Separating Platy Fry

Just a quick question, should I separate my young fry now? There are thirteen, ages 3-5 months, and I've identified three as female. They are showing gravid spots, so are definitely female. There are no absolute males though, so can I keep them in the tank? Also, will young males breed with their mother and other adult females? How quickly must I separate males to avoid inbreeding?

 

Just a quick question, should I separate my young fry now? There are thirteen, ages 3-5 months, and I've identified three as female. They are showing gravid spots, so are definitely female. There are no absolute males though, so can I keep them in the tank? Also, will young males breed with their mother and other adult females? How quickly must I separate males to avoid inbreeding?

What I'd do is separate all the males when they appear. Yes males will breed with any female they can get to, but u believe if you have another female from a different family they will choose her over there sister or mom. You'll need to separate as soon as you notice the genders other wise they will breed.

 

I don't think livebearers care if they're breeding with a related or unrelated fish in a home tank.

 

I have one unrelated female in the tank, and honestly, I'm hoping I can get one of the fry to breed her :T (I just love raising fry, it's so fun ) So I should only separate the males? I took the three females I found and they're in a 2.5 with my betta Royal. No problems, Royal's cool, and the filter is strong in there so I'm not worried about bioload issues. Should I put the girls back in the main tank?

 

I have one unrelated female in the tank, and honestly, I'm hoping I can get one of the fry to breed her :T (I just love raising fry, it's so fun ) So I should only separate the males? I took the three females I found and they're in a 2.5 with my betta Royal. No problems, Royal's cool, and the filter is strong in there so I'm not worried about bioload issues. Should I put the girls back in the main tank?

Yes, separate the males. As once they think they are big enough they will breed all the females. I wouldn't put your fry in with a betta, even though he might be a cool one, chill as can be, it's still unsafe in a 2.5g. What Id do and do myself, is to get floating breeder boxes and place them in there. I'd get several do you can separate the males from the females. So to answer your last question, yes, that would be best.What is the tank size if you don't mind me asking? Hope this helps.

 

Main tank is a 10gal. I know, tiny, but I'm upgrading soon and getting rid of male fry. How many platys could I fit in a 20? I have thirteen fry now, so saying half are male and I get rid of those, that's about six. Would I have room for other fish?

 

Main tank is a 10gal. I know, tiny, but I'm upgrading soon and getting rid of male fry. How many platys could I fit in a 20? I have thirteen fry now, so saying half are male and I get rid of those, that's about six. Would I have room for other fish?

I'm bad at stocking, but I believe two-three platies is the max for a ten, so you could probably have 6. I don't think that would leave any more room for any other fish though. TexasDomer should know more(way more knowledgable than me on stocking).

 

Dang. My tank is sooooo overstocked >-< I have two adult platys, thirteen fry, a male betta, and a baby pleco... Getting rid of most of the fry, getting rid of pleco... Adding nerites snails, adding dwarf frog... Not too overstocked in the end? I've never had water quality issues due to frequent water changes, so I haven't really worried about it. I'll worry about stock when I actually get the tank. Thank for helping though!

 

Dang. My tank is sooooo overstocked >-< I have two adult platys, thirteen fry, a male betta, and a baby pleco... Getting rid of most of the fry, getting rid of pleco... Adding nerites snails, adding dwarf frog... Not too overstocked in the end? I've never had water quality issues due to frequent water changes, so I haven't really worried about it. I'll worry about stock when I actually get the tank. Thank for helping though!

Yeah tens are usually overstocked when you first start out, I think I had around 10-15 fish in one at some point... I'm just learning how to properly stock a tank, so don't feel to bad. I wouldn't add any more fish/inverts till you have the new tank. What I would do is get the dwarf frog and nerite, and maybe the betta to. Keep them in the ten. Glad I was of some help.

 

Man, if only I could keep them in the ten! I only have so much space in my tiny room, so I'm keeping the ten as a quarantine or a potential snake/lizard/mantis tank.