The Tale Of The Saved Platy

[chibi]

This is my little platy, Snack. When I was walking along the rows of fish tanks in my LFS, I saw a piranha tank. Swimming around in the floating plants was a little orange dot. I looked closer and it was a cute little platy! I begged the workers to let me buy him. They gave him to me for free. I thought his name was appropriate. I mean, he couldn't have been more than a little snack with the appetite of those big piranhas!

Snack is about a half an inch long. He's orange with black lips and tail. He's a shy little guy... always hiding in the plants. I don't blame him; I would've grown accustomed to doing this living with monsters with teeth as big as me!

So, here he is! I thought I'd share his story and show you how cute he is.

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UPDATE!!

It seems that Snack isn't a platy... he's a swordtail! He's grown atleast double in the past few months. He's less shy now, too. Here's a picture of him now:

But now I've got a new saved platy. He was in a small, unplanted, unfiltered, substrateless tank of about 200 feeder guppies. My friend, who has very little knowledge of fish, asked me if he was the mommy fish of all the other guppies in there . I wanted to get him as soon as I saw him. So they caught him for me and I took him home. He too is really shy, but I'm sure he's happier now in my nice, clean water. He isn't sick, which is surprising but good. I hope he lives for a long time. <3 He shaped like a molly, but has the colors of a variatus platy. Anyone have a suggestion for a name?

 

[puddle_inc]

awww, he is cute!


i wish EVERYONE with pirhanahs, inlcuding stores, would use the alternatives. or atleast feeder fish. feeder fish don't have long lives anyway. but i'd even rather everyone to use the non living alternatives.

i saw a video on accident once and it showed this cute big fancy goldfish. it was a full grown fantail in a tank with lotsof goldfish. then the 'shark' music came on and a net came down and grabbed the goldfish. it was set in this beutifal tank. but with the shark music, i knew something was gonna happen.

i saw this beutifal fantail goldfish get ripped apart before my eyes. i seriously cried a bit it was so sad.

 

[Gankutsuou]

Sure, that's not it's natural predatory, but you have to accept the predator/prey relationship sometime.

Not all animals are meant to eat veggies. And it's still eating some form of animal in brine shrimp or bloodworm. I don't get how doing something from it's natural instincts could be seen as horrible, inhumane, or cruel. Big fish eat small fish, in business, life, and then in the wild.


Thumbs up for saving the fish.

 

[puddle_inc]

stiill though. this is different. people are taking beutifal fish that were breed in captivity and there just tossing them into basically a fish shredder.

when there are alternatives take them. if the alternatives save lives, then take them. alternatives don't mean it's veggies. but it's not killing CB fish just because.

if you want to go swimming and get the real natural fish they eat on from the wild then fine, thats natural. but taking CB fish that were breed for aquariums and have lived in aquariums there whole lives and throwing them into the fish shredder, thats cruel and inhumane.

 

[chibi]

I agree with you, Ganku. I have this soft spot for helpless things. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so sensitive... I mean, how is piranha eating platys any different than us eating chicken? (I'm actually vegetarian, but only because I don't like the taste of meat. Just a little side note.) I think it was kind of silly they put him in there, though. He's so tiny, and those piranha (who were about 10" long) would've just swallowed him whole. Seems like a waste to me. Atleast feed them a fish that's lived longer and would provide the piranhas with a bit more food. D:

 

[Gankutsuou]

puddle - stiill though. this is different. people are taking beutifal fish that were breed in captivity and there just tossing them into basically a fish shredder.

Beautiful fish? so you're saying it's okay to feed fish predesitined to be put in that "fish shredder" (which could also be considered a fish) but not fish such as a platy or neon breed by humans? Heck, angel fish prey on neons in the wild. Are you saying it's okay to feed them some neons, but not some breeder guppies in that case?

Honestly, humans eat meat an veggies. Some fish eat meat. Some eat veggies. Yes, there are alternitives, but you still take life in feeding those that eat some kind of meat either way. Beauty and size is not of importance. If you ever feed a fish brine shrimp, then you killed along hose terms.

But still, I see your point. it's in good means and charming.

 

[millym]

in nature fish have a chance to escape their predators.ok it might not be easy but they still have a chance, in a glass box, set up by us humans, they do not have a chance and i dont understand how people that love their fish can buy other fish to put in the glass box purely to be eaten i could/would not even entertain owning any fish that need live food like that but then i wouldnt buy a snake & buy mice for it either!!!!!!

good on you for rescuing the little guy im sure he'll have a fantastic life with you

 

[Gankutsuou]

No chance? No chance at all?

Let us look at the tale of my freakishly now large dominate glowlite.

1/2 year in a 5 gallon with zebra danios when I knew no better
2 years in a bug carrier
-put in a 10 gallon with a good set up

-add a senegal bichir and african butterfly fish while the 38 cycles

-which happens to eat the remaining school of glowlites I just got, cardinals, and my last neon who all failed cycling. *(hadn;t known any better then. had just joined TFF)

-survives in the 38 on and off with said bichir for reasons such as trying to shut down the 10 gallon or stocking with apistos (I failed that hard...)

Finally has his own safe little shoal to command in the 10 with the brochis and a betta that he's beating the heck out of and I have to remove.

No chance? There's a chance. But this guy is special. He learned a cool adaptation where he zips upside down over the predator, comes behind them, gets a look and swims off if dangerous. but he does this at a sign on any unknown disturbace. Makes him really fun to catch.

 

[ox5477]

Note with the little guy. Looks like you got him all by himself right now. Dont know what your plans are but he would def love it if you got him some friends. It would make him feel alot safer!

 

[Gankutsuou]

he;s got a shoal, he's a bit nippy with them, probably because he's in charge of em and wants to make sure he's boss.

 

[ox5477]

Well I was talking about Chibi's saved platy but I'm glad your little guy isn't alone either

 

[chibi]

Actually, he's not alone! By some strange forces, none of my fish were in that picture. He's happily swimming around my 29-gallon. He's only occasionally mistaken as food by my mollies. I never really thought about it, but now that you mention it, he'd probably be a lot happier with some friends. I'll have to wait til he's a bit bigger, than give him some buddies.

 

[chibi]

Oh, and Gankutsuou, I know what you mean. I've got one of those survival-of-the-fittest fish too. It's a guppy fry that still seems to stay alive amongst my many fry-eating fish. My 3 female guppies have had atleast 10 births in my tank and none of the fry seem to have survived. All except this one... he's still very tiny, but I always see him among my plants on the right. He's smart, fast, and eats when no one is around. Just like in nature, the weaks ones die and the strong survive. I hope he grows up to be an adult too, so I have another cool story linked with my fish. Hopefully it'll be a male too, because I have too many females and males are so pretty!

 

[~T~]

Cool little platy or swordtail.

 

[chibi]

Update!