breeding platies

[SALLY SLOCOMB]

Hello!

I am not sure how this works but I will begin by listing my aquariums. I started out with one 10-gal and two platies. As you can imagine, nature taking its course, I now have at least 100 fish from those first two (including new born fry). I now have two 10-gal tanks and one 35 gal tank. I have done nothing special, have just let "nature take its course".

Since I have so many fish and too many in one of my smaller tanks, I want to get rid of some and I thought an easy way would be to just give away a few of the new fry as they are born. (I don't know how to correctly capture the fish that are already grown. It seemed too stressful for them the last time I tried) I have a friend who would like any I can give her.

I have a couple of questions. If anyone can help me, I would appreciate it. How can you tell when a fish is close to giving birth? I don't want to put her in the breeder trap too soon. I have several (many, actually) that are obviously pregnant and look like they could birth at any time. How do I feed her while she is in the breeder trap? How long is gestation time for a platy?

I am fairly new at keeping fish but I am happy having only platies. I just love watching for new fry and right now have about 20 that aren't much longer than 1/4 inch. This is really thrilling for me having never had fish before about a year or two ago.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

Sally

[rich311k]

The gestation is 28 days give or take. A female who is ready will get almost square when looked at from the rear. Depending on the mom's color a dark spot caused by the fry's eyes can be seen near her vent. You are better off putting the gals in a maternity tank rather than a breeding net, much less stress on you and them.

[DrNic]

Gestation is about 30 days or so depending on food and tank conditions.

I agree that moving the females is a good idea. It will make is less stressful during the birth when males can become aggressive. It will also provide a haven for the fry to grow so they don't get eaten (which has been a constant problem for me).

[Chazbot]

Hey!

I came by breeding accidentally like you have and I tried the breeder at first, too, but I found that my ladies really didn't like it in there so now I've set up a "maternity" tank and I've got a couple ladies in there now.

I see my Platys get the boxy look that's already been mentioned and I also watch her sides. Once the sides start to really bulge I know she's just about ready. They really seem to appreciate the comfort of a tank as opposed to the breeder. My Athena who is in there now is really enjoying the rest she's able to get because no males are pestering her. Her only companion is another pregnant Platy and they're having a blast resting and relaxing. LOL!!

Good luck with your wee ones! They're so cute aren't they?