pogstar

I have 4 platys (1 male 3 females) and really want them to breed. they are kept in a 15 gal with some guppies and zebra danios with a pH of 7.5 and a temp of 25-26 degrees celsius. The females are about 5cm big. The male doesn't even look as if hes interested in them. Even my mollies have bred and the platys haven't. Is there something wrong?

platy ben

could you possibly list all of the fish you have in your tank and how many.

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore!!!
Hope you don't mind, I moved your question into the Breeding section of the forum.
It should get more attention from the members who know about breeding fish.

Good luck!!

pogstar

i have 3 zebra danios and 3 guppies. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jetajockey

how long have you had them for?

pogstar

Since Late december last year.

jetajockey

That's odd that 3 females haven't been preg in that amount of time, most often they r preg from the LFS. what's your water parameters like?

pogstar

Should I try get a different male?

candle

just to share my experience with plates, I've had mine since Feb and I, just two days ago, have babies. Mine have been pregnant I just never found surviving fry in the tank and i know why now, the frys are very tiny, they are littler than my guppy and molly frys. It might just be mine but it is something to look out for and it not easy to tell if they are prego until they are close to birth, then they just swell like little marbles. hope that helps!

pogstar

They really don't even look pregnant. Well, the one does but not really. The male chases them around but i've never seen them mate.

jetajockey

at this point i dont see how getting another male could hurt, apart from possible aggression issues.

candle

don't get another male unless your gonna get some more females, the thing with aggression is it stresses the fish and stress cause disease. the males will fight if there is not enough females, i know, i had to separate mine until i get more females.

Kunsthure

My female platy never looked pregnant either and then one day we had fry. She came pregnant from the FS, though.

-Lisa

jetajockey

the 1m/3f ratio is just a guideline, i've done fine with a 1m/1f and 1m/2f ratio also, just depends on the temperment imo. However I have had one that wouldn't settle down with anything less than 1m/4f lol.

kwesdog

Keep the water clean and they will have babies and lots of them. Shortly before they give birth you should be able to see through their bodies a bit and see what appears to be dark spots all over inside them. Their anal area should also stick out a litte or square up as some say. When this happens you can gently move her into a breeder net. Keep feeding her cause she may not drop right away but in a day or two you should have fry.

I started with 3 platies when I started keeping fish a few years back and I soon had 200 between 4 tanks. I could not give the things away fast enough. Then I learned that I needed to let nature take its course and I started leaving the females in the community tank. I havent had a problem with too many fish since that time. I am thinking that with the fish you have your fry will get eaten before you see them. Guppies and danios are good at finding food and those fry will be small enough to eat.

Harry