2 Female Platys, Baby Fish?!

[rosiegirl]

i have 2 female platys in my tank (and one as of yet unidentified fish!). this morning my kids found 1 and then another tiny baby fish in our tank.

is it possible that the platy was pregnant when we got her? we had specifically planned to get only females so that we didn't have lots of babies and baby-eating. how many babies will she have?

eek!

here are a few photos of the fish if that helps:


DSC_0773 by mamatoo, on Flickr


DSC_0788 by mamatoo, on Flickr


DSC_0790 by mamatoo, on Flickr


DSC_0795 by mamatoo, on Flickr


is there anything new/special i need to do for the babies?

can anyone identify our third fish. we thought it was a silver dollar but it really doesn't look like the photos online!

 

[ZoddyZod]

it's very possible that the fish was 'pregnant' at the point of purchase.

last fish is a danio species - maybe the pearl danio?

 

[rosiegirl]

thanks! we've had the fish a little under a month. does that work timewise with the possibility that she was pregnant when we got her?

can you tell which fish is the pregnant one?

 

[slimeneo]

Looks like both of the platys are pregnant! They can store sperm for a pretty long period of time so that's why they are pregnant even though there aren't any males in the tank.

As for the fry, it really depends in what you want to do. If you want them to live, you can move them to another tank so they aren't eaten or just get a lot of plants for them to hide in. A lot of people just crush up flakes for the fry, or you can get liquid food from your LFS.

Congrats though!

 

[OldMan47]

Check out giant danio as a possible ID for that last fish.
A platy female can carry sperm packets and use them for 6 months or so after her last contact with a male. With a drop every 4 to 6 weeks and an average drop size of around 30 fry, that can really add up. It is a species survival strategy used by the poeciliid group of fish.

 

[Neptune54]

Welcome to the forum!

Both of your platies are pregnant! As for the fry, you can grab a breeder net at your LFS and put them there, keep them in a seperate tank, or just leave them be in your regular tank with lots of hiding places. Keep an eye on them, and pretty soon you'll have lots more platies in your tank!

 

[rosiegirl]

thanks for all the replies!

we don't really have space for another tank so i'll get some more plants and hope for the best, i guess!

my kids are really excited, so that's good.


how can you tell that both the fish are pregnant? i was trying to look for any of the signs i read about on the forum but i didn't see any (black spot, squared off?)

 

[LucyB]

thanks for all the replies!

we don't really have space for another tank so i'll get some more plants and hope for the best, i guess!

my kids are really excited, so that's good.


how can you tell that both the fish are pregnant? i was trying to look for any of the signs i read about on the forum but i didn't see any (black spot, squared off?)

You can buy a breeders net to raise the fry in, they hang on the side of the tank and protect the fry from being eaten by other fish. I highly reccomend you get one!

Breeders net:
http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=breeders+net&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1517&bih=741&tbm=isch&tbnid=fuOiW_2HaJ1IoM:&imgrefurl=http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php%3Fact%3Dfindpost%26pid%3D1488196&docid=j-hdkhtejNxE-M&imgurl=http/www.e-aquarium.com.au/images/Aquarium_Fish_Breeder_Net.JPG&w=400&h=300&ei=v14iUJD2GMTG0QWK7oDQCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=169&vpy=143&dur=113&hovh=194&hovw=258&tx=135&ty=124&sig=117669449549005657075&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=157&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:73

http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=breeders+net+with+fry&um=1&hl=en&noj=1&tbm=isch&tbnid=NNyHKExdNeTLTM:&imgrefurl=http/www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/fish-breeding/ramshorn-snail-laid-eggs-hatched-fish-8447/&docid=mQgY3GlWaF6B3M&imgurl=http/fishforum.com/userpix/2719_P1020066_1.jpg&w=800&h=600&ei=Dl8iUIW7B8bL0QX_3ICIDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=210&vpy=341&dur=368&hovh=175&hovw=234&tx=114&ty=77&sig=117669449549005657075&page=2&tbnh=166&tbnw=223&start=32&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:32,i:213&biw=1517&bih=741

Or a breeding box, they float in the tank and they allow you to put in the pregnant mother and when she drops the fry they fall through into the bottom compartment safe from the mother or other fish. You the can take out the divider and raise the fry in there:
http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=breeding+box+with+platy&um=1&hl=en&noj=1&tbm=isch&tbnid=ipN713qqeMTyKM:&imgrefurl=http/fishbreeding101.webs.com/guppiesmolliesplatys.htm&docid=BpxIy1BS4IH_hM&imgurl=http/fishbreeding101.webs.com/fry%252520box.jpg&w=461&h=346&ei=0V8iUN-bJOSo0QXfw4GwDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=824&vpy=319&dur=1890&hovh=194&hovw=258&tx=130&ty=82&sig=117669449549005657075&page=2&tbnh=158&tbnw=203&start=29&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:29,i:232&biw=1517&bih=741

http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=breeding+trap&um=1&hl=en&noj=1&tbm=isch&tbnid=VbSYajQ1-vUCHM:&imgrefurl=http/www.fishfurfeather.com/aquatics-fish-breeding-equipment-c-1_14.html&docid=Iz3U1qddraf8EM&imgurl=http/www.fishfurfeather.com/images/hagen/2waybreedingtrap.jpg&w=240&h=240&ei=RWAiUNmvPKSn0QWKz4C4DA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=503&vpy=153&dur=402&hovh=164&hovw=163&tx=92&ty=74&sig=117669449549005657075&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=123&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:79&biw=1517&bih=741


Oh, by the way - both of your platies are pregnant! The one in the first 2 pictures looks quite close to having fry

 

[slimeneo]

thanks for all the replies!

we don't really have space for another tank so i'll get some more plants and hope for the best, i guess!

my kids are really excited, so that's good.


how can you tell that both the fish are pregnant? i was trying to look for any of the signs i read about on the forum but i didn't see any (black spot, squared off?)

Well when your fish is actually squared off, that means she's REALLY close to having them. It's clear that your fish are pregnant because their stomachs are larger than what they normally should be. Gravid spots.. They are supposed to be the eyes of the fry but sometimes it's not very reliable to tell of your fish is pregnant.

Take fry pictures please!

 

[OldMan47]

how can you tell that both the fish are pregnant? i was trying to look for any of the signs i read about on the forum but i didn't see any (black spot, squared off?)

It is easy really to know that your females will be producing fry. You have female livebearers that came from a mixed tank of males and females. That means that every one of them is carrying sperm packets and may already be developing the next batch of fry. It is something that is just known, with no visible evidence at all. By the time the evidence is visible, the female is usually within 2 weeks of her next drop but has been carrying fry for about 2 weeks already.