first few fish!

[fishyfoo]

ok well i have succesfully completed my cycle (fishless of course!) of my tank i left it for just over 3 weeks and after a series of water tests i was pretty chuffed to know i could add my first few fish - i have got 2 susnset platys and 3 blue platys they seem to get on ok and are settling in now - they love the shipwrecked boat i brought for them to hide in and out of and everything see,s to be in working order hehe im so happy - just keeping daily checks on them - how long does anyone recommend i keep the first batch of fish on their own before adding any additions i dont wanna add any more fish too soon - i was thinkin maybe 4 weeks??
i decided to call my first batch of fish after my circle of friends
the female sunset platy - alison (me)
the male sunset platy - rich (my boyf)
and the 3 blue ones are called hayley, spencer and mo after my mates!! hehehe how sad am i ! trying to tell which one is which takes a while tho!

 

[Alien Anna]

Congratulations! I hope it all goes well for you (it should).

As your tank is still new and the bacteria are only recently established I think the 4 week wait would be sensible. I forget how big your tank is but just be careful not to over-stock - remember those fish you've bought are babies still. Keep an eye on your nitrite and ammonia for a couple of weeks, just in case.

 

[focus]

ok well done on your new fish BUT how big is your tank cause your sunset platy cause they will breed and i meen breed
do you no the saying mate like rabbits they should change it to
MATE LIKE PLATYS
i have so many now can't get rid of the ruddy things starting to take over my tank
every time i get rid of the fry there at it again and guess what more fry

 

[fishyfoo]

it only holds 60Litres i said to the girl at the fish shop that i dunno if i really wanna breed them to be honest but she gaves me males and females - i dont really want a WHOLE tank of platys?? eeek what do i do?? she seemed to think it wud be fine but i got this visions of masses of the same fish!!! i mean will they just breed continually for life now?

 

[guppymonkey]

It really depends on how heavily planted the tank is. If you only have a few plants the fry will not survive and you will not have to worry about a whole lot of platies. And they are a cheap food source for your fish. I have some swordtails and guppies and both my female guppies were pregnant when I got them and I haven't noticed any fry. So unless you actually want baby fish I wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

[AndrewRenard]

platys in my opion are awesome
theyre the easiest fish to raise, and easiest to breed...but if your not interested in them breeding throw in a meat eating fish or anothe male platy
but they are extremely easy the will accept almost ALL water types.....pretty cool....

 

[cory]

Great system for naming your fish! But if, say, your mate Mo screws you over, do you flush Mo the fish?

 

[fishyfoo]

well i wouldnt take it out on the fish but hopefully it wont come to that!! lol well thanks for all previous replies and hey guess what im now thinking 2 of my fish are pregnant lol there isnt that much greenery either - is it cruel to let the fry be eaten or just nature??

 

[guppymonkey]

-is it cruel to let the fry be eaten or just nature??

Most people (here on this board at least) see it as nature taking its course. If you saved all the fry you would have to get rid of them and unless you have a connection at your local fish store its usually kind of hard. So just think of it as some extra protein in the fishies diet.