How can i tell if my sunburst platty is pregnant?

Question

I bought 3 sunburst platties (1 male 2 female) a couple weeks ago to try breeding. How can i tell them apart and how can i tell if one or both females are pregnant?

Answer 1

The male platy has a modified fin under his belly that on the female looks like a normal fin. THe males is a thin tube shape. Here's a picture of the fin on a male:
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Livebe6.jpg

and a female:
http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/gold_wag_platy_w360.jpg

A pregnant female will get quite heavy bodied and fat like this one:

http://fishypages.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/p1.jpg.w300h194.jpg

MM