How Big Are Fry

[luque]

may sound a silly question, but ive never seen any in my tank, but my platys keeping getting fat then slim, so i know they are giving birth, but i have no idea where any are.

Do they give birth at night alot?

 

[scooterchick]

Yes, usually they give birth when the aquarium lights are out. I don't seperate my 'mums' from the rest of the tank, I just rescue as many as I can, which have normally been in the main tank a few hours by the time I get to them. With so many fry I prefer to let nature take it's course and basically it's survival of the fittest. I have one tiny fry in the tank at the moment which I just couldn't catch, it's doing pretty well and stayed out of mouth's way so far. As for size, my molly fry are about 1/2 a cm when new born.

 

[tropicaltink81]

Yes, usually they give birth when the aquarium lights are out. I don't seperate my 'mums' from the rest of the tank, I just rescue as many as I can, which have normally been in the main tank a few hours by the time I get to them. With so many fry I prefer to let nature take it's course and basically it's survival of the fittest. I have one tiny fry in the tank at the moment which I just couldn't catch, it's doing pretty well and stayed out of mouth's way so far. As for size, my molly fry are about 1/2 a cm when new born.

hi just a quick question (scooterchick)
surely its less stressfull for the rest of ur fish if you catch ur pregnant fish and put her in a trap rather than going and wadeing in their home and catching the fry that way just my personal opinion as i have done it like you before ad my other fish just become so stressed out and also when ur catching the fry if they swim away all it takes is one brave fish to swim near ur net and the fry had had it?

sorry just thinking of the other fish in ur tank

sorry to hijack the question

 

[scooterchick]

Yes, usually they give birth when the aquarium lights are out. I don't seperate my 'mums' from the rest of the tank, I just rescue as many as I can, which have normally been in the main tank a few hours by the time I get to them. With so many fry I prefer to let nature take it's course and basically it's survival of the fittest. I have one tiny fry in the tank at the moment which I just couldn't catch, it's doing pretty well and stayed out of mouth's way so far. As for size, my molly fry are about 1/2 a cm when new born.

hi just a quick question (scooterchick)
surely its less stressfull for the rest of ur fish if you catch ur pregnant fish and put her in a trap rather than going and wadeing in their home and catching the fry that way just my personal opinion as i have done it like you before ad my other fish just become so stressed out and also when ur catching the fry if they swim away all it takes is one brave fish to swim near ur net and the fry had had it?

sorry just thinking of the other fish in ur tank

sorry to hijack the question

The other fish don't seem to give a monkeys when the net's in. It's a molly only tank and I've always found mollies to be very friendly, very nosy and tough as old boots, they don't seem to get stressed out at all. As for trying to net the fry without attracting the attention of the bigger fish, yes, this is always something that worries me everytime I do it, but so far it hasn't happened. Anyway, it's nature's way that the weakest are pciked off through natural selection, saving all fry regardless of strenght and condition weakens the species.

 

[Siamese Fighting]

I always hear the term survival of the fittest, but luck surely plays a huge role in their survival. Like most my fry get ate on the way down to the bottom of the tank . So some of my genetically superior fish probably die while the mush for brains survive.

 

[scooterchick]

I always hear the term survival of the fittest, but luck surely plays a huge role in their survival. Like most my fry get ate on the way down to the bottom of the tank . So some of my genetically superior fish probably die while the mush for brains survive.

Yes, there's an element of luck also but you can guarantee any weak or deformed fish WON'T make it. I've got a 4 day old fry still in the main tank, I keep thinking he's gone then out he pops for a bit of scran, he's just this second swam past the mouth of the biggest fish in the tank, bold as brass, he's one little fighter! Anyway, I'll probably remove him tonight, there must be about 40 fry in the tank at various stages of development, time to set a fry tank up (again) my last one leaked all over the floor forcing me to put them all in the main tank.

 

[shroob]

I never removed fry or mother from my tank, if theres enough cover then enough will survive. I have used breeding traps way back in the past but really, I don't like confining the mother to a few inches of room.

 

[5teady_2012]

They give birth at anytime, its more of a drop when there ready process..

I always trap the mothers to drop thier fry (On certain ones i breed)...

Others i leave to get on with it, all my tanks are well planted so lots surive no probs.