The Never Ending Birth!

[Vendetta]

I have two female platys that I moved to another tank because they were both pregnant and dad (psycho platy) was really stressing them out. They were moved on the 8th Oct and on the 30th I noticed 3 tiny babies. Each day I seemed to find more until it seemed to have stopped at 7. On the 9th Nov I spotted 3 more newborns, then a couple of weeks later I saw 3 more newborns and last night I spotted another 2! I now have all these different sized babies and I'm worried it's never going to stop! Is this normal??

 

[soybean]

Welcome to the world of livebearers! Females can store sperm in order to give birth in favourable conditions or in the absence of males. So if they're quite content and not stressed in anyway they can give birth without a male being around.

 

[Cazgar]

Fry are very clever at hiding, so maybe both your females gave birth, but you're only now seeing the fry?

 

[coldcazzie]

Welcome to the world of livebearers! Females can store sperm in order to give birth in favourable conditions or in the absence of males. So if they're quite content and not stressed in anyway they can give birth without a male being around.

^^^ this. Females can go through several pregnancies with the same batch of sperm from the last time a male was present - it can last several months.

 

[Akasha72]

So that's why my female platy seems to be perminately preggers!! I never knew. I spotted one little fry a few nights ago but not seen it since ... guessing someone got a live meal

 

[Fintastic!]

Mine are the same. I got the platys back in July and the most recent additions are about 5 weeks old. How long til they can be sexed? The boys will be donated to the lfs....

 

[Vendetta]

Oh no!! That's it, they're never going near him again! They're only in a 30ltre tank! Perhaps I'll stop feeding the mums...
Joking!
Cazgar, yes they both did, again and again at about 2wk intervals! They can't hide from me, I invested in a pair of massive glasses, they're almost microscopes, and they're brilliant for finding babies. Not so good on the eyes though
And they're still both like balloons!

 

[Vendetta]

I thought about that too fintastic but I'm worried they'll just end up being fish-in cycle fodder if I take them to the lfs

I may be getting too attached!

 

[TheShrimpGirl]

I had the same thing happen with my females. I bought two from the LFS and they just kept on going!

 

[Vendetta]

Shrimpgirl,what did you do with them? Did you keep them all? I just don't have the tank space, and they're still coming!

 

[soybean]

It can quickly get out of hand, especially if you save them or they have plenty of cover to hide.

I started with three and took 80 juvis to the lfs in a bucket...along with their parents.

Babies shouldn't come as a such a surprise, they're part of having livebearers so what you do with any babies is something to consider before you even get them really.

 

[Akasha72]

I keep hoping at least one will survive the jaws of my greedy guppies, she's a lovely fish and the male it pretty special to me too. Since her "sister" (bought together so I don't mean actual sister just that they were a pair of identical sunset female platies) died I miss seeing them all as a little group. She's looking pregnant again and her belly has squared off today. I keep wanting to try and get her in the trap but I know from past experience that she just gets too stressed. I'm guessing the only way would be to do as you have, vendetta and get her into a seperate tank but I just have nowhere to put another tank
So frustrating

 

[TheShrimpGirl]

I have five gallon birthing/spawning tank that i have set up with a sponge filter and a small heater. I have lots of cover in there and large marbles in the bottom for the fry to hide in.

I put the female live barers in there when they look like they're getting close and remove them when they seem to be done with the birth. This way I have a place for the fry to be raised where they won't be picked off by the parents.

I post an ad on CL when the babies get a bit older. They go to a few good homes that way. My LFS breeds them, so they never want the babies back.

 

[Cazgar]

I'm not planning on deliberately saving any more, at the moment I have a fry tank with approx 30 platy fry & about 10 guppy fry.
My Lfs will take them when they're old enough.
From now on they'll just have to take their chances in the main tank

 

[EmilyFishFriend]

How long is a guppy pregnant for?

How long is a guppy pregnant for?

How long is a guppy pregnant for?