Platy Done Growing? Stunted?

[Troy328]

Hello all! Quick question about platies today. I'm curious when they are finished growing? I have 3 young platies from my first batch of babies, and another 3 that came about a month later.

These platies are about 6 months and 5 months old respectively. I feel like they have not been growing as much lately and I'm worried their growth might have been stunted, because they are only about half the size of all of their potential parents.

I've attached one picture as an example, sorry it's a bit blurry and also they're both pooping lol.

I fed them Hikari First Bites, Hikari Fancy Guppy, and Fluval Bug Bites while they were all young. I also still feed my tanks with Fancy Guppy and Bug Bites, but also mix in NLS pellets and occasional freeze dried bloodworms and tubifex.

I know love baby brine would have been ideal, but did I mess up with my feeding options? Will they catch up in size?

[Guppysnail]

They will continue to grow for some time yet. It’s been a few decades since I had platy so I do not remember the age they appear their final size. I do remember they will be able to give birth well before they reach final size. Hope that helps. Hope a more recent platy keeper can give you more specifics. 
 

They are hardy and foragers  no worries on your feeding  

BTW Gorgeous fish!

[PineSong]

On 8/13/2023 at 12:10 PM, Troy328 said:

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I know love baby brine would have been ideal, but did I mess up with my feeding options? Will they catch up in size?

@Troy328, it sounds like you have done a great job feeding your young platies.

I have raised several generations of platies and I have produced at least several males who have never grown to adult size. Since I don’t know the outcomes of the dozens of juveniles I’ve sold, I can’t be sure what percentage these might represent. But I do know the outcome for the ones I kept myself and these guys: 
Last year I gave a few male guppies and male platy juveniles to a coworker for his new office tank. It’s a 20g tank with fewer than 15 fish and lots of plants. Those male platies have remained about half the size of my largest male platy. At first I thought it might be because the tank is not fed on Friday,Saturday or Sunday. Less food=less body mass. But there are a million snails, which means there is excess food. And several months after I gave him the platies I gave my coworker three male swordtail juveniles. They have all grown to normal size. 
I only have about five male platies left at home. They are all more than a year old and share the same tank. They are not all the same size, so I attribute it to genetics. If your fish appear happy, I hope you’ll be able to trust your good care is not keeping them small.