# bought 2 new platies



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

I bet i am going to be sorry I did this! and even sorrier I am saying this.
I picked up a platy that was listed as a variatus in Petsmart for 75 cents. she had a nice orange tail but other wise sort of drab- olive green body with a few black ripples. Anyway i put her in with my big home bred male who was delighted to see her and has amazing colors.
that was 3 weeks ago. She was in a tank full of hi fin male platies at the store so I was kind of looking forward to fry of anysort from her.
I find she has spent her time growing bigger in size but not pregnant.
As a precaution to catch the fry I have had her in a separate container floating in the main tank and with several plants for potential fry.
Nada!! and it is a month gone already.
Anyway moved her to a 5 gallon tank with a couple of pregnant guppies.
Bought a sister today from Petsmart.- amother platy variatus but with a high fin.
After reading on the internet I begin to think the fish are actually maculatus and I am wondering if they have sword in them as well. they are very timid initially and once they adjust they are fairly aggressive to other fish. However the male platy is delighted and hopefully I will get some fry. Thing is neither of them appear pregnant.
I have had guppies before that never got pregnant despite me trying different males with them. I know infertility is rare among livebears and hopefully I will live to regret my complaint that they are not reproducing.
The new female colors are even more drab and she is smaller. Should be pregnant as her tank mates were all high fin males!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

> high fin males


this could be the trouble. Often male livebearers with nice, long fins have gonopodia that don't do the job nature intended. Breeders keep lyre-tail female swords with the short-fin brothers of the high-fin, lyre-tail males and sell the high-fin males. Some people even do artificial insemination. I don't know that platys have the same trouble as swords, but its a possibility. If your male has normal fins, you might just need to give him time.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Hmm I have had one of the girls in with a regular male platy for about 4 weeks now and she is still thin. yes she has been dewormed etc, has nice healthy poo and eats like a pig. I find she has an aggressive streak towards the guppies but is skittish in other ways. Now she has been moved to a nice little 5 gallon with her new sister. 
They seem to recognize each other and are sticking together so maybe she has stored up a bit of sperm for a rainy day.
perhaps the angel fish was spooking her.
My male is a cross between a red wag and a gold half moon- very pretty fellow so I am hoping for some hi fins with a bit of color.


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