Natural Selection

[xptweakerntn]

Ok, so I have two female platies and one male, planning on breeding them. I've got them in my community tank, but honestly I don't want to use any of the breeding nets or such, as I think thees look very unsightly. I am, in theory, going to let the fry live with the other fish from birth. Not only do I have the platy's, but also two flame dwarf guaramies, and some algae fish. I figure the flames will find the fry tasty, so I know a few, probably most of the fry will get eaten. I"m just wondering, as I've got some of the "breeding grass":
http/i162.photobucket.com/albums/t257/dr...ne09/DIY001.jpg
Not only the grass, but I have plently of hiding places in my 55 gallon. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this "natural breeding" type thing. Is it very likely that any fry will survive? As I don't want to fool with many many many fish, but just enjoy watching the fish grow, will this work? As long as 2 or 3 fish from every batch live, I'll be suited. I'll donate any that I feel are too many to some lfs. So does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[altselgreen]

Well a female has just given birth in my 18 gallon. I have so far found 2 babies and they are in with 6 platys and a Black Widow Tetra. You should be fine, you will get at least 2 babies if you have lots of hiding places. You may not be able to watch them grow from the birth, but definately from when the fish hit about 1cm.

Anyway, Good Luck.

 

[LauraFrog]

When I first had fish giving birth in my tank, I was like, OMG FRY I WANT TO SAVE THEM ALL! The LFS will only take the pretty ones, so I learned which females have pretty fry. I always save these fry (by having the female give birth in another tank and raising the fry in seperate containers) as capital - trade six fish for one fish at the LFS, swap fish for live food or weed or whatever off friends. I have some exceptional females that I'm trying to breed a strain from, I save those for careful breeding.

The less-attractive-fry-dropping females, I leave drop in the tank. And sometimes I miss the signs and one of my pretty ones accidentally goes in the tank. I did want some fry to live, and I had to put some pretty ones back in the tank while they were a bit too small, so I set up as much 'fry shelter' as I could. I have knobbly wood, coarse gravel and thick cabomba, and I'm getting around 10% of every brood surviving to the size where the other fish can't eat them.

 

[xptweakerntn]

Ok, so Laura, that sounds good. However, what about this? I believe that the slots for my filter are just large enough for fry to slip through, so any ideas about that?

 

[LauraFrog]

I wrapped gauze around my filter intake... it looks stupid but I've lost no fry.

 

[stiffler69]

There is a funny one with the filter if its a foam filter then dont worry, i checked myn the other day as i had lost some of the older platy fry peered into my filter as it's sort of see through and there was a couple of them swimming around in the tiny bit of space there was in the casing, took them out and they doing fine must of been in there for a week or so not sure how they got in but im guessing there is a large opening where the water comes out you can have it lifted up or down to airate the water, they must of snook in there.

Ive heard people use tights and wrap them around the filter