Preg. live bearing fish. Mickey mouse platie?

Question

I have two Mickey Mouse platie fish. (Along with a few other types of fish) My female is pregnant although I am not sure how far along. I noticed she was pregnant 2-3 weeks ago. (I was told its about 30 days till birth from start) So I imagine she is due pretty soon as, I am sure I didn’t notice immediately. Yesterday I set up a new tank for her to give birth in. I put her in alone and she seemed very stressed out. So I put in the male with her so she wouldn’t be alone. I was told that you should always have a pair together. (I plan to take the male out when I notice new birth or impending. I will take her out once she seems done) When I set up the tank I did put in start right and the temperatures where nearly identical in both tanks. Looking back I think that I should have floated them in a bag anyways because looking at the male he seems blotchy in color. Maybe now white spots? I don’t know as I don’t really know if his skin seems more blotchy or spotty. Anyways reading on the net it seems that many say they need a bit of salt in the water normally. Also I’ve seen it say that live bearing breeding tanks/nurseries should have salt in the water as well. And since he may now have a disease many articles say salt will kill the disease. I don’t want him or the mother/babies to have this.
I called my local pet store they say no salt. They said start right is all that’s needed. Apparently start right has a bit of salt. This is my question, dose anyone knows for sure? I am new to this. I really like the idea of watching livebearers have fry. I think it will be fun to watch them multiply. Oh, also I was wondering. My two tanks don’t have a heater. They sit at about 72. I was told that they should be warmer. I’ve had my fish about 3 months they always seemed fine. Should I put a heater in the new tank? If so why and what temp? Oh and also if I should use salt can I use sea salt or table salt instead of aquarium salt? I have these already.

Answer 1

Yes, your platies WILL do better with salt, because they come from areas in the wild where salt water and freshwater mix. They are brackish fish, really, but they are highly adaptable and can thrive in both freshwater and saltwater conditions.
But of course, a bit of salt is best, so add some aquarium salt to the tune of 1 rounded tbsp per 5 gallons.
You should use aquarium salt or kosher salt. Table salt has iodine in it; and while the amount of salt you put in the tank will not harm the fish with iodine, it is simply better to avoid putting iodine in the tank.

Yep, your tanks need heat. 78F is about the right temperature.

As for the birthing, I always found my females stressed like crazy when I moved them, so for the most part, I just let them do their own thing in the tank. I keep an eye on them, provide lots of plants for the babies to hide in ,and when I see babies (known as fry) I net them and put them in the baby tank. In the baby tank I always use water from the parents' tank, and some gravel too, and so small daily water changes to keep the water clean. Same amount of salt as in the parents' tank. And you can feed powdered fish food or crushed flakes.

Answer 2

First, did you cycle the new tank? The tank is not ready for any poor fish until it's cycled. One way around this is to keep an extra sponge filter running in an established tank,then when you need to move a fish fill the new tank 1/2 full of water from the old tank,fill the new tank the rest of the way up with treated water(dechlorinated) let it set overnight,then add the sponge filter from the old tank. Then,when every thing has settled down (temperature,etc.) very gently move the gravid female. Always move the females at least TWO WEEKS before they are due to deliver,moving a female nearer to her due date than TWO WEEKS is almost always fatal and definitely very stressful for her. The fry tank should have a lot of floating plants and the female should be in there by herself. Both of your platies will probably die. So when you go back to the pet store,start by getting a small sponge filter and some way to run it (inexpensive air pump) put that in your original tank,and let it run for FIVE WEEKS,then it will be ready for duty in an auxillary tank. Then get some new Platies an try again.Have the extra tank running, and as soon as you see that a female is gravid,move her to the extra tank. There should be more than 1 female in the original tank,(at least 2 or 3) females per individual male. If you want to grow out the fry, the next lesson you will have to learn is how to feed them. This is not as simple as it sounds. Water cleanliness becomes very important and the frequency of water changes must increase.If you are not sure about the correct way to do a water change this must be learned before attempting anything else.Water changes should be done every 2 weeks,along with siphoning the stuff off of the bottom,and out of the gravel. The fry tank will be easier to take care of without gravel, but don't leave the bottom clear.I paint the OUTSIDE of the bottom of tanks that I use this way. Sorry about the fish,good luck.PeeTee

Answer 3

You should heat your tanks - when a fish lives in a colder tank, its metabolism slows down. This could make the length of time it takes for the fish to be ready to birth longer than average. Also it sounds as if you did not cycle your tank. No matter what pet stores and pet manufacturers may say, there is NO additive you can use to instantly cycle your tank.

Sea salt is okay to use as long as it is pure, not iodized. Table salt contains additives that will harm the fish. When it comes to salt, less is better - you can always add more later, if necessary, but too much is deadly!

Answer 4

salt is fine but make sure its aquarium salt NO sea salt and NO table table.. and yes most fish do like a little bit of salt in the water and salt helps heal wounds on fish but im not to sure about diseases. Good luck with the babies!!

Answer 5

i breed guppies. there simerler
i dont put salt in my nursery tank.
your fish probly look off due to the stress of moving.
i use to move my females like you but now i use a breeder that floats in my main tank as i find is stress out the fish less and protects the babies from the parients eating them.

Answer 6

No don't add the kinds of salt you have. You can get aquarium salt CHEEP! Get a heater and get the salt. Your fish will be much happier.