new2fish

I have noticed the belly get bigger over the last week or 2.... the pictures do not do justice to how this platy looks.. I guess its a female, I have no clue :P







Thanks for any help

punkrockviolet5

I don't know if she is or isn't but I found this great article that may help...

http://www.fishforever.co.uk/livebearers.html

Good Luck!

COBettaCouple

I'm not totally sure, but i think it's better than 50% chance that she'll be dropping fry before long. i think i see the black gravid spot in the one pic.

new2fish

OK, Now I feel really dumb... what & where is the black gravid spot ?

Now lots of ?'s..
What kind of signs should I be looking for.
When should I get something & to put her in.... & what is the best thing to get... I see there are lots of kinds of boxes & nets etc. to hang in the tank.

When she drops them, should I mover her back to the tank so she doesn't eat them?

ANY help would be great, I was not planning on having baby fishies

punkrockviolet5

The article I posted below, answers all these questions. It was very helpful to me. Also, it states Platies do not have a gravid spot, guppies do. I never saw the black spot on my Platy, but she surprised us by giving birth, after looking like she was gonna pop. (like the article states.) Although I have been researching and educating myself on Platies quite a bit, I am not an expert. I was told by several 'experts', every Platy female will get pregnant, if she is placed with a Male.

Here is the link again: http://www.fishforever.co.uk/livebearers.html

There are pictures to help identify the 'black spot' in the article, also. Hope it helps!!

woodworm18

I love to have little baby's in my tank i just leave my fish in the tank i guess so of the baby's do get eaten but the only other tank i have is the one with my Oscar and other mean fish but i have guppy's they have baby's all the time

new2fish

Thanks punkrockviolet5 ... I feel like a dork... I did d see that.. all I can say is I was tired & not paying attention :P
Thanks for the great info.

I did get the net that hangs on the side of the tank yesterday & put her in.. I also bought some fake breeding grass & put in the bottom (weighed down the corners with a little gravel) I figured @ least that way mom can't find them all if she has them when I am gone of something.

The weird thing is... is this was Nemo's replacement so is or @ least it
was named Nemo... I told my Son that we have to change the name to Coral & we can keep a baby.. it can be Nemo =)

COBettaCouple

that is a good article, but don't count on the momma not eating for 12 hours. Our Platy Daisy never lost her appetite when dropping fry.

punkrockviolet5

I'm not one to get all my info from one source. I like to pick and choose what makes the most sense, and when I get conflicting info, I like to research it as much as I can. Especially before telling someone else its true. This forum has been a wonderful 'watering hole' for this, and I am very fortuante to have it as a resource. You're all so very *wonderful*, and I'm lucky to have found you!

COBettaCouple

careful, i'm already a huge megalomaniac.

i've heard of platys having the gravid spot, but our daisy only had a barely noticeable one when she was pregnant. i think it's something that varies really and part of the 'fun' of livebearers.

new2fish

Still no babies... it has been close to 4 weeks now.... how accurate is the 4 week time frame, anyone have them go longer? Also...as much as I want her to have them, I am still dealing with the small ich problem... when she finally has them, should I put the fry in my 1 gal tank? or will that make any difference with the ich?

Thanks guys

COBettaCouple

Our platy dropped her first fry about 35 days after we bought her so she went at least 5 weeks. I think 5-6 weeks isn't uncommon for the 1st batch. after her first batch, they'd start dropping every 25 days.

new2fish

Tonight I noticed alot more black spots in her.. does this mean it could be soon?

COBettaCouple

It sounds like she's within a week at the most, but it's hard to be sure. watch for behavior changes and her sort of 'squaring off' in the back. if you're going to seperate her, now might be the time.

new2fish

could it be she is just fat?? Still no babies, she has been in the net for a long time now... i look several times a day for fry, but have never seen any & she looks the same.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks A bunch

COBettaCouple

i know they can hold onto them a bit if they want.. i'd let her back into the main tank, if she's pregnant, she doesn't seem to want to drop in the net so it'll have to be on her terms.

Sam Livingston

tank divider or her own tank would probably be best. when they feel stressed or enclosed they can and will abort the pregnancy. A tank divider or own tank would make her feel comfortable and make sure has bunches of plants as the fry will love to hide in there, and the mother will usually hide in them when ready to drop. Be weary of tank dividers as the fry can sometimes escape to the other side. I netted all of mine out of the tank when the platy gave birth so they wouldn't get eaten.

Sam Livingston

Any luck yet? If she still hasn't dropped and hasn't got any bigger she's either not pregnant or doesn't feel safe enough or comfortable enough to drop them. It is real obvious once their pregnant, stomach is absolutely huge. Also will tend to poop a lot more since the pressure is built up in here stomach.