Black Fry?!

LovinLiveBearer · 12-20-2007, 12:11 PM

I was looking at my tank yesterday and discovered an almost all black fry. His eyes are even ALL black! To me this is weird because I have no black fish in my tank. The closest it the little black the Platys have on their tails. I don't know what fish this could have come from and all my fry up to this point have been white/yellow until they got a little bigger and started getting orange. Any ideas?

emc7 · 12-20-2007, 02:19 PM

How long have you had these fish? Livebearers can store sperm from multiple partners for months. I would guess that fry has a black molly father. There are black swords, but I think they are born pale and darken. A black molly is intensely black at birth.

joe kool · 12-20-2007, 04:14 PM

what have you got against "black" fish man ... sheesh ... even spilling over into the aquatic world

LovinLiveBearer · 12-20-2007, 04:23 PM

Well he looks like just his little head is white/yellow then the rest is gray/black. And his eyes are solid black. I have had the fish about 1-2 months, some less. He looks like a little guppy fry...but I think all fry look the same at first, right? I just have no other black fry. I know that guppies can hold sperm, but I didn't know if platys and mollies could. I have him with my other fry in a holder. I can't wait to see what he is and what he will look like. At what age can you start to tell what breed the fry are?

LovinLiveBearer · 12-20-2007, 04:42 PM

I have nothing wrong with a black fish. I was just confused when I saw him. I kind of take offense to that statement too since you have no idea about me, or my personal or familial ethnicity. I understand maybe you were joking, but still.

joe kool · 12-20-2007, 07:39 PM

the little laughing dood (

) "should" have give it away. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was putting you on the spot or anything.

weerd

**TheOldSalt** · 12-21-2007, 09:58 AM

You should be able to tell within a month what species it is.
Black fish can be born to any species. The first black mollies appeared by accident, and the quick-thinking breeder had the sense to nab them and keep them separate. They eventually bred themselves, and after a couple of generations the black molly was established as a stable strain.
Who knows? Maybe you'll have something new soon.

LovinLiveBearer · 12-21-2007, 10:56 AM

Thanks for the advice. I am really excited to see what he is. He is very cute. It is funny looking at him though because it looks like he is looking right at you but you cant tell because his eyes are solid black. I will try to get a picture of him, but we will see how that adventure goes. I have a breeder net in my tank right now and was cleaning the tank when I saw him swimming around. I have really good cover for the fry in the tank so I don't know how long he has been there or if he was a newbie. But I got him in with the other fry now. Fry have to be the cutest little things ever!

Steve155 · 12-31-2007, 09:41 AM

I also have a few almost completely black fry... i got them from guppies... i have come to the conclusion that they have the 'black tail' strain. Some guppies do have black tails that run all the way up to their white bellies. As to the matter of the eyes i do not know... many of mine have that to. =S

LovinLiveBearer · 12-31-2007, 03:32 PM

Yeah I think he might be a guppy. But he is still too smal to tell. He is the only fry that size that has ANY color. He is black from his tail to behind his gills. Then he is white. Then at the front of his gills he is all black again with black eyes. He is a cute little bugger. He also does not like his picture taken which makes it hard for me.

I will try again though. Does anyone know how long it normally takes for guppy fry to start getting color? I have some that are half an inch long and they are all still white. They are probably a month to 2 months old.

Steve155 · 01-05-2008, 07:07 AM

Mine got colour at around 3 months of age. Good luck with that lill' guy!

Kribensis12 · 01-05-2008, 10:07 AM

CONGRAT'S ON THE FRY!!!!!!!! So, do you have any pic's yet? I hope he makes it.

BV77 · 01-05-2008, 10:11 AM

Lovinlivebearer....Joe Kool was just making a joke.....we like a bit of humor where ever it fits in..

LovinLiveBearer · 01-05-2008, 06:01 PM

I tried getting pictures but he is small and my camera isn't that good. So you cant see him in the pictures all that well. REALLY blurry. He is out of the breeding net and seems to be doing really good. I have about 15-20 fry in my tank right now in all sizes. The adults seem to be leaving them alone. I do have little caves for the fry to hide in as well as plants. There are like 10 guppy fry that are very big now and they don't need to hide anymore, then I have 4 platy fry that are really big now and the other small ones that I don't know what they are yet. I do have pictures in the album thread that you can see some of my fry in them.

vettech909 · 02-22-2008, 09:45 PM

they adult platy probly has black molly history as they almost always do.i just got a single new platy fry.it is gold and white with black spots.

12-20-2007, 12:11 PM	#1
LovinLiveBearer Mallory Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Oregon Age: 23 Posts: 76	Black Fry?! I was looking at my tank yesterday and discovered an almost all black fry. His eyes are even ALL black! To me this is weird because I have no black fish in my tank. The closest it the little black the Platys have on their tails. I don't know what fish this could have come from and all my fry up to this point have been white/yellow until they got a little bigger and started getting orange. Any ideas? __________________ * 20 Gallon * * 1 Male & 4 Female Platys * 1 Male & 3 Female Assorted Hi Fin Platys * 1 Male & 1 Female White Platys * 5 Male & 6 Female Assorted Guppy's * 1 Male & 3 Female Balloon Mollies * 8 Otos * Fry - platys and guppy's ----- Upgrading to a 55g ------ * 2 Gallon * * 1 Male Beta - MooShoo

12-20-2007, 04:14 PM	#3
joe kool Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 572	what have you got against "black" fish man ... sheesh ... even spilling over into the aquatic world __________________ A conglomeration of cichlids from all over living happily in my "melting pot" of tanks. Breeding: currently nothing ... I'm sequestered in South Korea, "Osan" to be exact 2 days till I'm back in the states!!!! Florida to be exact, those Floridians have no idea what they're in for!! current Fry: see above tanks: 100, 55, 46 BF, 26 BF, 20L, 5 fry tank 20L planted with CRS is the only thing up (easy for the wife to care for in my stead)

12-20-2007, 04:23 PM	#4
LovinLiveBearer Mallory Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Oregon Age: 23 Posts: 76	Well he looks like just his little head is white/yellow then the rest is gray/black. And his eyes are solid black. I have had the fish about 1-2 months, some less. He looks like a little guppy fry...but I think all fry look the same at first, right? I just have no other black fry. I know that guppies can hold sperm, but I didn't know if platys and mollies could. I have him with my other fry in a holder. I can't wait to see what he is and what he will look like. At what age can you start to tell what breed the fry are? __________________ * 20 Gallon * * 1 Male & 4 Female Platys * 1 Male & 3 Female Assorted Hi Fin Platys * 1 Male & 1 Female White Platys * 5 Male & 6 Female Assorted Guppy's * 1 Male & 3 Female Balloon Mollies * 8 Otos * Fry - platys and guppy's ----- Upgrading to a 55g ------ * 2 Gallon * * 1 Male Beta - MooShoo

12-20-2007, 04:42 PM	#5
LovinLiveBearer Mallory Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Oregon Age: 23 Posts: 76	I have nothing wrong with a black fish. I was just confused when I saw him. I kind of take offense to that statement too since you have no idea about me, or my personal or familial ethnicity. I understand maybe you were joking, but still. __________________ * 20 Gallon * * 1 Male & 4 Female Platys * 1 Male & 3 Female Assorted Hi Fin Platys * 1 Male & 1 Female White Platys * 5 Male & 6 Female Assorted Guppy's * 1 Male & 3 Female Balloon Mollies * 8 Otos * Fry - platys and guppy's ----- Upgrading to a 55g ------ * 2 Gallon * * 1 Male Beta - MooShoo Last edited by LovinLiveBearer; 12-20-2007 at 04:45 PM.

12-20-2007, 07:39 PM	#6
joe kool Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 572	the little laughing dood ( ) "should" have give it away. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was putting you on the spot or anything. weerd __________________ A conglomeration of cichlids from all over living happily in my "melting pot" of tanks. Breeding: currently nothing ... I'm sequestered in South Korea, "Osan" to be exact 2 days till I'm back in the states!!!! Florida to be exact, those Floridians have no idea what they're in for!! current Fry: see above tanks: 100, 55, 46 BF, 26 BF, 20L, 5 fry tank 20L planted with CRS is the only thing up (easy for the wife to care for in my stead)

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12-20-2007, 02:19 PM	#2
emc7 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Johns Creek, GA Posts: 3,243	How long have you had these fish? Livebearers can store sperm from multiple partners for months. I would guess that fry has a black molly father. There are black swords, but I think they are born pale and darken. A black molly is intensely black at birth.

12-21-2007, 09:58 AM	#7
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,345	You should be able to tell within a month what species it is. Black fish can be born to any species. The first black mollies appeared by accident, and the quick-thinking breeder had the sense to nab them and keep them separate. They eventually bred themselves, and after a couple of generations the black molly was established as a stable strain. Who knows? Maybe you'll have something new soon.

12-21-2007, 10:56 AM	#8
LovinLiveBearer Mallory Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Oregon Age: 23 Posts: 76	Thanks for the advice. I am really excited to see what he is. He is very cute. It is funny looking at him though because it looks like he is looking right at you but you cant tell because his eyes are solid black. I will try to get a picture of him, but we will see how that adventure goes. I have a breeder net in my tank right now and was cleaning the tank when I saw him swimming around. I have really good cover for the fry in the tank so I don't know how long he has been there or if he was a newbie. But I got him in with the other fry now. Fry have to be the cutest little things ever! __________________ * 20 Gallon * * 1 Male & 4 Female Platys * 1 Male & 3 Female Assorted Hi Fin Platys * 1 Male & 1 Female White Platys * 5 Male & 6 Female Assorted Guppy's * 1 Male & 3 Female Balloon Mollies * 8 Otos * Fry - platys and guppy's ----- Upgrading to a 55g ------ * 2 Gallon * * 1 Male Beta - MooShoo

12-31-2007, 09:41 AM	#9
Steve155 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 130	I also have a few almost completely black fry... i got them from guppies... i have come to the conclusion that they have the 'black tail' strain. Some guppies do have black tails that run all the way up to their white bellies. As to the matter of the eyes i do not know... many of mine have that to. =S __________________ 13 Gallon - main community tank 3 Guppies (1m-2f) 1 Platy (f) 2 platy fry (unsure of their sex) 6 Neon Tetra 3 pepper patterned cories 6 Cherry Barb Fry Tank Guppy Fry (3-4 Male, 6-7 Female) Adult Guppy (soon to be sent to LFS) (5f,3-4m) Remember: Fish R Friends Not Food!

12-31-2007, 03:32 PM	#10
LovinLiveBearer Mallory Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Oregon Age: 23 Posts: 76	Yeah I think he might be a guppy. But he is still too smal to tell. He is the only fry that size that has ANY color. He is black from his tail to behind his gills. Then he is white. Then at the front of his gills he is all black again with black eyes. He is a cute little bugger. He also does not like his picture taken which makes it hard for me. I will try again though. Does anyone know how long it normally takes for guppy fry to start getting color? I have some that are half an inch long and they are all still white. They are probably a month to 2 months old. __________________ * 20 Gallon * * 1 Male & 4 Female Platys * 1 Male & 3 Female Assorted Hi Fin Platys * 1 Male & 1 Female White Platys * 5 Male & 6 Female Assorted Guppy's * 1 Male & 3 Female Balloon Mollies * 8 Otos * Fry - platys and guppy's ----- Upgrading to a 55g ------ * 2 Gallon * * 1 Male Beta - MooShoo

01-05-2008, 07:07 AM	#11
Steve155 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 130	Mine got colour at around 3 months of age. Good luck with that lill' guy! __________________ 13 Gallon - main community tank 3 Guppies (1m-2f) 1 Platy (f) 2 platy fry (unsure of their sex) 6 Neon Tetra 3 pepper patterned cories 6 Cherry Barb Fry Tank Guppy Fry (3-4 Male, 6-7 Female) Adult Guppy (soon to be sent to LFS) (5f,3-4m) Remember: Fish R Friends Not Food!

01-05-2008, 10:07 AM	#12
Kribensis12 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Age: 15 Posts: 109	CONGRAT'S ON THE FRY!!!!!!!! So, do you have any pic's yet? I hope he makes it. __________________ My tank's: 30g tank: 1 angelfish 1 Fancy Guppies 2 Zebra Danio's 2 Black Mollies 2 Dalmation Mollies 3 platies ( 5 baby green sailfin mollies and 2 guppies in a breeder, being feed BBS daily) 20g Flat Hexagon 1 baby guppy 1 baby swordtail 1 Baby half black striped angelfish( 4 inches tall) 10g: 1 baby half black striped angelfish( 4 inches tall) 1 baby mickey mouse swordtail several baby guppies 1 baby mollie

01-05-2008, 10:11 AM	#13
BV77 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alaska Posts: 486	Lovinlivebearer....Joe Kool was just making a joke.....we like a bit of humor where ever it fits in..

01-05-2008, 06:01 PM	#14
LovinLiveBearer Mallory Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Oregon Age: 23 Posts: 76	I tried getting pictures but he is small and my camera isn't that good. So you cant see him in the pictures all that well. REALLY blurry. He is out of the breeding net and seems to be doing really good. I have about 15-20 fry in my tank right now in all sizes. The adults seem to be leaving them alone. I do have little caves for the fry to hide in as well as plants. There are like 10 guppy fry that are very big now and they don't need to hide anymore, then I have 4 platy fry that are really big now and the other small ones that I don't know what they are yet. I do have pictures in the album thread that you can see some of my fry in them. __________________ * 20 Gallon * * 1 Male & 4 Female Platys * 1 Male & 3 Female Assorted Hi Fin Platys * 1 Male & 1 Female White Platys * 5 Male & 6 Female Assorted Guppy's * 1 Male & 3 Female Balloon Mollies * 8 Otos * Fry - platys and guppy's ----- Upgrading to a 55g ------ * 2 Gallon * * 1 Male Beta - MooShoo

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02-22-2008, 09:45 PM	#15
vettech909 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Age: 18 Posts: 146	they adult platy probly has black molly history as they almost always do.i just got a single new platy fry.it is gold and white with black spots.

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