# problems with platy fry



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

fry are coming up for 2 months. A number of them seem to be proportioned wrongly eg mishapen tails and fins, also they are not growing well. They eat, get pin tail and die one by one. These are all red wag platies. The fry from the other platies are doing well. These red wags came to me from the store pregnant. The others where the fry are doing well I bred with my own male.

I still wonder if fish that are bought pregnant have a higher ratio of misformed and defective fry. I suspect that the mothers have been treated with something by the grower to cause them to grow faster and keep them disease free. I know some chemicals cause problems for fertility in fish but don't just know what. 
I am wondering if any further batches of fry would have a better chance of being normal. 
I don't want to breed the red wags unless the fry are going to be better quality than what I currently have. . 
I am feeding crushed flake as well as some spirulina and doing frequent water changes to no avail with these little guys. The guppy fry that were in the tank are all doing well and have been removed to allow these little ones a better chance.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

I suspect you are looking at genetic problems due to inbreeding rather than some stress on the mother. The misshapen ones should be culled.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

It could be genetics, nutrition (fish are often starved in shipping), teratogens (in food or water), or disease. Are you sure they are fluke-free? I've read that some asian breeder use too much hormone for growth and color and it can affect reproduction down the line. After our last club auction, a lot of the platies that Ken brought back from the fish show in Orlando didn't survive acclimation. 

If you are going to go through the time and trouble to breed a fish and raise the offspring, it really makes sense to get the best breeding stock you can. 

And also to make sure you have "clean" tank to put them in. 

Consider all the issues you've had, in your place, I'd be bleaching stuff right and left and doing a new "fishless" cycle on a tank no where near your other tanks and scouring aquabid and ebay for a "local" breeder that will ship to you at a reasonable rate.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

these were "locally bred" platies according to the fish store which is a private shop. ( within 50 miles)The fish seem to be quite good there with few problems- all the danios I have bought there have been great and my friend who built his own tank has been shoppingg there for years with few casualties. I did treat the mothers for flukes and have treated the fry twice in the last month. I suspect that the mother have been mating with siblings. 
As I say the females I bought at that store unpregnant and bred with my male platy are doing well and the fry are nice chunky little fish- it is just these red wags that came to me pregnant that seem to have the problem. 
My tank is nice and new and has been redone before getting these fish. 
I did have trouble with the female guppies - one died after giving birth and the other one who ate tons of her fry is still alive but is certainly not normal anymore. She seems to have had a stroke or something similar. However her fry are very robust and I am now looking for homes for them.

I appreciate everyones input.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

If the LFS got the fish from a local breeder, then there is no way of knowing how much inbreeding has gone on in that line. You could be on the 50th generation or more with livebearers and you would never know it. If the breeder doesn't/can't bring in new blood from time to time and doesn't cull ruthlessly, genetic problems are pretty much guaranteed. If you plan to breed your platties (and if you don't segregate them, you will by default) then I'd try to get a few fish from other sources.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

I was looking at the fry this morning with a magnifying glass and they all have some kind of problem with them. Pin tails and fins, split top fins, odd body proportions. The majority have all ready died- these are what is left. The only thing that seems to be right about them is the color.

I guess I will bring my segregated male out of retirement and see what he can do with those red wag girls. He did well with the blue platy and the mixed color one.
Oddly enough he was not able to impregnate the black and orange platy.I have had no luck over the past 2 years in keeping the yellow and black platies alive when bought as adults so I thought I would try an orange and black. She is a very shy but healthy acting fish and now she knows me she is coming to the front of the tank, BUT no pregnancy.
I think they are called sunburst tux platies. maybe she doesn't like the male I have as he is a mottled fellow.


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