how can you tell a male from a female platty fish? what size must they be to be able to have babies?? thanks K

Question

I just got a new fish tank for my birthday, have never had fish before and i am very excited, i don't know anything at all about how to keep my fish happy so any info would be great, i have 10 micky mouse platties!!! Do they eat their babies??

Answer 1

Happy Belated Birthday ….
Aww , the wonderful patty…. They are fun and will give you lots and lots of babies, LOL

You have a new tank, I’m a bit concerned about how new your tank is, but until I find out, here is some basic info, you should know about your knew babies (smile)
Family: Poeciliidae << Range: Eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Northern Honduras
Size: Up to 2½ inches
Diet: Omnivore
Tank Set-up: Freshwater: Densely planted
Tank Conditions: 64-77°F; pH 7.0-8.2; dH 10-25
Minimum Tank Capacity: 15 gallons
Light: Medium
Temperament: Peaceful
Swimming Level: Middle
Care Level: Easy
Reproduction: Live bearer

The Mickey Mouse Platy is sometimes known as the Moonfish or Southern Platy fish, and is a hybrid. The Mickey Mouse Platy is so named because of the black mark at the base of the body reaching into the tail that is shaped like Mickey Mouse's silhouette (duh, lol right). They are very easy to keep you have picked out a wonderful starter fish. The Mickey Mouse Platy is a live bearer and is capable of reproducing at three to four months of age. The male is smaller and more brightly colored than the female, and can be distinguished by his gonopodium (A gonopodium is a modified anal fin in males of certain live bearers and moves it is movable and used to impregnate females during mating. In males it’s pointy and females more rounded). The fry will most often reach maturity in a community tank. however some will be eaten, but keeping your tank heavily planted will help them survive. As they will distinctively hide in it. Placing a artificial one, on the top, allowing it just to float will help greatly as well.
The Mickey Mouse Platy is an omnivore that will eat commercially prepared flaked foods and algae, as well as freeze-dried blood worms, tubifex, and brine shrimp. It’s very important they get their veggies. So give them a slice of Zucchini, rubber banded to a rock to keep it from floating.
Also one more thing… Especially when it’s time to bread, Give them about 1 tablespoon, per 10 gallons of water of Aquarium Salt, you need but do this one time, as remember salt down not evaporate with the water, continuing to add Aquarium Salt, without doing a MAJOR water change(over half the water, with is rarely recommended), will cause it to build up.
Hope what I know helped out a bit…
Take care and God bless.
Queen

Answer 2

Platties are very similar to other livebearer fishes, such as guppies, mollies and swordtails. In guppies and swordies the males are prettier, but platties are tougher to tell.The way to tell is to look at their tailfil then follow it along the bottom of the fish. The next fin along just around where they poo out of is different between males and females. In females it looks just like a fin. In males it has evolved into almost a little willie fin, which he will use-you will see him chasing the females about the tank, looking for a little lurve....So you will see the difference there. It's true honest!!!
As for eating the young, yes they will. When the females are pregnant, their stomachs go really large, and just before they are ready to give birth, you will ba able to see the little eyes of the young inside. You can buy a seperator birthing tank whichfloats inside your aquarium.It has a V shaped insert to go inside. The young fall through the insert and are safe. Then you can put the female back into the tank with the rest. Beware fish jumping in to try to eat the young. It does happen. You can buy liquid fry food for the young, but you will need to change the water regularly to oxygenate it and prevent it becoming stagnant and dirty.
To keep them happy give them a good diet, plenty of plants in the tank and don't hit the glass. It stresses them.
This is a great hobby you have and will give you lots of enjoyment.
Hope this helps and enjoy.

Answer 3

Hi, There are many ways to sex a Platy (these sexing methods, by the way, can be applied to all livebearers), but there are two that are more widely used than others. The first method is to observe the shape of the Platy, Females will be longer, and also have wider stomachs (even when not pregnant) than males. The second method (and most accurate) involves observing the three fins on the underbelly of the fish. Female Platy's will have three almost identical fins, two a little further up the belly (closer to the front) than the rear, and with a male, the two frontal fins will be the same, but the aft fin will be much smaller, and pointed.

Answer 4

All fish tend to eat the babies that's why pregnant fish should be put in a nursery so the babies can escape her. After the birth she is taken out and the babies left to mature before joining the tank. They are usually ready to mate at about 6/9 months depending on the breed. When you buy fish you should always ask for both sexes.

Answer 5

Females have a round anal fin, and males have a narrow anal fin. Females also get swelled bellies when they are pregnant. Like most fish they will happily eat their young. Note that this is a good thing as they have 10-30 young, and rapidly you have way too many fish.

Answer 6

i have always found that females have a rounder tummy and the males a flat tummy mine had 34 babies over a period of 3 months ! the males always chase the females and if you want them to breed be sure of the water quality and get a baby tank to keep them in or the adult fish will eat them.

Answer 7

The males have a spikey anal fin and the females have a fan shaped anal fin. I think they do eat the babies, we always remove ours until the are too big to fit in the adults mouths.

Answer 8

in my experience they love nothing more than to swim in boiling water!