Where are all these baby guppies coming from? and platy question

[AlphinaNovaStar]

Why does it seem like there is no baby guppies for a while and then all of a sudden baby guppies start to appear? is it because I have not been observant (probably due to the holidays)? Or do guppies go into cycles of no babies then babies then back to no babies, etc etc etc?

I know they are guppies since the only other live bearer in the tank is a lone male platy. Okay I was also wondering. I was thinking of getting some female platies around valentines day for my male platy. Is that a good idea since the guppies are breeding off and on? It is a 55 gallon tank but still I am not sure if it is a good idea. Also how many female platies do I need to keep all platies happy?

 

[Jessie J.]

1. Some guppy fry will get eaten so you will see an abundance that later thins out. You can expect fry every 30-40 days with most guppies.
2. Platies and guppies will be fine together, but both will eat each other's fry so put in lots of plant masses/floating plants.
3. A general rule is at least two females per every male platy.

I hope this helps, and good luck!