splat they will be sucked and chopped into fishbits.
Sorry i cant be more help.

Coral

 

[BobK]

Thanks Coral. Why turn out the lights? Do the fry swim towards the light? I do have a power filter but I was going to put a stocking over the tube. That will hopefully work.

 

[ferrikins]

I never had a prob with the light.

Thats a good idea about putting the stocking over your power filter.
you could always run a sponge filter in your main tank if your power filter does some how eat ya fry you can move it. Always good to have a backup.

The fry do swim towards a light sorce when there fist born, but I always thought that was a good thing, if someone ever has a prob with the light herting there fry, then there something wong with it.

 

[Def]

Oh yeah, thats a good point. If you have an internal filter like my fluvals, take the canister out every few days and open the cartridge INTO A BUCKET. Some fry always seem to end up in there, so check before you chuck the water...

 

[willywonka099]

Actually fry ARE attracted to light .....when first born the will hide at the bottom and at about 24-48 hours the fry will go to the top

 

[Coral platy]

fry burn in light. When they are growing like others have said go to the light but since they are thick brainless animals they go to the top and the water is too hot for they little orgens to take it and they burn the death.Thats why a lot of the fry die when they are young either:
near a radiator.
near too much sunlight
or gor the lights on.
i would say if you want lights on get a blue moon.

Coral