How long to keep Platy fry in breeder box?

HI there! So, Ive had 6 platy in my 5 gallon tank for a month or so now. Yesterday one of my females gave birth and luckily I happened to have a breeding box handy so I could save all 10 of the fry before the adults got to them.
I later moved the fry to a 2 gallon fish bowl which I thought would suit them temporarily, however it's very difficult to clean and isn't filtered. (just a glass bowl with gravel, really)
I therefore carefully moved them back into the breeding box. It's spacious enough for them as of now.
I needed to know how long I can keep them in there at most. They're very small right now and can barely be seen. Please help

 

Congrats on the fry! That is very exciting, but I am not as worried about the fry right now as I am the adult platys. 6 in a 5 gallon seems like a overstock (if someone could verify that would be great) especially since you have 10 more fish on your hands I would upgrade as soon as possible. In your bio it says you don't know about the nitrogen cycle so I would do some reading about it because fry are more sensitive to water conditions than adults. Platys breed like crazy so be prepared for lots of fry every month. The 2 gallon should be okay for the fry for a little bit when they are still tiny but eventually you should upgrade the 5 gallon for the adults and use it as a fry "grow out" tank. Once the fry are to big to fit in the adults mouths then you can add them in to the adults tank. Please note I am a beginner to but I research a lot and have really picked some things up from the more experienced members on the forum. Hope I helped!

 

Thanks! I was told 1 gallon per platy would be enough, which is why I managed 6 into my 5 gallon tank.
Also, I really need to know how long I can keep them in the breeder box before transferring them to the bowl!

 

Thanks! I was told 1 gallon per platy would be enough, which is why I managed 6 into my 5 gallon tank.
Also, I really need to know how long I can keep them in the breeder box before transferring them to the bowl!

I got this from aqadvisor.



As for the breeding box, as long as you crush up flakes really fine so they can eat, they should be able to stay in there for about a week, then they will need more room and places to hide.

 

I got this from aqadvisor.



As for the breeding box, as long as you crush up flakes really fine so they can eat, they should be able to stay in there for about a week, then they will need more room and places to hide.

Wow
Thanks!

 

Wow
Thanks!

Oh, and that 1 fish per gallon is no longer valid. That was accepted in the 80's and 90's, but fish keeping has come a long way since then. Now it's all math. Max size of the fish, plus activity Level, plus bio load. Then when you add live breeders, places for fry to hide cuts down the space. Then if you add schooling fish, how many are going to need to be together to help them feel safe and keep some aggression down. Then you got aggression levels of each species and what they are compatible with.

So in a nut shell, it's very complicated now. Can't go by 1 fish per gallon or 1 inch of fish per gallon.

So I would recommend upgrading to a bigger tank if you are planning on keeping all those plats.

 

Agreed. You should upgrade your tank sooner rather than later.
Please read the Nitrogen Cycle. If you don't cycle your tank, your fish will die. Dont fret, FishLorians can show you how!