Pregnant(?) Platy

[Ricester61]

OK, we only started our tank last Christmas. Of the three platties, one's gotten pretty durn plump. From reading here, I know if there's two little fins + a big fin in the back, they're female. Two little fins only and it's a male. Fairly certain there's one male and a couple females. The one getting the gut is a female.

Now what?

She's been porkin' up for maybe a week now. When should I expect fry?

I can't find a "gravid spot" (do platties get those?), so am I right or is this maybe some kind of disease? Scales are the same as always, so (from what I read) it's not dropsy.

Oh - 29gal tank. NitrAte around 30+, Ammonia 0, NitrIte 0, pH 7.0. Been feeding 'em blood worms + Tetramin flakes.

To paraphrase Gone With The Wind, "I don' know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no platties!"

 

[iobre8ks]

you should be able to see a gravid spot it will be about three to six weeks what other fish do you have in the tank as you may need to purchase a breeding net.

 

[Kittycat]

I thought I could see the gravid spot of my blue female platies, but when I got males I also saw the dark spot in their tummy, so now I'm wondering what I'm seeing.

Anyway, I think if the female is getting fat if you look at her from head-on and also from the top, and she eventually starts looking "squarish", then babies are coming. Do you have java moss or similar plants for the fry to hide? She can give birth in the tank, and keep the fry there, some may get eaten, but if there's plenty of hiding places, most should be ok. Or you can put her in another tank by herself until she gives birth (plants still help) and use the other tank as the fry growout.

 

[Joby]

My platies don't show gravid spots either but my pink one had the fry's eyes visible through her belly My orange one keeps getting really fat but no eyes visible because of her colour and I'm yet to see fry from her. Platy fry are so much more wiser than guppy ones and you should expect at least 3 to survive even in the most crowded community tank so long as there is some plant cover.

A separate tank for just the mum to birth in is even better, but be prepared to house all the fry you get. The one time I put mine in a 5 gallon she had 42 babies! Don't use those floating breeding traps as the females can get really stressed and abort the babies or worse die

Kittycat I also have these neon platies and yes, the males have the dark gravid spot too

 

[tank212]

well it depends on how many fry you are wanting a good idea and probably the best way ive done is just fill the tank with some plants fake is fine for the babies to hide i always end up with more than 10babies most of them go straight for the grass another good idea is to put panty hose on the filter so it doesnt suck the babies up hope this helps