My Platies

I have 2 male platies and 2 female platies in my 60L tank.

Both the females have got bigger around the stomach area and my silver 1 has a dark patch where a pregnant guppy would.

Is this to say that my females are pregnant??

If there are males in the tank then they are more than likely pregnant...if you get us some pics, we could tell you more about whether they are pregnant and even roughly how far along they are.

Yes they are pregnant. How long have they been having the black patch? If it is very black and big, and also if the black patch is right under and right where the pooping area is then it is very close to due date. Also look for the signs about the two fish, if they are both away from the other fish then it's also close to due. You might want to buy a 10 gallon tank,divider and 2 sponge filters an start another tank. Put the divider in the middle so each fish have 5 gallons. Also put each filter on each side of the tank. That's so the fry don't get sucked up, trust me about the sponge filters, I have had many fry sucked in there when I didn't know and died.. You also might want to buy some java moss so the babies can hide from the mother.. I have some in my tank also and it helps alot. it's about $7 for two cups full. It might not seem much and expensive, but when you spread it around you'll understand why it's $7. When the mom has the babies don't worry about her eating them right away, because once the mother is in labor she won't eat anything until about 4 hours have pasted. That's a total of $30. Good luck with your fish and coming fry!! Hope this helps

When the mom has the babies don't worry about her eating them right away, because once the mother is in labor she won't eat anything until about 4 hours have pasted.

Click to expand...

This is not always the case, I have had females that would suck them up just as quick as they 'spit' them out. Livebearers produce a hormone that suppresses their appetite shortly before they drop their fry...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

nosoup4you said:

When the mom has the babies don't worry about her eating them right away, because once the mother is in labor she won't eat anything until about 4 hours have pasted.

Click to expand...

This is not always the case, I have had females that would suck them up just as quick as they 'spit' them out. Livebearers produce a hormone that suppresses their appetite shortly before they drop their fry...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Click to expand...

Totally agree with you some of my mums dont touch the fry at all but others goblle them up , i suppose it just depends on the hormone levels inside the fish at the time of birth

Thanks Sarah

Okay.... sorry ya'll I just learned that from other helpers and plus my fish didn't eat them so I guess it just depends

Well I'm no platy expert, but my platy is also pregnant, and she is quite quite large. What color is the other one? I've read that you can't always rely on a gravid spot for a giveaway as far as birth goes, but a gravid spot normally means there are fry forming. So yes! I would say they are~ Pictures would help, but in my opinion it's a pain in the butt to get good focused pictures of fish, haha.
Keep us posted and good luck! Just keep watching to see if they get square on the bottom. The front of her belly will drop down and when she's square the back of her belly near her anal fin will drop too~

My other one is Orange, cant see any dark patch on her. But she is spending a lot of time away from all the other fish, hiding in the plants. She looks a lot bigger than when i got her and she hasnt been eating a whole lot over the last few days, so im thinking she's not just fat. The silver one isnt as big as the orange and she's quite happy to be around the males still.



It's the best pic i could get.
Taking photo's of fish isn't the easiest thing to do

The orange one and the one in the upper left-hand corner both appear to be heavily pregnant. I could tell you more about when to expect them to drop if I had a side view to look at. Here's a link to a good thread to give you an idea of what behavior to look for:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=253113

Thanks :]

Its good to know what im looking for now.
I can prepare for the next pregnancies now. I dont have the money to keep the fry from these ones
Shall buy a little tank for them next time

Just managed to get a side shot of the silver platy.
But unfortunately, the orange one is hiding too much to get a good shot of her now.



unfortunately, the quality is terrible of this image

It is hard to tell how far along from the pic, but she is definitely pregnant. She does look fairly well squared off but doesn't look terribly large. She could have a week or two to go still or if she's very young, she could go at any time.

I agree, And I hope that you have a good fry batch to take care of!

sawmy said:

My other one is Orange, cant see any dark patch on her. But she is spending a lot of time away from all the other fish, hiding in the plants. She looks a lot bigger than when i got her and she hasnt been eating a whole lot over the last few days, so im thinking she's not just fat. The silver one isnt as big as the orange and she's quite happy to be around the males still.

View attachment 53962

It's the best pic i could get.
Taking photo's of fish isn't the easiest thing to do

Click to expand...

They are all definitly pregnant...

Top right - orange -..... Heavy pregnant, no more than a week..

Top left, - 1 week (two at mosts) to go.

Bottom right - hard to tell on pic, bit i would say no more than 2weeks.

Bottom left - black platty - will drop sooner then u think, well known for not getting very big, they tend to get very round from above view.

Bottom right - hard to tell on pic, bit i would say no more than 2weeks.

Bottom left - black platty - will drop sooner then u think, well known for not getting very big, they tend to get very round from above view.

Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain that sawmy stated that these two were males (at least he/she believes them to be male). LOL

nosoup4you said:

Bottom right - hard to tell on pic, bit i would say no more than 2weeks.

Bottom left - black platty - will drop sooner then u think, well known for not getting very big, they tend to get very round from above view.

Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain that sawmy stated that these two were males (at least he/she believes them to be male). LOL

Click to expand...

If they are male then summat is wrong lol... im pretty certain they are females