How Do I Get My Plattys To Breed

[black molly3]

iv had my platys now for about 9 months and they havent bred yet.my cousin got a new tank 4 months ago and his plattys have had 20 odd babys. what do i need to do to make my tank a better environment for them so they feel like breeding?

 

[chrismr]

Perhaps you have all females or all males?

Most livebearers would breed in a toilet given half the chance... do a search on google for sexing them and see if you have all the same sex.

Let us know

 

[black molly3]

im posative i have both different genders.
i have actualy seen them chasing each other time after time.
have you got any more advise for me on breeding them.
thanks for recomending google il try it
what fish do you have in your tank.
do you need any helo on your tank
thanks

 

[widgetuk]

normaly you just leave em to it thats what i did
tank temp 76/78 f but nothing special but i am sure the livebearer queen Annastasia will be along soon and sort it out

 

[dobbygolem]

Well, to check the gender of your fish you can look for a gonopodioum, it is like a small stick where the anal fin it. This is what the male has, the females have nothing there. Also, your platies may well be breeding, but the fry are just being eaten, as platties can eat their fry alot of the time. To save them you will most likely need either another tank or a net breder. (Do not get plastic breeder traps, they stress the fish) And dont put the fish in the net breeder if you get one, wait for it to drop babies and then put the babies in there.

 

[timmystood]

Livebearer queen!! - She does know her livebearers though!

 

[black molly3]

thanks that made me a bit more possative over breeding them. feel free to ask me any questions of your own and ill try to answer them as best i can.
i have a black and yellow platty but i dont know its real name.
can you help me out on it?

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

if you have both genders of fish they are probably already pregnant

 

[black molly3]

thanks. yep 3 male and 1 female. do you think my plattys will breed soon
thanks for your advise
ask me any questions and i will try to answer them as best i can

what are you doing with tiger barbs and bettas in the same tank.
do you notice them fighting

 

[dobbygolem]

The best thing to do for the fish is return two of the males and get two females for them. Platies do best in a male female ratio of at least 1:2 and better off 1:3

 

[Annastasia]

Okay, so you have three males and 1 female? That may be your problem. The female is probably very stressed out by three males constantly trying to mate with her. This could lead to her aborting her fry early, or sometimes absorbing them back in, or even not getting pregnant because of stress. The best ratio for breeding is 2-3 females per male. Depending on what size tank you have, I'd recommend you either get a lot more females, or take some males back and get a few more females.

What size tank do you have, and what other fish? The fish in your signature? Also, are you sure you are prepared for the number of fry they might have? Do you have a place for them to go when they get older? You could easily have 100 fry in a few months.


Can you describe the Black and Yellow Platy a bit more? Then I might be able to tell you the coloring it is. But a lot of Platy colors are being crossed these days, so it may not be a 'true' color.

Edit: I can't spell.

 

[black molly3]

thanks.i am prepared for the amount of fry.
would 1 male and 1 female be ok
im sure it would
the red and yellow platty has got black on its belly and yellow on the top and occasionaly gets red on its
tail.
thanks for the greate advise.
are you a fishing fan because i have a great forum with only 18 members.

 

[Annastasia]

No, 1 male/1 female isn't going to be the best. The female will still have a lot of excess stress on her from the male continually trying to mate with her. It's best to have the male's attention spread out over 2-3 females, so each female gets a break from the attention.

How are you planning on raising the fry? Breeder tank, grow them up a bit in a breeder net, survival of the fittest...?

Here's some sites with lots of Platy colors...take a look through there, and see if you can find your fish. I can't tell from the description.

http/www.fish2u.com/platies.html

http/www.ekkwill.com/platies.html

http/www.tropicalfishintl.com/platy.htm

 

[black molly3]

yes a small 13 liter tank.so untill i get rid of 2 of my males and replace them with 2 females my plattys wont breed

 

[Annastasia]

That's pretty small. You'll only be able to keep 1 batch at the very most in there, and it might take longer then that to grow them up enough to sell/give away/put back in the main tank.

They may breed, but it's unlikely the females will make it through the whole pregnancy. If you replace two males, you'll have 1 male, 3 females? That sounds good. What size tank do you have though? It's possible if it's crowded, the female will also feel stressed. What are your water stats? Is it possible that some fish in the tank might be eating the fry, if any are born?