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Accidental pregnant platy


mtnmonster
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Shortly after Thanksgiving all my neon tetras mysteriously died. About 3 weeks later I decided to replace them with a few platys. I thought I got all male, but soon found out I had a female. Well I think she will be having her babies soon.

For some reason the betta living in the tank hated the 2 black and orange platys (both male) and ended up killing one but gets along perfectly fine with the 2 solid orange ones (male and female). I removed the remaining bullied platy and he has healed up and thriving in my other tank with a very calm betta. 

I know most, if not all the fry, will unfortunately become food for the 2 platys and betta. I'd like to see if I can at least get a survivor or two. This is my first experience with platys/livebearers. So I'm not sure what to expect or do to aid in possible fry survival.  I don't have any other tanks that would be more suitable.  Now the tank that has just a betta, 2 mystery snails, and the single platy has more dense plants for fry to maybe hide in. I was thinking of maybe catching a few and transferring to see how it works out. Any advice?

 

 

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Moving a few to the tank with dense plant cover is probably a good idea.  And keep everybody really well-fed.  You could also try a breeder box in one of your tanks for the fry after they're born to keep them safe, but I've personally had good success rates with decent plant cover and a consistent feeding schedule.  After about a week, it seems like they're big enough that their edibility seems to decrease for their parents.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well tank light came on about 30 minutes ago. She had her babies. I counted around 12-15 fry maybe about 3/16 of an inch long. From what I've seen so far was the mother and the resident betta aren't paying any attention to them. They seem to blend into the white gravel very well and stay close to the plants and decor. I separated the male when I first posted. I began to think she was just fat, seemed like she was pregnant for over a month. I'm thinking about Isolating the betta for about a week in a breeder box just to give them at least a week to grow. I thought about putting them in the box but I don't think I could catch them without disturbing my tank. I'm sure not all will survive, but if too many do I plan on giving them away on a local facebook group page. What is a good thing to feed them? I gave a pinch of crushed flakes just to hopefully curb the appetites of the mother and betta.

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