OMG I'm a grandma!!! Platy had fry!!

**bluemerle030** · 04-23-2009, 12:19 PM

What do I do????

I can only see one fry hanging out in the caves but two more platys look to be very pregnant. I know I need to get another tank today before they let loose, what size tank should I get? I know I need a heater and filter...My plan was to get a 10 gallon tank and take 5 gallons from my 30 to use in my 10 mommy tank. Then condition another 5 gallons for the mommy tank...

**terrapin24h** · 04-23-2009, 12:27 PM

short term i think your best bet is to get intank nursery boxes and scoop up the fry you can catch with them. Then worry about setting up your nursery tank. I'd pull all 10 gallons you need from the main tank to make it easy to move the fry over(they won't get shocked because the water will be the same) But the larger problem is that you need to get the new tank cycled. Moving some gravel from your main tank over to the would help, as you using old media from the main tank filter. Then watch water levels carefully and enjoy the fry!

--chris

**bluemerle030** · 04-23-2009, 12:39 PM

Thanks for the response Terrapin...Okay by intank nursery you mean something that goes into my 30 g to contain the already born fry correct? If this is correct there is no way I'm going to get that one little bugger hiding in the cave...it's absolutely tiny and hidden under and around slate. I would have to break down all the decoration to get at him and then he would probably get caught and eaten. I'm more worried about the momma's and their future kin right now.

Is there perhaps something I could get to keep the momma's in in the 30g i.e. on the same idea as the intank nursery without stressing them out? The boy platy is a real skirt chaser and I think he alone is putting stress on them.

Originally Posted by terrapin24h

short term i think your best bet is to get intank nursery boxes and scoop up the fry you can catch with them. Then worry about setting up your nursery tank. I'd pull all 10 gallons you need from the main tank to make it easy to move the fry over(they won't get shocked because the water will be the same) But the larger problem is that you need to get the new tank cycled. Moving some gravel from your main tank over to the would help, as you using old media from the main tank filter. Then watch water levels carefully and enjoy the fry!

--chris

**PostalPenguin** · 04-23-2009, 04:05 PM

You could leave the fry to their own devices. Platy fry are pretty hardy and incredibly fast. I don't know how the big platys can catch them since they can cross the length of my 10g in half a second. The big thing is getting them food. Floating some anacharis or hornwort on the surface will let the fry come to the surface for food.