# Platy fry not growing due to soft water?



## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

So, I had 7 platies going in a very hard-water area, and then my parents wanted a water softener for the house, and 6 passed away. A few months later, my single female platy surprised me with 2 fry!! :fish: :fish:

So, they spent about 3 months in a breeder trap, and stayed about a centimeter long. I fed them First Bites, some crushed flake, and maybe once a week frozen adult brine shrimp, which they hacked away at. Then I fianlly was able to move them to a ten gallon with 17 danio fry. 

They still are about a centimeter. Is this because they never got baby brine shrimp? Or soft water? 

I do WC. I feed them often. But....


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## rskb3467 (Mar 29, 2009)

I don't think it has to do with your soft water. I also have a water softner and my fry are growing fine. I am not an expert but from what I've read (from this forum)is that platy fry are slower growing. I have also experienced this since my platy had fry at the same time my guppy did and the guppy fry are bigger. also, the bigger the space given to grow, they will get bigger faster. maybe you just have dwarf platies?  hope this helps a little bit...maybe others will have other suggestions


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks! I'm glad someone else has livebearers and breeds them in soft water! I was sacred the water softener would hurt them!


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## Guest (May 25, 2009)

the water i use is soft as well and i keep all live bearer in them........


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

So if it's not affecting fry growth...is it the food I'm feeding them?


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## Guest (May 31, 2009)

not really. you might wanna condsidering doing more WC's. i have noticed that my fry grow faster with more wc. i think it was mousey who told me about hormones secreted by dominant fry will slow the growth of other fry. a little reading up online and it was true. since then i do a 20% wc on the holding tank every day.


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## rskb3467 (Mar 29, 2009)

good info Zakk, didn't know that! think I am gonna give that a try myself!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

first off; they need some Plecocaine...good growth food..
and water changes are the key...the hormones released tell the fish to stop growing because there isn't enough room to support them..water changes dilute that hormone and tricks the fishes body into thinking that there is plenty of room...the more water changes; the more diluted the hormones; the faster the fish grow..(up to a point)


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## betta0fish (Feb 16, 2009)

my platy fry are about 2 months old and they're about 1.5 centimeters


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Ok. I dunno what's wrong. *crosses fingers* Maybe they're just slow.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2009)

give them time. also i suggest you talk to Lohachata about plecocaine!


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