Pregnant Platys

[ellamarie]

As it turns out, the 4 male platys I were sold are not all male. I now have 2 VERY pregnant female platys. I would like to grow out some of the fry. What’s the best method?

I heard two main things.

A. Use a fry box and then transfer them to a smaller grow out tank.

B. Transfer the mothers into the grow out tank and wait for the birth.

I could also just leave them in the tanks and let nature take its course but I would like to try to keep some of the fry alive.

 

[emeraldking]

If you really want to be sure to have at least some left, I would choose option#B.
Overhere, my platies leave those fry completely alone... But that doesn't mean that yours won't eat them.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't put the adult females in a breeding trap or breeding net because they usually stress out. Either leave the females in their current tank, remove the males and add a heap of plants. Or move the females into another tank with lots of plants and let them give birth in peace and quiet.

 

[BigJfish12]

I found the method that worked best for me was adding Java moss to the tank. It is dense and allows fry to hide away. Then if you have another tank move the adults to that after giving birth, if that is not an option it is fine to leave the adults in with fry it is just possible that the survival rate of the fry won't be as high as a few will be picked off by the adults. Keeping the adults well fed will possibly reduce the chances of the fry being eaten. As @Colin_T said do not move them to a breeding net, i tried that the first few times and it resulted in one female dying due to stress and other times they just didn't give birth even if I kept then in there for about a month. Sorry for the long reply but I hope it helps.

 

[GaryE]

Everything depends on the size of your tank, and if they are the only species in there or not. With plants at all levels, fry will get to adulthood in with the parents, if the tank is big enough (a 20 gallon here is full of them). They just need cover for the first few days.
In a brood of 50, you might get 10, but you probably don't have infinite space to raise hundreds, so that's ideal.

You could set up a second aquarium, cycle it, plant it and move females over, but that becomes a space and budget issue.