Is she pregnant

[bessiegirl]

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??

thanks a lot!

[tikotaz]

Did you get them from the store all at once, or get them seperately? Cause if you got them all at the same time there is a chance that the one staying to herself is pregnant as the fish in pet stores often mate and they do have pregnant fish they give out. I have a pregnant dalmation molly that I got the other day, so she's in my smaller tank until the babies are born. Though soon she will be put in the hatchery for she looks like she's ready to give birth anytime, she's tiny compared to the rest. Though if the stomach gets bigger then it was you will know for sure that it's pregnant, and will need to get something to put the mother in like a hatchery which is a breeder, the babies would fall through the bottom so the mother and other fish can't eat them. Though if you can get a small tank a one gallon if there are too many baby fry put them in there.

[bessiegirl]

Um i get them all at the same time. Im pretty sure she is pregnant because i was looking at her and now she has the white bumps, so for about how long will they have those until they give birth? if i get a one gallon tank for the babies do they need an air pump for the time they are alone? or anything specific or could i just pretty mush put them in a empty tank?
thanks for ur help

[tikotaz]

Originally Posted by bessiegirl

Um i get them all at the same time. Im pretty sure she is pregnant because i was looking at her and now she has the white bumps, so for about how long will they have those until they give birth? if i get a one gallon tank for the babies do they need an air pump for the time they are alone? or anything specific or could i just pretty mush put them in a empty tank?
thanks for ur help

I am not sure how long until she gives birth, though yes you will need a air pump for the small tank, maybe a few live plants. This way the baby fry get the oxygen that they need, but make sure that you have lots of plants in the small tank wether real or fake, to give the fry hiding spots from the mother otherwise they will be eaten. I do suggest atleast one live plant, it will help with oxygen just incase the pump acts up. I learned the hard way my females gave birth and there wasn't alot of oxygen, so the fry died. though white spots would not be the fry, watch the belly mostly if it gets bigger then what it was. Then for sure that she is pregnant, if she actually stays the same it's possible that she might have a fungus or something. The white spots do they look like salt? Or no?

[bessiegirl]

So i woke up this morning and i was watching my little platies swim all around and i noticed one of the females is going crazy! she is swimming faster than usual and she is doing these weird side jerks like in place. What do you think that means? is she going to have her babies soon or is she just being strange? and havent moved her to a smaller tank by herself so if you could let me know what to do asap that would be great!
thanks!

[darkfalz]

Those aren't labor pains, she is sick/parasites or something. Is the water warm enough?

[bessiegirl]

the water is at 79 degrees.

[elvis332]

my friend told me that in order for your fish to be pregnate your water has to be in right tempeture

[Kribensis12]

As long as the fish can be active, they will mate and breed. The female can and will hold the babies in though if she feel's the water isnt good enough for the babies. Your first step in knowing that she is sick is, she has a black or white dot on here. Then she get's alot of white dot's. Then she start's swimming iratically. Dosent sound like she is going to make it. Sorry. But, you might want to treat with Melafix.

[bessiegirl]

well my fish is now all healed an the tank is all good again! yippee! but i do notice a different fish of mine is a lot fatter than the others and i know she is pregnant but the other fish chase her around sometimes mostly the one who looks like her but is the male version so hmmm.? so does that mean she will probably hold in the babies until they leave her? when they dont think its good enough for the babies to be born how much longer can she hold the babies in her tummy until she has to birth them or will they eventually die in her??
the help would be appreciated so please let me know, anyone an everyone i would like for these things to be born thanks!