# I KNEW my Platy was pregnant!



## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Well I've got one live fry from her first batch, and saved 8 from her second. It took almost 3 months for her to start having them, but she's happily having baby platies now. I'm a bit concernet about how many she's having since she's obviously going to have more, but a fish store a few miles away said they'd take the extras for 30 cents apiece. It's not much, but it's better than culling them, as they're all healthy as can be.

So if you have platies that appear pregnant, be paitient...they probably are!


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

If you want to make a little more(only if you want) let them get bigger and they will give you more for them....congrats anyway!!


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

I think you're on to something. 

I think my tank can probably handle about 20 fish for a short period of time. I had to keep my friend's fish a few months ago and just had her put hers in my tank since they were healthy. I had them for 3 weeks, and just upped the water changes, etc. They all were fine...so I may be able to keep the fry until they're quite a bit larger. I just wish they would get bigger so I could stop having to keep them in a vase. It's really tiring to keep changing the water daily and use a turkey baster as a bubbler every few hours to keep the oxygen up in the water...lol. I expected to do that with my Betta, not a bunch of babies too.

It's pretty fun to watch them though. They're a clearish-orange, and are mostly big-black eyes with fins.

Edit: GRRR I lost one of them. Any suggestions on how to take care of them?
Edit Again: He decided to start swimming again..thank goodness...lol


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Yeah but it would take three months for them to get big and have color. When you put them in a actual tank put the heat up to 80 degrees to increase fry growth. Only if you have fish compatible to do that. Lol mr. fishy played dead on you. Suggestion: just thought of this buy breeder nets and put them in your tank. Buy more than one though so they can grow faster till they get half an inch then put them in your tank.The breeder net will keep your fish with fresh water.. good luck.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Just think of those big black eyes staring at you blinking with innosence to their great flake food god. It makes it all worth while.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Yup, right up until they make you buy more and more and more tanks till you fill your house full of aquariums!


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Right now its only the basement. I still have the upstairs to fill up.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Lol, I wasn't referring directly to you but that works to i guess. Just curious how many tanks do you have??


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Lol my landlord would flip if I started bringing in tank after tank.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Same with me but its my mom not the land lord. lol


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

mlefev, aren't you in SoCal somewhere? If you got a plastic kiddie pool from walmart, you could grow your platies to large size much more quickly outdoors. One of those 10-footers costs about 40 bucks, but it holds 950 gallons. That's a lot cheaper than a fishtank, and the surface area is plenty for platies. 
I grow guppies in mine, and they reach an inch in under a month.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Hmm I'd never thought of that. I'd have to leave it out on the balcony, so I'd definately need a little one. It gets to about 65 at night, and has been about 75-78 during the day...would that be ok for them temperature-wise? Of course, I have to get my sliding glass door fixed first...lol I can't even get out on my balcony at the moment.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Fishboy93 said:


> Lol, I wasn't referring directly to you but that works to i guess. Just curious how many tanks do you have??


15 and a betta bowl right now. 17 more in storage on the other end of the basement.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

jeez you have a lot of tanks


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Wow that is something. I'd have to hire a full-time fish sitter if I had nearly that many.


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## Cosmic Charlie (Jun 14, 2005)

Hey...how can you tell if a Platy is pregnant? It's easy to tell on swordtails, but I haven't quite figured it out on Platys. One of mine looked like she was about to explode the other day, so I assumed she was pregnant. I put her in a breeder, and a few hours later, she was normal looking and there was a lot of poo in the bottom on the breeder. What's the best way to know?


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

I thought mine overate at first...but then she just started getting bigger and staying that way.... The only way I could really tell is when her whole abdomen from behind the head to the tail started hanging down in a somewhat squared off shape. She looked like that for almost 3 months so I knew something was up. When he was getting closer to having the fry, you could start seeing that there was something inside when the light hit her right. Unlike other livebearers, it isn't as obvious. She didn't have a gravid spot, etc.


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