Breeding Platies...

[Ricky]

Hey peeps, i have been running a tropical tank for almost 2 yrs, and used to have just cold water fish before this, and still do.

I know quite a bit about fish, how ever breeding is a weak point, i know bits and bobs about breeding, but one part, probably the most obious is, if i want to breed platies, how do i go about it, i've heard something like you put a male or female in a breeding trap or her own tank, leave him/her there for 2 weeks, then introduce a male or female. Is this right or totally wrong?

Any help is appreciated.

P.s. i couldnt find any threads that mentioned what im asking!

Thanks!

 

[madmom]

Well all I've ever done with my livebearers is leave them alone. Just have at least 2-3 females for every male. Believe me the males like breeding. They will breed you out of tank space in time.

 

[chibi]

To breed platies, simply do this: Add a female and a male. Wait a month, and tada! Babies!! Seriously, they breed so eagerly, it doesn't take much at all. If you really really really want babies, I'd put maybe 3 or 4 males for every female to be positive one of them will get lucky. Unlike mollies, male platys get along fine, so it wouldn't be a problem. Good luck!!

 

[donna123]

hi,
for every male you need 2-3 females, this helps ease stress on them,
once the male has mated, the female will give birth to lots of live babys roughly every 4 weeks,
the female holds enough sperm from her first mating to impregnate herself every 4 weeks for up to six months, i dont tend to put any females in a breeding trap they tend to abort and get stressed, instead you could have a spare tank and keep her in until shes had the fry, or let her give birth in the main tank, have some live bushy plants ready floating on the top of your tank, the fry hide in this then you can scoop them in to a breeder net or another tank. feed them fine crushed flake and brine shrimp.
goood luck, Donna

 

[Ricky]

My community tank is rather "live", theres always fish moving around like crazy, the platies and mollies have been in the tank for months and ive not seen any pregnent fish, the tanks next to my pc - which im on almost all day, so i tend to have the fish in the corner of my eye all day lol, i dont have any real plants, just a few silk plants, but i have a massive artificial rockery that fills almost all the tank, which has loads of holes in... would this be succifient cover for the fry?

From your suggestions would i be right in saying the breeding trap is a no no? because i feel that the tank has too much motion for them to mate, the breeding trap will give them some space from the craziness, and obiously the tanks mature so the waters much better, and i dont feel it would cause stress putting them in the net, i can swiftly put it under the fish and hook it to the side of tank, they wouldnt even notice... i do have some spare tanks, but no heaters for them.. i just wanted to try breeding purely because its part of the hobbie, not to sell them... so dont want to spend money on a heater if i only use it once or twice lol.

Or do you think because of the tank the breeding trap may work?

And if i do use the breeding trap, do i just add the females and male together all at once?

And last question, when do i take the male out of the trap, as soon as the female is noticably bigger?

I will post some pics of my tank, and of the fry/parents if it happens!


Thanks for your replys!

 

[donna123]

hi,
you can use a trap if you want to, i dont because both times they aborted,
how many females do you have and have you got males yet?
the rock sounds good. you dont need to move the male having more females to male will keep him busy,
have a go with the live floating plants aswell, because new born fry like to hide at the top some times and if there is no place to hide they will be eaten.
you let them mate in the main tank, one pregnant female at a time in a breeder net , no tank is that busy for a male not to get a female pregnant.

 

[Ricky]

*counts*...

Theres 9 platies in total, maybe 10, i count about 4 females in total, mind you i didnt buy them planning to breed them, and i bought them from a whole saler so i didnt choose the fish, AND they dont bloody stay still so their hard to count lol, plus the majority of the platies are the same colours (orange/black).

I noticed two that are swimming with eachother "a pair" as it would be called, i think they would make good candiates for being breed netted..

Thanks!

 

[donna123]

hi,
if there is to many males to females the mums will be stressed, some times they will hold off giving birth because of the males trying to mate them all the time, if any of your females have a gravid black spot just infront of the anal fin that means they are pregnant, chances are yours already will be as they have been in the tank together, you dont need to put the male in the trap, just the female, good luck

 

[Ricky]

Ahh ha! the pair that i reffered to, they are both of the same colour, rather pale, with small blotches of colour (just thought i would add that), and she does have a black gravid spot near her anal fin! I will post pics, shes been breed trapped, done it smoothly, she didnt visibly panic atall!

Whats best once shes released the fry, take her out of trap, or keep her in it and release the fry into the tank with extra plants on the top of the tank?

Thanks!

 

[donna123]

ok
have some plants in the trap aswell,
once mums had the fry she will try and eat them, the plants in the trap will give extra cover,
i would still have some plants in the main tank aswell. once shes had them she will need to go back in the main tank. is she really fat if she looks ready to burst she wont be long having them, you cant keep her in the trap to long. they have fry every 4 weeks so if she has some mark the date down for next time

 

[Ricky]

Shes not bursting, but shes quite big, its really hard getting a picture, a fish gets in the way or she moves so its blurred lol.

I have a plant in the trap.

Thanks!

 

[Ricky]

Heres two pics, not very clear because of the netting on the trap, but you can see the black spot



And another



Her tail is black, the rest of her body is quite colourless, mostly a transparenty greyish colour with a tint of blue on the top of her body near her tail.

 

[donna123]

yes shes pregnant,
hope all goes well

 

[Ricky]

Woo thanks!

Do platys have any light preferences, i would assume as normal, less light would reduce stress levels?

I see a male in the tank, cus of his anal fin he is deffiantly male, hes chasing a female around, and is shoving other males away from the female, but it looks like he has a dark gravid spot by his anal fin!

Any ideas?

 

[donna123]

Woo thanks!

Do platys have any light preferences, i would assume as normal, less light would reduce stress levels?

i dont think so, mine are 12hrs on 12 off. if you have live plants they need the light.
females give birth at night mostly, although ive seen mine give birth in the day.