# Is my platy pregnant?



## bessiegirl (Dec 9, 2007)

I just got a new fish tank and bought 4 platies and 1 is a male and i think 2 of the females are pregnant but im not sure if they are. i looked on their bellies to see a black or white dot and i see like black things but i cant tell if thats just their stomachs . And one of them that i think is prego sometimes swims to the very top of the tank and just stays up there for a while and stays in one spot then a few minutes later she goes back down to the lower part by the others.. do you know what that could mean??
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!
thanks a lot! :fish:


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

If you have a male the platies will be pregnant if they aren't already!
Platies are not fast moving fish. They like to be in a group at times but will often go off by themselves for a little rest near the top of the tank. Do not be surprised if you see them gulping air on occasion too. I think they do that in hopes of finding food.
If they are going to have babies soon- like in the next few hours, they go to an out of the way spot like behind a plant and have the babies there.Mine go to the bottom of the tank.


----------



## bessiegirl (Dec 9, 2007)

ok cool thanks. Will they have their babies with other fish around or if they are stressed will they still birth them? How fat do they get? like is it pretty noticeable if they are going to have the babies soon? Or is it sometimes hard to tell?

thanks for the help


----------



## bessiegirl (Dec 9, 2007)

oh and is a little like container like a 16 oz thing too small to put the fry in for just when they were born so they arent eaten? or should i buy a little critter like container? because i dont want to buy like a 10g tank for little babies that wont stay in there for long.... 
hmmmm 
please give me advice


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

the platy will hide to have her babies but the other fish seem to know that she is giving birth and will hang around to eat the babies. You can buy little plastic breeding tanks to float in the main tank. Put your mum in there. It has a divider so the babies fall thru and then the mom can't eat them. After she has given birth you can leave her there for a few hours. Give her a good feed as birthing is hungry work. Then put her back in the main tank. Take the divider out of the breeding tank so the fry can get to the surface. Crumble up some fish food so it is really fine and feed that to the fry several times a day.
Since the breeding tank has slots in it the tank water will circulate thru it.
Every couple of days lift it up out of the water a wee bit to allow some of the uneaten food to pass into the main tank. You can leave the fry there until they are a couple of months old if you don't have too many.
I keep a couple of breeding tanks around-- you can use them to be an injured fish in them as well as aggressive fish until you figure out what to do with them.
The platy gravid spot will get huge just before she delivers and if you look at her from the top down she will have bulging sides. 
sometimes you cannot tell when they are due to give birth if you can't see the gravid spot.
They sometimes with hold the fry for a few days too. Gestation is anywhere from 3 - 5 weeks and then you will get more.
You will get more than you know what top do with.
If you put the fry in a separate container they must have daily water changes so it is really easier to get a breeding tank. They cost about $3.99 where I live(canada)


----------



## tikotaz (Nov 20, 2007)

*small tank*

I agree get the breeder thing if the females are indeed pregnant, what you can also do once the fry are born, get a one gallon tank it's small put them in there if there are too many to keep in the breeder item. They will be fine in a one gallon tank though make sure to get a heater and filterpump for it. They need the same heat as the parents. I have a pregnant molly that I plan on placing in my hatchery, which is a breeder item. So try getting one of those, and if there are too many baby fries in there I suggest a one gallon tank.


----------



## oxflapwa1 (Jan 7, 2008)

I have a platy, but i'm not sure if it is pregnant or not. It has several small spots on it, does that mean she's pregnant?


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

if you could get us a photo of the platy that might help.
are the spots white and covering all of her body?


----------



## Kribensis12 (Jan 1, 2008)

Spot's arent usually a god sign. Like Guppyart said, a photo would help. Also, did you cycle the tank? And, plastic breeder's have minnimal air flow, the water is always stagnet.


----------

