How can I tell when my platy is ready to give birth?

Question

Just yesterday I bought a VERY pregnant white & yellow platy. She looks like she could pop any minute. I'm very new to keeping fish so I need some help. I also have 3 neon tetras and a "sucker fish" in the tank with my platy. I have some breeding grass floating at the top of the aquarium. I bought a breeding net today (not in the tank yet) but I'm hearing different things about whether or not I should put the pregnant platy in it. Is it better to keep her in the net or out and just let the fry swim into the breeding grass? Thanks for any help/tips you can give. I sure would like for at least a couple of the babies to survive.

I put my pregnant platy in the breeding net almost 4 hours ago. From the moment I put her in there she has been much less active than when just in the aquarium. She's also not as excited about eating. Is that a bad sign? Should I take her out and just watch for the fry to swim to the breeding grass and then move them to the breeding net? Or should I just leave her alone? How long are you supposed to leave the pregnant platies in the breeding net before birth?

Also, How will I know when she's finished birthing all the fry?

Well, I took her out of the net for a while because I was worried she was stressed. She was immediately VERY aggressive toward my Mickey Mouse platy & Dwarf platy. I seriously thought she was going to kill them! I put her back in the net last night and at 3am I woke up to about 30 babies in the net with her. I took her out of the net and apparently she wasn't finished because when I woke up at 6am there were more in the main tank hiding for dear life behind the breeding net. Also my dwarf platy looks like she's due probably within the week (my guess) so I'm going to get a separate aquarium for the fry to grow in. That way I won't have to keep 2 breeding nets in one aquarium. Would it be safe to keep a "sucker fish" (sorry I don't know the real name) in with the fry???
Thank you all so much for your help and advice! This has been so exciting for myself, a first time Platy Mom ;-)

Answer 1

I just had one of my dwarf platies give birth today, and another anytime soon lol. Don't put her in the breeding net, that will just stress her out. I noticed mine was smaller, but no babies in the tank, then saw her drop one. I put her in the breeding net then, and she freaked. So I turned off the light and just let her be. After a few hours I moved her back to the tank. I think there's about 10 babies/fry in the net now. I have I think they're sunset dwarf platies, and I didn't see any gravid spots or anything on them. The normal gestation period is about 28 days, give or take, but that'll be hard to judge since you just got her. So, just keep on eye on her, and when you notice her looking a bit thinner, or hanging out at the bottom, start looking. I've noticed they tend to go to the bottom to drop the babies out. The breeding grass is good, see if there's anyway to move it or anchor it towards the bottom though. Also, get either a mesh net from the pet store or a pair of pantyhose/nylons to cover the filter intake so the babies don't get sucked in there. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yellow Platy

Answer 3

My female dwarf platy had babies about 5 months ago.
I put her actually in a breeder, but a plastic one not the net (usually the fry gets caught between the plastic sticks and the net and they die if you don't see it in time)

If you just bought the platy yesterday, you can expect them to give birth very very soon, because of the waterchange, transport and everything it stresses them out and causes to give them birth earlier most of the time. My female just started acting funny, it started swimming up and down very quickly, that's a good sign to know that she is going to have the babies very soon.

If you do put them into a breeder , and you have fry, buy the "First Bites" Food for them, and take out the female
Good Luck

Answer 4

She wont like being in the net, but it wont harm her and its the best place for her if you're sure she's about to pop. As soon as she does though, put her out in the main tank and leave the fry where they are.

Sorry I can't be of more help than that but I have two mollies and a platy that all look like they're ready to pop but keep holding on - just to annoy me I'm sure!!! Last time the black molly popped in the main tank and I had to catch they tiny fry!!

Answer 5

while, your fish mate You'r like YAY, an i might to and that i might continuously be, it will be unhappy regardless of the undeniable fact that reason no longer lots will proceed to exist, here unwell provide you lot of information, while fish Mate you will in all likelihood no longer see it reason as quickly as you spot them they're going to see you and the female will end swimming in the sperm, in case you snicker its ok yet you recognize, its severe, I even have platys besides I relatively have 3 a million male 2 women one lady is orange, and while there waiting wait approximately 3-4 weeks and placed the female it extremely is pregnant in yet another tank or get a Breede container or what ever its observed as, you place the female in that when which they're going to initiate having infants you've em in a various tank because of fact they're going to consume the infants.