pregnant platys???? please help!!!!

[kimlee10]

I have 2 platys from the pet store. there in a 5 gallon tank (while we re set up our 20 gal) there definatly looking huge.... the Orange painted one more than the yellow.. I am posting a pic, can someone confirm they are pregnant? there really hungry and hanging out at the top of the tank. im getting a net breeder now, but the tank does have a filter and live plants. you can click the images to enlarge them!

please help!!!

 

[Thyra]

They definitely look PG. I have never used a net breeder - it tends to stress them out IMO, but I would get some more plants in there - fake work just fine and you can get some fake grass patches and some of the babies will survive. Did you just get these fish? Is your tank cycled? That would be first on the agenda to take care of the fry because the water needs to be pristine. Also you didn't mention a heater. The temp needs to be about 75 - 80 degrees. Don't worry about them all surviving - you won't have room for 30 or 40 fish and it is not easy to find homes for them. Good Luck!

 

[kimlee10]

hi there! yes we just got them but the tank is established... we got them then the other 2 we had died... didnt know if the pregnant ones got aggressive? the heat is at 76. but I also have a filter.. wont they get stuck?? i have live plants in there now.. just 1 though. wont the parents eat the fry? if there not seperate?

 

[Thyra]

Yes, the parents will probably eat some of the fry that is why I am saying to get some more hiding places like artificial plants. Many of them will survive. You really not need to worry about loosing a few to natural circumstances. You need to consider what you would to with 30 or 40 more fish, because you don't have room for that many. Also do you understand the concept of cycling your tank?? Oh, and I have not had any fry get stuck in the filter, although I suppose it is possible. They pretty much seem to stay near the bottom of the tank in the plants and substrate, etc.

 

[kimlee10]

yes i understand cycling.... i went to a agricultural school high school graduated 10 years back... we were graded on how to take care of fish lol

 

[OrangeCones]

we got them then the other 2 we had died

What caused the other 2 to die?

i have live plants in there now.. just 1 though.

Can you post a pic showing the whole plant? Sadly, many stores sell plants that are not aquatic and it will foul your water over time as it decays if its one of the non-aquatic ones.

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the 5 gallon tank? How long before they can be housed in the 20 gallon? What are you doing to prepare the 20 gallon tank?

 

[kimlee10]

The plant is a water plant. I know enough about fish to know plus my fries got it for me she works at a pet store and she had a very well established 55 gallon tank so the plant isn't my issue... I was just concerned about the fish being pregnant I have. I have no concerns about anything else. My other fish were old? I'm guessing. I'm not sure but we have out water tested and it's just fine to

 

[OrangeCones]

The plant is a water plant. I know enough about fish to know plus my fries got it for me she works at a pet store and she had a very well established 55 gallon tank so the plant isn't my issue... I was just concerned about the fish being pregnant I have. I have no concerns about anything else. My other fish were old? I'm guessing. I'm not sure but we have out water tested and it's just fine to

I'm sorry that asking about the plant, your two deceased fish and the water's parameters has upset you. I'm just trying to help, but will not do so after this.

If all you want to know is if the platy fish are pregnant, then the answer is likely yes based on their shape (presuming they have been with a male in the last several months).

Good luck with your fish.

 

[kimlee10]

I'm sorry that asking about the plant, your two deceased fish and the water's parameters has upset you. I'm just trying to help, but will not do so after this.

If all you want to know is if the platy fish are pregnant, then the answer is likely yes based on their shape (presuming they have been with a male in the last several months).

Good luck with your fish.

im sorry didnt mean to snap its been a long night... wondering about fish and sick baby lol ill get a pic for you. i have no idea what the plant is called..

 

[Thyra]

I just want to add something here: those of us who have been on this forum for awhile will usually ask what the water parameters are in order to help. The most common answer I see is "fine", but they don't give the numbers -- and I have found that "fine" can mean a lot of different things to different people. Many of the LFS just tell customers "fine" and I suspect they are employees that do not understand the significance of the numbers and some think the big concern is pH. Many think you just have to "age" the water for a certain number of days. In fact when I started a couple of years ago and wanted to cycle my tank, I could not find an LFS in my area that understood what cycling a tank was and I remember I told an employee at Petsmart I needed a liquid test kit and he didn't know what I was talking about. I finally search around and found one - they only had one.

 

[KcMopar]

im sorry didnt mean to snap its been a long night... wondering about fish and sick baby lol ill get a pic for you. i have no idea what the plant is called..

Many of us are passionate about our pets and all the extras that come with this hobby. Many dont like to give advice without the whole story because it might not be the best advise. I know I am guilty of passing by post with little to no info about the tank besides the pet store said the water test was fine or ok. Many plants the the pet stores sell are not aquatic and can rot in the tank and cause bad water quality. This is by far a very common and overlooked problem as most people think the plants are good for the tank which is true for the right type of plant. I am no community fish guy but I would say she has life in there and yes the big fish will eat the fry, even the mama. The fit ones will hide and survive provided there is cover for them to do so.

 

[celias90]

Hello! Everyone! Im new here! I was wondering if my platy was pregnant. I bought her from the pet store around 3 or 4 weeks ago and I believe she has gotten bigger. I have a 20 galloon tank, with 2 cories, 4 platies and 2 neon tetras. I noticed yesterday night that my platy was panting and today in the morning I couldn't find her and I left the light of my tank on and she came out of her hiding spot. I was hoping someone could tell me if she is pregnant and if she is how far along is she? This is the first time for me. I would also like to know when would be a good time to put her in a nursery. I put her in one today cuz I was doing research and didn't want to take my chances but I also hear it stresses them out. So I want to be able to put her in there when the time is correct and she ready to give birth.
THank you

 

[lauraf]

Chances are, if you got a female platy from a fish store, she's pregnant lol
It's really hard to time it exactly, so your best bet is to provide lots of hiding places for the fry in the main tank. Fineleaved plants are great. Some fry will get eaten, but some will likely survive, and this way you aren't stressing out the mother by putting her in a breeder's box, which can cause miscarriage or death.

 

[Sky Diamond]

Hi celias90,

Your platy looks very pregnant to me, but it could be just her with her colours. I've bred both Guppies and Platies in the past and found the darker the spot in her stomach is and the fatter she is the closer to giving birth she is.
Platies and Guppies give birth usually once a month. I've always used a floating tank or birthing trap for my fish. I bought a female and male Platy at the pet shop and about two or three weeks later the patch in her stomach had gotten darker and she had gotten fat.

I hadn't planned on breeding them again, but my male was picking on her so I thought either way she'd be better off alone in a breeding trap and I did want babies again. Three days later I had nine babies, that was almost a month ago now and they're all alive and grown and still living in a breeding trap. You sound like you have a better setup then myself, though. With a tank that big, I wouldn't bother with the breeding trap or keeping the babies in a breeding trap, but if you want to make sure you keep all the babies, I'd setup another tank just for the babies with a sponge filter and some water plants. The key I've found to getting them to grow is keeping the water around 27 degrees Celsius. Lower temps seem to slow their growing and by the time they're old, they're still the size of a baby. Just remember, Platies can have many, many babies every month so don't worry if you lose some.