Hello all,
I've got a few calico platys, they're white based with orange tails and a few black spots. I'd like to keep some fry, but unlike most people, I am not overrun with fry. On the contrary, though the platys always seem pregnant, fry are a rarity in my tank.
The females live in a 45g community, and the first time I noticed a pregnant female (right after I bought the fish) I waited for her to give birth, thinking if she had 20 babies I might save two or three and the rest would be eaten. Overnight, she appeared to have had the babies, and there was no sign of fry. Lesson learned, I thought, next time I'll use a breeder net so they don't get eaten.
Once again, I saw the females getting rounder, and I could see the eyes of the fry through their bellies. I put both females into breeder nets (since if I leave one alone with the males they'll chase her relentlessly) and waited. I waited over a week, and nothing. I let them out, feeling terrible that I'd kept them cooped up so long, and soon after, I saw ONE fry in the tank. I managed to catch it, put it in a breeder net, and raise it. It turned out to be a male, and he's almost full grown today.
Recently, I noticed one female getting huge. I thought perhaps since she was more mature, she was about to have a large batch of babies, and waited. I didn't isolate her, since I've read platys can actually 'clench' and decide not to have the babies if they don't like where they are, and she seemed so unhappy in the net last time. Once again, I found but one fry in the morning. I caught it, put it in the net, and it's now 10 days old.
That same female still looked very, very round after that single baby appeared (the other female looks like she's just at the beginning of a pregnancy, so I'm sure it wasn't her that gave birth 10 days ago - she didn't look pregnant at all then). I wondered if there were more coming. I put her in my 20g tank which has just small kuhlis and otos in it, thinking if she was about to have a lot of fry they would be pretty safe in there. After 9 days, yesterday afternoon she gave birth to ONE fry. She still looks pregnant. I can still see eyes through her belly.
Has anyone ever heard of a platy giving birth to only one fry at a time? I am mystified. I thought before that something was eating all but one baby, but ten days ago and last night it appears she really did only have one, and still looks pregnant. I've never seen her abort dead fry, or eggs, she just continues to look pregnant and have one baby every once in a while.
Any ideas?
I've got a few calico platys, they're white based with orange tails and a few black spots. I'd like to keep some fry, but unlike most people, I am not overrun with fry. On the contrary, though the platys always seem pregnant, fry are a rarity in my tank.
The females live in a 45g community, and the first time I noticed a pregnant female (right after I bought the fish) I waited for her to give birth, thinking if she had 20 babies I might save two or three and the rest would be eaten. Overnight, she appeared to have had the babies, and there was no sign of fry. Lesson learned, I thought, next time I'll use a breeder net so they don't get eaten.
Once again, I saw the females getting rounder, and I could see the eyes of the fry through their bellies. I put both females into breeder nets (since if I leave one alone with the males they'll chase her relentlessly) and waited. I waited over a week, and nothing. I let them out, feeling terrible that I'd kept them cooped up so long, and soon after, I saw ONE fry in the tank. I managed to catch it, put it in a breeder net, and raise it. It turned out to be a male, and he's almost full grown today.
Recently, I noticed one female getting huge. I thought perhaps since she was more mature, she was about to have a large batch of babies, and waited. I didn't isolate her, since I've read platys can actually 'clench' and decide not to have the babies if they don't like where they are, and she seemed so unhappy in the net last time. Once again, I found but one fry in the morning. I caught it, put it in the net, and it's now 10 days old.
That same female still looked very, very round after that single baby appeared (the other female looks like she's just at the beginning of a pregnancy, so I'm sure it wasn't her that gave birth 10 days ago - she didn't look pregnant at all then). I wondered if there were more coming. I put her in my 20g tank which has just small kuhlis and otos in it, thinking if she was about to have a lot of fry they would be pretty safe in there. After 9 days, yesterday afternoon she gave birth to ONE fry. She still looks pregnant. I can still see eyes through her belly.
Has anyone ever heard of a platy giving birth to only one fry at a time? I am mystified. I thought before that something was eating all but one baby, but ten days ago and last night it appears she really did only have one, and still looks pregnant. I've never seen her abort dead fry, or eggs, she just continues to look pregnant and have one baby every once in a while.
Any ideas?
