Is my Platy pregnant, and will the fry be doomed?

**AllenIsbell** · 10-19-2012, 01:30 AM

I did some searching and couldn't find a concrete answer to my questions.

I have a female Dalmation Molly, Yellow Mystery Snail, and a female Platy.

The Platy has been moving around the tank slowly ever since I brought her home. It seems as if she has gotten fatter in her midsection. I have never had a pregnant fish before, and if she is, I hope the fry will make it. If she does have fry, will the snail or Molly mess with them?

If she is, I will be getting a breeding box or whatever it's called.

Here are a couple pics and a video:

Watch in HD to get a good look.

Thank,
Allen

**madagascariensis** · 10-19-2012, 02:25 AM

how long ago did you bring them home?
your writing seems to imply that you have brought them home not too long ago.
a gravid platy's belly will swell up over the course of weeks, not over days or hours(if it does, then something is wrong). gravid livebearers that are just about to give birth will also exhibit a dark spot in their vent area.

If your platy should give birth, then you should not be worries about the snail, however, the molly will almost definitely eat any fry it can catch.
a bunch of cheap stem plants with fine leaves, like hornwort should give fry a place to hide.

**AllenIsbell** · 10-19-2012, 02:58 AM

It has been about a week and she seems much fatter. She was slender like the Molly when I brought her home.

When the gravid spot becomes noticeable, approximately how long should I wait before I place her in a breeding box?

**MrsMolly** · 10-21-2012, 12:48 AM

We have 3 female mollies and a female platy, and I didn't notice a gravid spot on anybody before fry appeared in our tank last week.

I read that the stress of being moved to a breeder box can cause the mother to deliver early, so our plan was to wait until the fry were born and then catch them and put them in the box. Of course, it turned out we didn't have a choice, but it worked quite well. All 14 of them are thriving. Although, if you have a lot of hiding places (i.e., plants), most of them should survive in the main tank. We may not use the box for any future fry because now we have the problem of figuring out what to do with all the extra fish.

**AllenIsbell** · 10-28-2012, 04:37 PM

Well, I guess my assumption was right. I found 1 maybe 2 fry in the tank a few minutes ago. I don't know if she is still birthing, or not. I have 2 Mollies and 7 ghost shrimp in there. I hope they don't get eaten.

What are the odds of them making it? I have two Red Flame swords and a few pieces of slate to make a couple of rock caves.

**Azurescriber** · 10-28-2012, 08:13 PM

That plastic fry grass works pretty well, too. You will probably lose about 80% of the fry, but if one of them grows up to be a male, you will have issues, and lots more fry...

I suggest let nature take its course.