Male is attacking female fairly constantly

Next problem with my platy breeding program... I have a nice mickey mouse female, she was pregnant, but has since given birth ... I think! Again, large belly and gravid spot disappeared. But now, my male is really hammering her... all the time! Harasses her when she pops out to feed, which is rare, as she now mostly hides in the plant cover. So I put some flakes at each end of the tank, so she has a chance to get lunch without being beaten up!

This is more mare than a bit of following her around... he really does attack.

Any advice? Should I replace the aggressive male?

Thanks,

 

Hi aquabeard

I read your other post about the 200 litre tank with one male and 3 females.


If you could please fill out the emergency template it might save time going back and forth without getting to the root of the problem ?

Things like water parameters and your water change routine etc etc .

A snapshot of the tank helps?
I am going to suggest a lot of floating plants or any plastic takeaway food containers etc etc is something you can do now?

 

Thanks FlyFisha.

I'll put the emergency template info in reply to the other post, so we don't get wires crossed...

 

Hey FlyFisha...
back on this topic...
1) should I replace my aggressive male, or
2) get more females, or
3) do nothing.

Also, I don't understand your ref to takeaway food containers... can you expand?
A few weeks ago I had a growing cover of duckweed, but it has now all but gone. Some always seems to get lost during water changes, (not through siphoning... maybe sticking to glass ??), or... another thought I had... could the recently added gouramis be eating it? I don't really have much floating plants - they are mostly growing in the gravel, with the odd bit of java fern and random leaf matter floating... but it is minor.

PS Updated my avitar... might explain my username ;-)

 

You will get thousands of fry with any luck at all. I would not be buying a replacement but that’s up to you. I don’t think a different male would make much difference. Basically the guy is on his own trying his hardest to save the species from extinction. He has no competition or help . In an ideal world you might get 3 more males and lots more females. But trust me you will have thousands of offspring. Liverbearers are also called “ the most dangerous fish “ & “ the million fish” .

I think do nothing is the short answer?
Raise as many fry as you want / can . Those that are born into your water will be slightly better suited to the parameters.

Take away food containers are a cheap food grade plastic most of us have in our house that we can toss into a tank to provide instant cover / hideouts. Plastic drinking straws are another way of giving fry a place to hind without money or time. In reality a bunch of floating hornwort is not expensive. Java moss , frogbit, offer more coverage than duckweed. My suggestion is to try and eliminate the duckweed or you will have it forever. Your choice.
Terracotta pots are a look some people enjoy?

I believe the gourami are protein/ insect eaters?not duckweed eaters. Tetras will eat the roots of floating plants.

An old snapshot of me . My wife is from SA.

If you want to be overrun with fry toss in a lot of hornwort. To help the adult female place plastic junk in the tank until you decide on other more appropriate ornaments/ wood etc.

 

Thanks mate.

I have a bunch of pretty dense java moss, wisteria etc that fry can hide in, and I have had at least 1 fry hiding out in there for some weeks. Just seen him tonight venturing out into more open water... which I think is a strategically bad move for him ;-) Time will tell!