Help!! Pregnant Platy!

Hi,

I need some help with my platy, I just got her yesterday along with a male and she has been pregnant, but I don’t know how long for? I did some research and it looks like her stomach has squared off, but I don’t know if she actually has, here’s a photo of her. Please help me with this, it’s my first time having a pregnant fish! Could anyone possibly tell me how long she has been pregnant/how long until she is due!

Female platies carry the young in their body for about 1 month before giving birth to free swimming babies called fry. It is impossible to say when she will give birth without knowing when she became pregnant. However, she will probably give birth in the next few weeks.

If you have a few Water Sprite plants (Ceratopteris thalictroides) in the tank, the female and babies can hide among the plants.

Colin_T said:

If you have a few Water Sprite plants (Ceratopteris thalictroides) in the tank, the female and babies can hide among the plants.

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I don't think that those plants are available in New Zealand so I don't have any. Would you recommend using a breeder box if I want to keep as many fry as possible?

I prefer breeding nets.

If you can't get Water Sprite, then get some plastic plants and let them float on the surface. The baby fish will hide among the plastic plants. Then use a 2 litre icecream bucket to scoop some water and the fry out of the floating plants, and gently pour them into the breeding net. Put a floating plant in the net too so the babies feel secure.

If you feed the adult fish regularly, they will be less inclined to eating the young. However, only feed your fish as much as they can eat in 1 minute and remove any uneaten food after that. And monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels, especially if the tank has been set up for less than 3 months.

I brought a platy yesterday who looks heavily pregnant. She's started chasing the other female platy. Does anyone have a idea of how long it'll be until she gives birth. I don't know whether I should put her in a birthing tank yet..

Just leave her in the main tank and put some floating plants in it. Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroies) is the best plant, but plastic plants can be used if you can't find the real thing.