# pregnant platy??



## sgreenslade (Feb 2, 2009)

hi there, 
ok i DID notice the amount of theads containing the words " Do you think my platy is pregnant"..so i thought i'd add another lol

i have only just started this fish keeping thing about 4 weeks ago so i know nothing! i bought a 60 litre tank and 4 mickey mouse platy ( i was advised to go with platy they are supposed to be easy to look after). then last week i bought another 4 , i have 2 males and 5 females ( i hope thats ok..i read somewhere that it should be 1m:2F, the other one was suicidal and jumped outta the tank  )

so i think one of my girls is pregnant, i took some photos ( i hope they come out ok, i only have a small camera), they came out a little bluryy cos they all kept moving! lol

let me know what you think as i have no idea what to look for, i have read through forums and websites about it but cant deicide if she is or if she is just fat...there must be a better way to find out!


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

yea im 75% sure that she is pregnate


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

Are you sure its a female. It very well may be, but are you sure. It almost looks like there is a blurry gonopodium but it is hard to tell. Do you have a better picture. If it is a female, then it is most likely pregnant. As long as its in with a male, it'll be pregnant almost 90% percent of the time. 

I hope this helps


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## SkylarrRyann (Jan 11, 2009)

She is definately pregnant. I can see her gravid spot VERY clearly. Hope you have another tank set up for her if you are planning to keep the fry, and welcome to the board by the way.. lol. I have a bunch of platy and mollies, and put them in a breeder and most of them wont give birth in it, and I'm afraid that when I put the mothers back into the community tank, the others ate the offspring. I could only save one baby, and he unfortunately died 3 days later. My opinion personally, definately spearate her soon. She looks as though she is about to deliver!


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## sgreenslade (Feb 2, 2009)

Thanks for your feedback! i have another tank for her and her babies...So i put her back in the bigger tank after she has them? does the other tank need a filter or will an airstone suffice? should i put anything in the little tank for the babies, plants etc......What kind of mother eats her own babies :S


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## SkylarrRyann (Jan 11, 2009)

sgreenslade said:


> Thanks for your feedback! i have another tank for her and her babies...So i put her back in the bigger tank after she has them? does the other tank need a filter or will an airstone suffice? should i put anything in the little tank for the babies, plants etc......What kind of mother eats her own babies :S


Not a problem, I'm here to help out when I can! Yup you put her back into the community tank after she is done having them. Is your tank planted (real or not)? They are going to need a place to hide from momma because she WILL eat them the first chance she gets. I found a video on youtube about life and death in 20 seconds where a mother ate her baby as soon as it was born. So sad. 
For the babies, I think an airstone would suffice for now. Until they get bigger at least. 

I think its gross and inhumane for mothers to eat their babies, but like it was said in another thread "Thats what they would do in the wild when they have no food" Part of me can understand that wilderness part, but it saddens me to great lengths.


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## sgreenslade (Feb 2, 2009)

thanks for the reply, i have a few other questions for you, if you wouldn't mind helping me out :S
Firstly, yes the tank is planted i have real plants in there. 

I read someone where on the internet that if there are stones on the bottom of the tank the fry will get trapped under them and die...is that right? should i have a bare bottom tank...in that case how will i get the plants to stay in there properly? How long until i can put the babies in the bigger tank? and how do long will it take her to be done? how will i know to put in the bigger tank again so she doesnt eat them?


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