Too Many Fry!

[Mscott18]

I know this question has probably been asked to death, but is there a way to prevent my platties from breeding? Mama's given birth 3 times since Christmas and they're all still alive...there's about 30 of them and I only have a 10 gallon tank!

If there's no proven way to put a halt on the fishy lovin', might someone reccomend me other breeds of fish (I only have the platties) to, uh, keep the population in check? Thanks!

 

[guppy_man]

your only sollution is to give the females to the petstore, they will take them off you and you may get something in return, if you keep the females they could still have babies 3 months later because they can carry sperm for 3 months, if i was you i would just keep males, or you could get a fish that will eat the babies like erm.... a female betta? or dwarf gourami, theres gotta be some more fish you could have, you will just have to do some research

 

[Annastasia]

...the females they could still have babies 3 months later because they can carry sperm for 3 months...

Try more like 6 months.

Have you tried selling or giving away the fry? Otherwise, your only other option is really getting a population control fish. There's not many options for a 10g. What kind of fish do you like?

 

[terrorist_124]

i had the same problem with guppies.

i got a dwarf gourami and he ate all the fry that were born,this stopped the excess population plus a dwarf gourami looks stunning.

 

[silver tipped]

Hi,

I have the same problem. My solution was to take back my males. (Due to deaths I had far to many males to females and the poor females were being bullied).

I now let my remaining females give birth in the main tank and any fry that survive go to my lfs.

Eventually with only females, I'll have no more fry. At least thats the plan.

 

[Mscott18]

...the females they could still have babies 3 months later because they can carry sperm for 3 months...

Try more like 6 months.

Have you tried selling or giving away the fry? Otherwise, your only other option is really getting a population control fish. There's not many options for a 10g. What kind of fish do you like?

Not yet...all the fry are a cross between two different types of platties...would a store still take them? And at what minumum age? the oldest are about 4 months, the middle set 2, and the rest were born about 4 days ago.

I heard gouramis are nice? (and suitably carnivorous to my needs...as much as I hate to say that)

i had the same problem with guppies.

i got a dwarf gourami and he ate all the fry that were born,this stopped the excess population plus a dwarf gourami looks stunning.

Are they relatively low or medium maintenance? (amd does it make a difference if it's male or female?) Being that I'll be at school come fall, I won't have time to properly look after anything that requires more than a basic tank, filter, average temp and generic food.

 

[Annastasia]

Most Platies are crosses, really. That's how they get the different colorations. The store should be fine with taking them. Most fish stores like to take them after they are sexable, which is around 3 months (some are early, some are late..3 months is average). However, every store is different so you are best off asking them what age they like.

Gouramis are nice, however Dwarfs can be prone to bacterial infections and aren't the strongest of fish. You'll definitely want to keep up on your water changes with them. They are pretty easy after that though, just keep the tank clean. Males or females won't really make a difference, however good luck finding anything other the males in a fish store! If you do get one, just make sure he isn't aggressive to the Guppies, and doesn't go for their tails.

Good luck!

 

[terrorist_124]

a d.gourami is easy to take care of after the first couple of days in your tank , untill then make sure your water is top quality.

i would suggest you buy a male since females are a bit more shy and may not eat the fry if they are not happy with the tank , plus a male is very coulourful and a female has no colour so it dosnt look so good.


Goodluck