Breed And Sell Platies

So, over the summer I bought 7 platies for my 20 gallon tank, 1 male sunset, 3 female sunset, and 3 female reds. I was hoping to breed them to get some babies to fill up the rest of my tank, and I have had huge success with them getting pregnant and having babies, although they don't last because their parents eat them or they get sucked into the filter.

For the past couple of months I haven't done anything with the babies, letting nature take it's course to ensure that the parent platies are healthy and breeding. Now pretty much all of my females are pregnant and I think it is time to start keeping the babies.

I got this cheap mesh cage with slats that the babies can fall through to be saved from their hungry mother. I found a baby on the bottom of the aquarium last night, hiding in the java ferns, so I scooped him up and into the mesh net to protect him. I am just feeding him flake food, I wasn't ready for babies this early but I couldn't let the little guy die. So I hope that is sufficient. He is eating the flakes that I crush up in my fingers to a finer flake.

Anyway, I have no experience breeding fish, but I do have a 5 gallon aquarium with a light, heater, and a 10 gallon sponge filter on the way from amazon but beyond that I have no idea what I am getting myself into. How many babies could that current tank set up hold? How long to they take to reach adulthood? Should I be feeding them more than once a day? I'm just looking for some reliable information from someone who has done this before.

I plan on selling them to a lfs for store credit (Marine Warehouse in Tampa) has anyone tried selling them on the internet on a place like Aquabid?

Basically, if you have ever bred platies before for a profit, tell me everything you know.

 

As for livebearers, you either have to have a rare species, a rare color variety, or mass quantities to really make any money off them. Since you can get a normal platy for around $2 at any Pet(insert chain name here) you likely would not get more than $1 each if selling adults online (even less for subadults), and even that may be steep if the buyer is paying for shipping.

From my experience, LFS give next to nothing in store credit unless it's something that they cannot really get anywhere else.


Now, if you also grow things like plants or rarer fish, and sell the platys in addition, then buyers may go for it in addition to the orders of the other things as it'd make the shipping worth it.

 

I'm propigating some java ferns too, the platies are more of an experiment and less of an actual money making venture. I moreso want a place to take them off my hands even if it's for next to no store credit.

 

I'm propigating some java ferns too, the platies are more of an experiment and less of an actual money making venture. I moreso want a place to take them off my hands even if it's for next to no store credit.

Ah. In that case, if your store will take them, you should have no issues.

 

Bruxes has it right. Trying to sell the most common and inexpensive fish in the hobby will never be profitable. You need tanks and supporting accessories to grow them out. And you'll be fortunate if you can sell very many for $1 each. The LFS can buy imported fish for that price. You have to sell something a little harder to get. They will take your fish for free if you'll invest the effort into growing them up some.

 

As for livebearers, you either have to have a rare species, a rare color variety, or mass quantities to really make any money off them. Since you can get a normal platy for around $2 at any Pet(insert chain name here) you likely would not get more than $1 each if selling adults online (even less for subadults), and even that may be steep if the buyer is paying for shipping.

From my experience, LFS give next to nothing in store credit unless it's something that they cannot really get anywhere else.


Now, if you also grow things like plants or rarer fish, and sell the platys in addition, then buyers may go for it in addition to the orders of the other things as it'd make the shipping worth it.

it doesn't always matter if you have rare livebearer or not. I have blue Moscow guppies. I breed and sell then and make actually really decent money. if people will pay the money, you can sell a trio or something for $25. At least I do. And people buy them.

 

Well I only have one sunset male, and so the babies from the red females might come out interesting since they would be sunset and red hybrids, someone in the pet store I bought them from told me this and that's what sparked this whole "I want to breed platies for funsies" came from.

 

it doesn't always matter if you have rare livebearer or not. I have blue Moscow guppies. I breed and sell then and make actually really decent money. if people will pay the money, you can sell a trio or something for $25. At least I do. And people buy them.

Agreed. My Halfblack guppy strain breeding stock costs about $90 shipped for a trio. I didn't mean to knock live-bearers. I love them. But they breed like rabbits and if you don't have something very special you won't be profiting much. I think that is pretty much what she said. Two dollar platies are not the same situation.

 

Agreed. My Halfblack guppy strain breeding stock costs about $90 shipped for a trio. I didn't mean to knock live-bearers. I love them. But they breed like rabbits and if you don't have something very special you won't be profiting much. I think that is pretty much what she said. Two dollar platies are not the same situation.

Sorry, but can you please take a pic of your guppies? I would love to see them! They sound beautiful and I love guppies!

 

Sorry, but can you please take a pic of your guppies? I would love to see them! They sound beautiful and I love guppies!

I've had problems getting a decent PIC with my old man cheap CELL phone but if you want to see their parents and grandparents search up Championship Show Guppies out of Florida. Steve K has a website, and vids on youtube and facebook. Look for the Halfblack Blues and Halfblack Purples in the vids. The Blues placed high at the St Louis show last spring. Others on this site like Jocelyn Adelman have taken care of me and if you are interested I'll pay it forward now because I love your enthusiasm. If you can swing two day shipping money I will send you some fish for free you can easily sell locally, and some floating plants to make the birth process easy. But you'll definitely have to rehome the platies because I don't think you have much tank space. Give it some thought. I'll help you get started. No catch, I am just trying to be nice.

 

it doesn't always matter if you have rare livebearer or not. I have blue Moscow guppies. I breed and sell then and make actually really decent money. if people will pay the money, you can sell a trio or something for $25. At least I do. And people buy them.

For me, that would fall under 'rare color variety'. I've never seen a blue Moscow at any Petco/Smart.

 

I've had problems getting a decent PIC with my old man cheap CELL phone but if you want to see their parents and grandparents search up Championship Show Guppies out of Florida. Steve K has a website, and vids on youtube and facebook. Look for the Halfblack Blues and Halfblack Purples in the vids. The Blues placed high at the St Louis show last spring. Others on this site like Jocelyn Adelman have taken care of me and if you are interested I'll pay it forward now because I love your enthusiasm. If you can swing two day shipping money I will send you some fish for free you can easily sell locally, and some floating plants to make the birth process easy. But you'll definitely have to rehome the platies because I don't think you have much tank space. Give it some thought. I'll help you get started. No catch, I am just trying to be nice.

Wow! Thank you! I'll look at the videos! Thanks for your offer! What size tank do you think would work! I would be so excited if this worked out!

 

Wow! Thank you! I'll look at the videos! Thanks for your offer! What size tank do you think would work! I would be so excited if this worked out!

You'll need 57 fish tanks eventually, or two new tanks per month until you die. Just kidding but seriously you'll have to set up a couple of plastic totes at some point if you want to raise some up to sell without spending a lot of money. Guppies will eat up a tank fast. You have to have a place to put some fry and another for adolescents.

 

You'll need 57 fish tanks eventually, or two new tanks per month until you die. Just kidding but seriously you'll have to set up a couple of plastic totes at some point if you want to raise some up to sell without spending a lot of money. Guppies will eat up a tank fast. You have to have a place to put some fry and another for adolescents.

Ok! I'll put a plan together and see if it works. I have to get my parent's permission, of course. I'm going to do lots of research now. Thanks for you offer

 

Ok! I'll put a plan together and see if it works. I have to get my parent's permission, of course. I'm going to do lots of research now. Thanks for you offer

No pressure, and don't do it if it doesn't work for you. I am about to have a crazy amount of adolescents and just thought I'd offer. Soon I'll have more than I can possibly sell locally no matter how nice they are.

 

In a 10 gallon I can raise about 20 fry for 1 month then the tank is too small and I have to move them to a larger grow out. I do water changes on the 10 gallon fry tank twice a week to keep the water clean.
I sell my fish privately so I get 2 dollars a fish. In my area they go for 3-4 dollars in the pet shops.
In not really sure how many fry you could fit in a 5 gallon or for how long.

 

In a 10 gallon I can raise about 20 fry for 1 month then the tank is too small and I have to move them to a larger grow out. I do water changes on the 10 gallon fry tank twice a week to keep the water clean.
I sell my fish privately so I get 2 dollars a fish. In my area they go for 3-4 dollars in the pet shops.
In not really sure how many fry you could fit in a 5 gallon or for how long.

Out of necessity have really pushed the limits. I have guppies that drop 50-60 fry. My 5.5Gs are stupid overstocked and I do a huge WC twice a week. I feed them live brine shrimp and grow them up as fast as I can for a week so I can move them to an adult tank. I have fry popping and surviving in the adult tanks as well. My strains don't hunt fry and have gotten very used to newborn fry swimming around them. That has made life much, much easier. Gotta keep the adults fed though if they live with food. I think heavily planted is the secret.