Need Help.

[RebeccaB2]

I am a new fish owner had my tank for about 2 months. My platy just had six babies last today and now I don't really know what to do. Please help.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

They can eat well-crushed flake food, or bits of stuff off the substrate. If there are a lot of hiding places (plants, decorations, etc) then some will survive and grow up, otherwise many other fish enjoy eating them - including their parents.

You don't really need to do anything special for them.

 

[RebeccaB2]

I have them in a breeder tank. There are only 5 alive 1 I am guessing died it hasn't moved. I took mom out because she was trying to eat them. How long do I keep them in the breeder tank for?

 

[Thyra]

Welcome to the forum! I would keep them in the breeding tank until you feel they won't fit into the mouths of the other fish. That length of time is difficult to predict. A month to 6 weeks might do it.

 

[RebeccaB2]

Perfect thanks so much. I am super excited. If we plan to keep breeding is it recommended to get another tank?

 

[Thyra]

What size tanks do you already have? And what and how many fish do you have? It is very easy to quickly run out of room!

 

[RebeccaB2]

We have one 30 gallon I think it is. We have 2 platy 2 dalmation molly 2 little zebrafish and a bottom feeder

 

[exhumed07]

thats a pretty well understocked tank. once those fry grow up they would be a good addition i would think to the tank. but as thyra said, it's best to just wait to put them into the main tank till they are to large to fit into the mouths of any of the other fish.

 

[RebeccaB2]

So it has been a few days since she had her babies but she looks pregnant again? Could she be pregnant again or maybe she didnt have them all or something?

 

[exhumed07]

platty and mollies are alot like guppies. i know a guppy can breed once and have up to 3 batches of babies from the single encounter. this could be true with your platty. my guppies are always holding babies. even after they drop they still look pregnant. that what makes them so great for feeder fish. they reproduce fast and if u give a fish a pregnant female guppy the fish fed also gets all those nice yolk sacks from the babies.

 

[OrangeCones]

So it has been a few days since she had her babies but she looks pregnant again? Could she be pregnant again or maybe she didnt have them all or something?

Livebearer fish can give birth to multiple batches of fry from a single breeding, some as many as 6 or more batches of fry. The female can store sperm and use it to fertilize the next set of eggs she develops.

She can also 'look' pregnant when she is full of unfertilized eggs. I have a single female guppy in my 40gallon tank at home. She was a 'hitchhiker' with some plants I bought about a year ago. She's quite content to hang out with some tetras and rasbora in the tank. She's never been with a male guppy, but she 'looks' like she'd give birth any moment!