Predator For Platy Fry

[pete4344]

I have a planted tank, with a few platy, platinum tetras, zebra danios, amano shrimps and one bulldog pleco.

No problems except that the tank is being taken over by platy fry, large numbers of which survive and grow. I can't decide how to control this growth in numbers, and was wondering whether I should introduce a fish which would eat the fry. Any ideas on what may eat the excess fry, whilst leaving the other inhabitants alone (particularly the platinums which are quite small).

Many thanks

 

[5teady_2012]

I have a planted tank, with a few platy, platinum tetras, zebra danios, amano shrimps and one bulldog pleco.

No problems except that the tank is being taken over by platy fry, large numbers of which survive and grow. I can't decide how to control this growth in numbers, and was wondering whether I should introduce a fish which would eat the fry. Any ideas on what may eat the excess fry, whilst leaving the other inhabitants alone (particularly the platinums which are quite small).

Many thanks

My suggestion would be to scoop up all the unwanted fry and take them in to your local fish store, and maybe think about taking in your adult females as well so more fry dont keep being born because even without a male present the females store sperm packets and have fry for up to 6 months.

Please dont keep Paired sexes allowing fry to be born just to be killed.

 

[bricko]

Any predatory fish introduced to eat fry may also decide to chow down on your other smaller species of fish. I had a pictus catfish in with guppies a long time ago to keep the fry situation down and slowly the adults also began to dissapear even though they were fully grown out. Mind you he was a greedy #28###!

As livebearer master suggests, if you do not wish to raise fry in the first place then do not mix sexes of live bearers as they WILL breed guaranteed! Take the fry and females to your LFS and the situation is sorted,

 

[Littlemonkey]

Or ask on here if other peeps can give them a good home.

 

[pete4344]

Thanks for the comments. I don't want to just kill any excess fry, but thought the only real long term solution was to try to replicate nature by having a natural predator. In a natural environment only a few percent of fry are likely to survive. When I bought just 5 platy I assumed most of the fry would similarly be eaten by the other tank inhabitants.

 

[STFA_Striker]

Look at something like a couple of harlequin rasboras. They are fairly ferocious on guppy, molly and platy fry in ym tank and there is only the two of them.

 

[pete4344]

Look at something like a couple of harlequin rasboras. They are fairly ferocious on guppy, molly and platy fry in ym tank and there is only the two of them.

My local fish shop suggested keeping 3 Odessa Barbs in the tank. Does anyone have any view on this?

 

[kizno1]

how big is the tank if its 10g+ i would go for a dwarf cichlid like a ram, keyhole, dwarf acara, apisto or maby a catfish like 3 upside down catfish

 

[buckrene]

I have had a lot of luck with Gouramis. I have had a 35g community tank with breeding platys, and other assot. fish. for the last 5 yrs. I have had a Blue and a Pearl Gourami, they do a nice job of keeping the platys from overpopulating, and i still have lots of hiding places so only the fittest will survive. I have 6 juvies in there now, they stay hidden until they are bigger then the biggest mouth in the tank! then they join the rest of the fish. My current set up is one Blue gourami at about 4.5 inches, 7 rasboras het., 2 Keyhole cihclids at 2in, i bristlenose plec., a brochis splendens, 2 cherry barbs, and the platys! 3 adult fem., 1 adult male, assort ages of juveies(at least 6).