Unexpected babies

Kimdeyal · May 7, 2018

I have some unexpected babies in a tank that I didn't cycle so I'm trying to fix that (inexperience, there's separate older post about that). I don't know what to do with the babies. They are hiding in the duck weed right now. I didn't know I had a pregnant fish. Since I noticed them last night, I started feeding the adults more often (daily), still an appropriate amount, in an attempt to prevent them from eating the babies. I don't know how old they are. When do they become "safe" from the adults? Should I try to separate them somehow? Thanks

IHaveADogToo · May 7, 2018

If you want a lot of survivors then you probably should separate them. If your tank is heavily planted with lots of hiding spaces you might have a few survive to adulthood without separating them, if you're lucky, but if you do separate them you'll have a lot more survivors. What are they, guppies? Of course we all want to see baby pics.

seangee · May 7, 2018

What I used to do when I kept livebearers was absolutely nothing. My logic was I did not have space for more fish (they can be very prolific) and there certainly is no money to be made in breeding them (for a home hobbyist). Some survived, most didn't and I still ended up taking a bag of fish to the LFS every few months for rehoming.

Kimdeyal · May 7, 2018

I'd like to keep these if I can. We're new and lost a bunch of our fish to inexperience and these guys are so cute. I haven't pointed them out to my kids yet because I don't want them to be sad if they are eaten. Can I place them in a smaller tank using the same water? Would a run of the mill pet store like PetSmart have those nursing nets? Will the pregnant fish keep having babies? I think it's my orange one. Picture included

Kimdeyal · May 7, 2018

I think I know which one was pregnant. I've included pictures of two of them. But my question is, is she still pregnant? I read that they will drop around 12+ fry. I think most of mine got eaten since I didn't know she was pregnant. Is it possible she's not done? How long is the process? I'm trying to figure out if I need to separate her. I'm headed to the store to get a breeding net to hang in my tank because I don't have a second tank.

matthew110 · May 7, 2018

Kimdeyal said:
I think I know which one was pregnant. I've included pictures of two of them. But my question is, is she still pregnant? I read that they will drop around 12+ fry. I think most of mine got eaten since I didn't know she was pregnant. Is it possible she's not done? How long is the process? I'm trying to figure out if I need to separate her. I'm headed to the store to get a breeding net to hang in my tank because I don't have a second tank.

Hi, I'm new to livebearers too, my platy gave birth Sunday night and she had been pregnant for 27-29 days, Most of the fry got eaten sadly, but I still have 3 hardy fighters still alive today, I have separated them as I want them to survive (currently in a breeder box as my 22L tank is cycling for them) . From the images attached, she doesn't look pregnant, but she may be. Is there a male in the tank with her? Keep an eye on her and see if her stomach starts to grow. These fish give birth in the night so she most likely is done.

Kimdeyal · May 7, 2018

Thanks! I got a breeder net or whatever it's called. So they are separated now. I have three left as well. I honestly have no idea if I have a male. I've looked at the thread and other pictures online but I can't tell the difference. Hopefully she is done for now.

matthew110 · May 8, 2018

Here is something that will hopefully help you tell the difference between the male/female platys.
Good luck with your fry!

image-2ec812cc33958116c0eb5af9dd0fd8f9_v_1452609010.jpeg

Kimdeyal · May 8, 2018

matthew110 said:
Here is something that will hopefully help you tell the difference between the male/female platys.
Good luck with your fry!

Thanks! That's actually way more helpful than most of the pictures I've found.

Kimdeyal · May 8, 2018

So based on that looks like I have one male and three females.

matthew110 · May 8, 2018

Kimdeyal said:
So based on that looks like I have one male and three females.

Wow ok, be prepared for plenty more babies! That single male may get them all pregnant. So have a plan on what to do with the babies (give them away, etc) or remove the male into another tank. Even if you remove the male now, your fish still may give birth if they have been fertilised already. Chances are your other females may be pregnant. This may seem like a truckload of stuff or a shock to you but don't worry. If I were you I would grab a 15-30L tank (around 5 gallons) to keep either the male OR the fry. I only have 1 male and 1 female as if I have 2/3 females to 1 male I would get millions of fry within a few months. I don't know if this is any help at all.

Kimdeyal · May 8, 2018

matthew110 said:
Wow ok, be prepared for plenty more babies! That single male may get them all pregnant. So have a plan on what to do with the babies (give them away, etc) or remove the male into another tank. Even if you remove the male now, your fish still may give birth if they have been fertilised already. Chances are your other females may be pregnant. This may seem like a truckload of stuff or a shock to you but don't worry. If I were you I would grab a 15-30L tank (around 5 gallons) to keep either the male OR the fry. I only have 1 male and 1 female as if I have 2/3 females to 1 male I would get millions of fry within a few months. I don't know if this is any help at all.

It is! I guess from now on I need to ask them for specific genders. I could separate the one male and get all females after this but I've read that often times the ones you get from pet stores are pregnant. My kids like the babies so a few aren't so bad but I definitely don't want as many as just these few fish could produce. My tank is not big enough for all that. If I got a small tank for him, could I put a few friends in there? I know they like to school, will they be happy as a school of all males? Thanks again for your help!

matthew110 · May 8, 2018

Kimdeyal said:
It is! I guess from now on I need to ask them for specific genders. I could separate the one male and get all females after this but I've read that often times the ones you get from pet stores are pregnant. My kids like the babies so a few aren't so bad but I definitely don't want as many as just these few fish could produce. My tank is not big enough for all that. If I got a small tank for him, could I put a few friends in there? I know they like to school, will they be happy as a school of all males? Thanks again for your help!

Depending on the size of tank you get, you sure can have some tank mates! Just don’t overstock the tank!

Kimdeyal · May 8, 2018

matthew110 said:
Depending on the size of tank you get, you sure can have some tank mates! Just don’t overstock the tank!

Awesome! I'd probably just stick to 3. I was told you need three to have them school and it's about an inch of fish per gallon. I'll have to make sure they are all males before I leave the store or I'll have the same problem.

matthew110 · May 8, 2018

Kimdeyal said:
Awesome! I'd probably just stick to 3. I was told you need three to have them school and it's about an inch of fish per gallon. I'll have to make sure they are all males before I leave the store or I'll have the same problem.

Good idea! Good luck with your fry!

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