Platy giving birth

[Newman]

I dont suggest a breeder for platy as they might be too big for it. i'd say it can be in there for a few days. it will be stressed out constantly either way.

Yea they can have multiple broods from one mating. just like swordtails

Usually with each pregnancy it takes less time than the last. maybe the second platy didnt feel like being pregnant again

Its more likely though that it will again later.

[KNEWELL2008]

Thanx for the response to my thread. I know a lot of ppl say breeder nets/breeder tanks aren't necessarily recommended for trying to keep your fry alive. A lot of ppl suggested just leave the fry in the community tank and let survival of the fittest take its course. However, that is what i did with the first batch from each of the two platies and out of 18-20 fry, i only have 2 or 3 now. I would like some of them to survive because this is the coolest thing i have ever experienced!! However, i would only want to keep the females out of the fry because i don't need this process to keep happening due to the fact i only have a 15 gallon tank. Well, get back to me when you have the chance. Thank you a bunch!

[Newman]

I'm sorry it was a bit hard to understand at the very end. by saying you want to keep the females out of the fry do you mean you want adults and fry kept separetely, or do you not want the females to get pregnant again? ill assume you want them separate. Good way to do this is to set up a 6 gal or a bit smaller bookshelf (one of those plastic critter tanks) for a birthing tank. put a pregnant female in there about a week or two before she gives birth. put a LOT of plants in that tank, whether live hornwort or plastic plants. once she gives birth to ALL of them then remove her and raise the fry in that tank.

Of course you can try the breeder trap as well. Then you can learn with experience whether they can handle it or not.

[MissFishy]

While having a separate "birthing" tank is a good idea, make sure it is well heated and airated, fry need warm water to survive. A critter cage won't do this very well unless it is fully "hooked up" with a filter and heater.

[littletankbigworld]

Breeding boxes work with platies, in my opinion. As long as you purchase the medium or large size boxes, you'll be fine. I've had no problems with them, except for the fact that nets are better than boxes. Fry survival rate is higher in nets because the fry can't swim up or out of the container and be eaten.

I agree. The water in a critter cage would be way too dirty unless you changed it every day or added a filter. (Small filters are only 10 dollars.)

[littletankbigworld]

Breeding boxes work with platies, in my opinion. As long as you purchase the medium or large size boxes, you'll be fine. I've had no problems with them, except for the fact that nets are better than boxes. Fry survival rate is higher in nets because the fry can't swim up or out of the container and be eaten.

I agree. The water in a critter cage would be way too dirty unless you changed it every day or added a filter. (Small filters are only 10 dollars.)

[Newman]

Dont you jsut hate it when the forum does that to your posts? (makes a duplicate)

Yea if you buy a large sized breeder net, i dont see why it would be too much of a problem for platy. for swordtails maybe.

[KNEWELL2008]

thank you everyone for your helpful responses. so far she hasn't had anymore babies but she is fatter than the last time i posted. now next issue is i only want to keep the female fry because i don't want to keep ending up with pregnant fish. so, since they are so little, how am i supposed to be able to tell the difference between female fry and male fry? i know i mentioned these are platy fish but they are orange mickey mouse platies, so will this make it harder for me to tell the difference between the male babies and female babies? oh sorry, another question...i have a 15 gallon tank and it is producing algae, however, my pet store said that any algae eater would get too big for my tank. so the question: is there anything on the market such as drops or tablets that will help clean up the algae because it is growing on the large rock in my tank, the artificial plants and the glass of the tank. i know i just asked a bunch of questions but if you can try to answer them all, i would truly appreciate it. thank you so much people, i have learned so much from you!!

[MissFishy]

Once again, take a look at the fry rearing section on my website linked below, it describes how to sex live bearers (platies).

If you are truly having a problem with algae, you should investigate what is causing it, is the tank in direct sunlight for any part of the day? This can make algae grow quickly. You can look into getting some "otocinclus" commonly called "ottos" to clean up algae, but they are hard to keep alive unless your tank water is very stable and not cycling. Also, when the algae clears up, you'll have to feed them regularly, they easily starve to death.

[beckyd]

Gosh, this is a great thread. You are asking lots of great fry questions. Here's my two cents.
I have tried breeders only to have the female become obviously stressed. One died. Now, if I really want the whole brood, I move the female to her own 5g way before she is due. Then remove her when she drops them. Otherwise, drop a bunch of floating hornwort plants(plastic is fine) in your tank. The fry love to hover in them along the surface. You can skip the whole pipet thing by feeding your adults a few flakes to distract them every time you feed First Bites to the fry. Put the First Bites over the floating plants. The ones hiding there will eat it. The hiding ones will catch on. For their first week or so, leave the lights off unless its time to feed them. You'll be amazed at how fast they come up to eat whenever you turn on the lights. This will help your algae issue too.

Sexing platies is not posible until they are too big for them all to be in your 15g. And I have read there is some evidence that livebearer females can keep sperm alive for fertilization for their entire life! Amazing. They think the sperm live off of some special sugar produced by the ovaries. Go figure. Anyway, once your fry get big enough to crowd your tank, have a craiglist giveaway and keep the cutest ones for yourself. If some of them turn out to be male once they get big enough to tell, give them away too. You will be able to sex them by the time they are mature enough to mate. Just don't expect the babies to stop from your 2 perma-pregnant girls. Be attentive to your fry and get rid of those males. You will get some virgin females that can stay that way.

As the owner of livebearers, you have to get a method of keeping the fry from overloading your tank no matter how big it is. My 75g is maxing out as we speak. So, don't get too concerned with saving every one. They aren't all meant to survive. That sounds cold, but you really cannot afford to get out of control in a 15g or your original fish will suffer. That said, I LOVE my babies and can watch them for hours and hours. I know what a special experience raising fry is. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I have well over a hundred fry right now. Somehow, I even have two of the cutest baby cory cats! LOVE their teeny weeny little whiskers! Those little guys will both stay, but the majority of the others will find new homes. The reality that you cannot keep them all is a sad thing

Regarding your algae- this is a natural issue with fry in the tank because they need alot of food. First off, realize that a bit of algae in an unplanted tank is not a horrible thing. The fry will graze on it and its quite natural to have a bit. Keep it cleaned off the glass and scrub your plants now and then to keep things pretty. Whenever you have fry, you will have to do weekly or twice a week water changes. This will control the algae and keep the water clean for your fish. Skip the chemicals. Its cheaper and better to change your water. After the fry are a few days old, they catch on to keeping away from the gravel vac. You can siphon from the top, but your gravel needs frequent cleaning with frequent feedings. If you siphon into a bucket, just check for fry and net them back to the tank if you get some. Your filter presents a bigger problem. I have found that panty hose over the intake gets clogged up. I cut the netting off a net and put it over the intake with a rubber band. You must use filter media, so covering the intake somehow really is your only option for the filter issue. It works well. Personally, I would skip an algae eater because you have a pretty small tank and that's one less platy you can have due to your bioload.
Sounds like you're getting the hang of the whole baby thing. Keep up the good work!