When to move my pregnant Platy?

[darkfalz]

Here's my female Platys, as you can see she looks like she's almost going to burst. But I've seen pictures of them even fatter than this.

She's in her own tank right now, with a birthing tank next door, same shape and dimensions, with just heater and sponge filter (the sponge part is in with her, maturing).

Should I move her over now, or should I maybe wait for her to have the babies where she is? I don't want her to be stressed and "absorb" them (that would be a lot to absorb).

I can only hope she has them on the weekend or some day when I am home, so I don't come home to a lot of eaten fry. I have a breeding net but it's the wrong kind, without any holes for the fry to fall out or swim out of (I guess I could make some though!).

[TheOldSalt]

She doesn't look quite ready to me. They can get really, reeally fat.
Feed her very well so she's never hungry, and she probably won't eat many fry. Even if she is hungry, there's still only so many that she could possibly eat before you noticed, so don't worry too much about it.

[leafgirl115]

Put some plants in even if they are fake its better than nothing

[darkfalz]

I wish I hadn't thrown away those plastic plants, they would have been good for floating on the surface.

[leafgirl115]

never throw out old fish stuf!! lol

[darkfalz]

Today I notice she is "breathing" rapidly and staying at the bottom. Labor signs or something else? She did eat when I fed her though.

Today is their scheduled water change, but I don't want to disrupt her if she is about to have the babies. I doubt there could be much nitrate build up, it's just her in a 6.5 gallon tank with a good hang on filter (and extra sponge filter).

I wonder if I should move her now...

[darkfalz]

I put her in her birthing tank, with about 1/3 of water from her old tank and the sponge filter. I moved her plants over too and put the background on just in case. So it's basically the same, minus the gravel.

Let's hope the babies come soon!

[darkfalz]

This morning I have FRY!!!! 22 of them, in fact. There was one little unformed blob with eyes but the rest are healthy and swimming round, and have already eaten their first little bites.

The mother is back in her tank, looking very skinny. She seems okay and she ate but she is still breathing heavy like yesterday. I hope she will be okay after giving me such a great gift. I don't want to lose her. I think she was ready yesterday, but waited until I wasn't around to have them. Maybe overnight in the dark (scary) or early this morning. I came in and saw she was skinny and got worried, then I saw little things moving and there they were!

I'm now trying to hatch some BBS to feed as well as this powdered food. They mostly stay at the back wall especially in the corners but one came right up to the front to look at me, so cute! I even managed a close up of one of the more adventurous ones. Amazing how big and full formed they are, my Betta fry never got this big. I'd say just under 1cm each.

Woohoo! Heil Hitler! I'm so happy.

[darkfalz]

Damn, why did I throw away my microworms culture... I sure hope the BBS hatch tomorrow! Even though it's winter.

[darkfalz]

Female is back to normal. She still has a white belly and gravid spot, maybe it takes a while for it to fade. I sure hope she's not using that "stored sperm" to be pregnant again.

BBS haven't hatched yet, but it may have been too cold. Now they're in a heated bucket.

Fry are taking to the Sera micron (which is green), they didn't seem to like the other fry food and it made the water smell funny. I think crushed/flake pellets are still a bit too big.

[darkfalz]

They had their first BBS tonight, they loved it. They're also now eating very finely crushed flakes, which is good news.

BBS are hatching slower than hoped and I have a problem with the decapsulated cysts collecting under the airstone. I need to get something sorted out so I can give them enough!

[darkfalz]

They are four days old. How much should they have grown? I had to euthanise the two little tail draggers who were stuck on the bottom, they were already the smallest. They wanted so badly to live... poor things. but the other 20 are all healthy.

Guys were probably 6-8 mm long newborn, now would be 9-11 mm or so. Still tend to spit most of the crushed food I give them, but they do like the Sera Micron. I've sorted out my BBS hatching problems so I can give them BBS 2 or 3 times a day.

The heater is still at 26, I'm planning to drop it down to 24, maybe at the 2 week stage?

Looks like I should have made a new thread when I got the fry, nobody seems to be paying attention here So I'm just talking to myself he he.

[lamby1358]

Is my platy pregnant ? can anyone tell me please and tell me what i should do thanks. also a male platy keeps on following the female around does this mean anything ?

[Ice Prince]

this thread is over a year old. just so you know the date of the last post is in the green bar above the text to the left. create a new thread in the livebearer section and you will get an answer.

[kewlkirk]

hi guys
i brought a platy a week ago and sshe was pregnant a few days ago she had one baby. she has no gravid spot but she is realy fat still but i dont know whether she is still pregnant or not can someone plz help me

kirk.