Although it’s a protein-rich food, it can be dangerous if you add too much of it into the aquarium as it can easily cause ammonia spikes, so be careful with it. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Breeding Platy Fish. You can easily define pregnant poecilia by its fat abdomen. It’s easy to tell the difference between a male platy and a female platy, especially once they reach reproductive age. Distilled, purified, and RO water does not contain any minerals, they have been removed from the water by the processing. They will accept most fish foods including flakes, frozen, live and freeze dried foods. Platies are livebearing fish, which means that they give birth to free-swimming fry instead of laying eggs. Platies are capable of breeding about every 30 days. Male and female platy fish are easy to distinguish, from as early as two months old. It is very easy to breed platies. Add platy-fish.com to your browser favorites! These fish are known to keep the eggs inside their bodies until they’re ready to give birth to free swimming fry. Simply crush the yolk of a hard-boiled egg into a paste and feed small amounts once a day to your baby platies. Pregnant Platy Fish – Is Female Platy Fish about to Give Birth? That’s because they don’t require any special adjustments for breeding. Chances are that if you have platies of both genders in the same aquarium, they have already reproduced at some point. The Platy is a live-bearing species of fish which means that it bears live, fully formed fry instead of laying eggs. So, you can either prepare your own cultures at home or source them from a reliable vendor. The fish can carry eggs for 1.5 month and longer. Alternatively, you can seek out freeze-dried foods, which don’t pack the same protein punch as live foods do, but they’re still high in protein without the risk of any disease. Platy fish are known as livebearing variable fish. That’s because they don’t require any special adjustments for breeding. Unlike juveniles of egg-layer fish, platy juveniles can swim as soon as they’re born, and they’re ready to accept food too. The gametes are directed towards the inside of the female Platy’s anal fins. In a community aquarium, where there are other fish too, you may want a breeding box that will hold the fry in and from which you need to remove the adults as soon as the female gives birth. Make sure you set up the aquarium with live plants, which not only help along the nitrogen cycle, but also help in keeping the water clean of toxins that will accumulate once you add fish to the aquarium. Platy fish are live breeders, which means that they retain their eggs until they give birth. Make sure you do regular water changes with 25 percent water changed every 2 weeks. Pick flakes that are high in protein but contain plant matter as well. Many adult dried foods can be crushed into fry-sized portions, but many people suppliment with live food. The only problem with live foods is that they can carry diseases. Jun 19, 2015 - Explore Aquahome Aquatics Centre's board "Platy Fish", followed by 131 people on Pinterest. There are some homemade food options for your platies that can be highly nutritious for them. Breeding. Breeding platies is very simple but also interesting. What is the lifespan of a platy fish? The Platy’s breeding process is quite simple. You’ll need two or three females and a single male platy. reply #3. Healthy platies can live up to 3-4 years when kept in optimal environments with clean water, low stress, and good nutrition. If you have any questions feel free to contact me or leave a comment below. Aritter. Captive breeding of Platy fish has changed their natural colors, the size & shape of fins, however even the Fancy Platies remained Prolific Breeders. Try to vary their diet for optimum health and coloration. So, here what you should feed your platy fry: Baby platies will accept flakes that you feed the adults, just make sure your crush the flakes into a powder because otherwise, they won’t be able to eat it. These are livebreeding fish, which means the female platies carry the eggs in their tummies for a long time, until they are ready to give birth to young ones. AquariumNexus.com does not intend to provide any kind of veterinary suggestion. If you’re looking to have your platies reproduce and you want to raise platy fry, this guide on how to breed platy fish I put together will walk you through everything you need to know about breeding these fish. reply #4. The timeline and fry count may vary though, depending on fish health and environmental conditions. Here are the differences you should look out for: Plus, if you keep them in the same aquarium, you’ll notice that male platies will chase female platies, which is another tell-tale sign of their gender. This morning when I woke up, I checked on her and she looked noticeably skinnier, but she still looked bigger than all the other platy fish. Once your aquarium is cycled and set up with the necessary equipment, you can get started on the breeding process. Platy fish are the groups of fish that consist of different variants of fish form the genus Xiphophorus. You may be inclined to leave the fish together a few hours just to be sure, but if a day isn’t a enough, longer certainly wouldn’t help any more. Would 23C or 24C be good for platy fish. Platy fish are live-bearing fish, which means that they give birth to fry, rather than laying eggs in the gravel or plants like many other species. Brine shrimp, daphnia, and vineger eels are common live foods. Platies grow to around 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) in size, but dwarf platies (which have been selectively bred for their shorter body length) usually stay around 1 inch (2.5 cm). These fish are capable of breeding once they have reached four months old. The Female Platy can reproduce in 4 to 5 months of age & can have a brood size of 2 to 60 or more. The steps and methods described in this guide are easily applicable when breeding platy fish and you can test for yourself how easy it is to breed platies. As she’s preparing to give birth, the belly of the female platy will have an angular shape and she will spend her time hiding a lot. The plat y fish is an excellent fish for beginners, they are a simple fish, they are extremely Hardy yet, they come in hundreds and thousands of colors and shape variations. Selective breeding has facilitated the emergence of other color variations as well including blue, green, brown and even black. Platies are prolific breeders and they have been known to produce as many as 80 fry in one brood. Hard-boiled egg yolk is one of these foods that you can prepare at home on a budget. If the abdomen skin is transparent e… Platy fish are hard in nature & can tolerate harsh conditions. Don’t breed platies that are sick or with deformities as they can pass those traits to their offspring. The only prerequisite that is required fr… Platy fish are relatively easy to breed, such that they – and guppies and mollies – are frequently joked about, that any female who has met a male will surely have babies. To avoid this, limit the number of females. Fishkeeping can be quite tricky and confusing, especially for first-timers. This is because they are very easy to maintain and develop inside your home tank. Both species are livebearers, similar to other fish of the family Poeciliidae, such as the guppy and molly.Platies are native to the east coast of … 2 months ago. Choose platies that are active, colorful, healthy and don’t have any deformities. Platy fish are Prolific Breeders as it ensures the survival of their species in the wild. In fact, it’s more than a hobby, because I’ve spent countless hours doing research on different fish species. Platies are sociable creatures, so don’t keep them by themselves, they prefer being kept in small groups of at least 3-5. These are all small foods that are excellent for platy fry, especially if you want them to grow fast in the first couple of weeks. If your aquarium is set up in a way that there’s enough foliage to hide baby platies from adults, you may be lucky and have the population in your aquarium increase with a few extra fish. Fish kept in an ideal situation may be more prolific, while others take longer to produce fewer fry. breeding. In fact other than the parent, there's more threat than any other aquarium inhabitants. Platy fish are relatively easy to breed, such that they – and guppies and mollies – are frequently joked about, that any female who has met a male will surely have babies. Also see the Platy FAQ on the forum for more information. This page may contain affiliate links, which will earn us a commission. If you don’t want to crush flakes, you can pick up flakes for small fry that will certainly fit their mouths and you don’t need to worry if it’s ok for them or not. Caring for platy fish is just as simple as breeding them. Optimal water parameters for platy fish are: Platy fish are tropical fish and they enjoy warmer water. Preparation If you can’t afford a separate tank and you don’t have many fish in your aquarium, you may leave the fry in hoping they’ll take cover and elude the adults. These platies are so simple to take care of that you don’t have to arrange for any extra settings while initiating the breeding process as well. For the breeding of a swordtail, it is very important to keep the water quality parameters in a constant state. It’s crucial that you separate them from the adults as soon as possible or else they’ll end up as a satisfying snack for the adults. Stressed fish have a harder time staying fit while breeding and females may die from giving birth if they aren’t kept healthy. This makes a platy a fun fish to have since it’s easy to care for and provides a variety of colors to choose from. Other than these benefits, live plants are also a great food source for platies that like to nibble on algae and a great place to hide for pregnant platy fish and platy babies. In a separate aquarium, you can leave the fry in and remove the adults. There is not much you need to do to breed them besides having two fish of the opposite sex. Platy Fish and Tiger Barbs – Can You Keep Them in Same Aquarium? The male Platy releases gametes (sperm) through his gonopodium, which is his stick-like anal fin. You should make sure that you meet the dietary requirements of your fish by feeding them good quality flakes and frozen, freeze-dried or live brine shrimp or bloodworms. In terms of platy fish colors, red, brick red, velvet red, blood red, yellow, gold, sunset, marigold, sunburst and their in-between shades are the most common platy fish color variations. A female that has received sperm can produce fry every month for a few months. Some fish just don’t breed well in ideal conditions too. Platy Fish Care A single birth can produce as many as 80 fry, as well. One last thing does higher temperatures make platy fish live shorter lives. This is useful is you only have the breeding pair in the aquarium. Fertilization Platy fish are also known as livebearing fish. You may have read that platies will do fine in small aquariums of 10 gallons or so, however, if you’re looking to breed or keep more platies, having a spacious 25-30-gallon aquarium is better. See more ideas about platy fish, fish, freshwater aquarium fish. Fry Care Fish need minerals in their water to survive, especially livebearers such as your platies. Breeding them is fairly easy since they are livebearers. I was thinking about cory cats but the substrate I am using is eco complete (it is a planted tank) caped with medium sized gravel.I do not want to damge the barbles the cory cats have. ». Male platy fish are smaller than females and they’re slenderer compared to female platies that have a rounded abdomen; Male platy fish have a gonopodium, which is the sexual organ they use to fertilize females; Female platy fish feature wider anal fins. In this video I will show you guys how to breed platy fish. Please always ask a veterinarian for help regarding your pets. Unlike many other fish species, platy fish are easy to please when it comes to breeding conditions. The behaviour of both genders changes at the breeding period. The gestation period takes around 24 to 30 days. AquariumNexus.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, If you’re researching the compatibility between platy fish and tiger barbs, you’re in the right…, If you’re about to breed platy fish, you may want to take a moment to…, Platies are tropical freshwater fish, which means they’re accustomed to warmer waters. 2 months ago. How To Breed Platy Fish. I hope this guide has provided you with useful information on how to select platy brood stock, how many platies to pick, and how to prevent adult platies from eating their own fry. Platy fish that are pregnant often become bloated with a noticeably distended abdomen. I am VERY inexperienced when it comes to breeding platy fish. The fry of these fish have a better survival rate which is what helps platies to breed so efficiently, and in the right settings, this means up to 50 platy babies being birthed a month by one female. 2 months ago. Here too, you can use a breeding trap, or you may want to leave the adults enough space to swim around and remove them when baby platies are released by the female. Share. Read more…. Huge broods of up to 80 fry are even possible. Some of the signs of platy fish pregnancy include an enlarged abdomen and dark spots on the belly. Platy is a common name of freshwater fish in the genus Xiphophorus that lacks a "sword" at the bottom of their tails. The only issue that you may encounter with them is making sure you’re feeding them food that will fit their mouths. Platy Care and Breeding Platy is a tropical freshwater fish that belongs to the same group or family of fish (Peociliidae) similar to the swordtail. The optimum temperature for breeding is 25 o C. Additionally, you can use breeding boxes In your original tank to separate the female fish to give birth. Your email address will not be published. The ideal temperature…. Here are the best methods that you can apply: There are various devices and breeding traps, but the one that makes the most sense is the one that will hold the adult fish in and let the fry swim around in the tank. You don’t need to perform any special preparations, this will happen just if you have a male and female in the tank. The reason you may want to know if your platy fish is pregnant is to estimate the time when she will be giving birth because you’ll need to take measures to save baby platies or else you risk them getting eaten by adults. Their home aquarium, where optimal water conditions are provided for them, is enough for them to start breeding as soon as you put male and female platies together. Platy fish are relatively easy to breed, and they don't require a lot of encouragement. They can feed on infusoria and algae naturally available in the aquarium, but they can’t be expected to grow on these things alone. Those are the type of fish that people who are new to this are advised to go for. So I did a little research on how to tell if my Platy fish are male or female and whether it was important to know this. They exhibit high polymorphism for particular traits, called tail spots. Keeping the adults and fry together in the same tank is not secure. However, you may have not noticed any baby platies since they’re very small and adults will eat them if they’re kept together in the same aquarium. She then takes the gametes … Breeding Platy Fish Platy fish are known as livebearers which is a type of fish that gives birth to live offspring and not eggs. Ensure feeding is consistent and water parameters kept in safe ranges. Their home aquarium, where optimal water conditions are provided for them, is enough for them to start breeding as soon as you put male and female platies together. While live plants may help to absorb some of the toxins created by fish, you should also get a filter for your aquarium as well as perform regular water changes. It’s takes approximately one month for fertilized eggs to develop to the point of being ready for birth. 6. Make sure that you set up a separate breeding tank for the fish you want to mate. Platy fish is for beginner aquarist. I saw she was pooping. I really enjoy the aquarium hobby and love sharing my experience with others. Do you have a male? Water & temperature requirement is different a bit depending on the variety of platies you have. Fry need food as much as the adults and likewise should receive multiple small servings of food each day. A good … Platy Fish – Habitat, Care, Feeding, Tank Size, Breeding read more » Don't get lost! I am going to get 5 platy fish. This means that they keep the eggs inside their bodies until giving birth to a swimming fry. The content of this website is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. More often than not, aquarists don’t have to set up a specific breeding tank or take any particular actions to induce breeding. Adding more male platies is not a good idea as it can stress out female platies. However, there are certain types of fish that require less care and attention than others. No she's not hidding and the more red one is the male. Platy fish. As long as you introduced both male and female platy fish to the tank, they should start breeding in a short amount of time. Hey, I'm Fabian, chief editor at Aquarium Nexus. Breeding. As long as a male platy gets a chance to greet a female, it only takes the greeting for fertilization to happen – presuming both are fertile. Male and female platy fish are easy to distinguish, from as early as two months old. Fry are more likely to end up as fish food, too, if the adults are regularly hungry. For example, I have 2 females in my tank and one of them had 15 juveniles and the other – 26. I need some advice on breeding these platys, these two are all ways together in my tank. For selective breeding of Platy fish, a 10 to 20 gallon tank should be provided with gentle filtration. But there definitely needs to be a limit for this activity. You will not have to do much (just keep two fish of opposite sex in the same tank) in order for them to breed. And they all look pretty much the same – don’t they? You will need to set up a breeding tank that is a minimum of 10 gallons, though 20 gallons is recommended. The fry grow up real quick, in just 1-2 weeks the body enlarges and they are usually able to survive with adult platy fish, although they are still under danger of being eaten … Breeding. I’d never kept Platys before so I didn’t know what to look for. They can also breed about every 30 days. Is she hiding? These fish are prolific breeders. As a general rule, you need to have 2-3 liters of water for every platy fish. When a platyfish becomes pregnant, it sometimes chases the male around the tank. Neon Blue Wagtail Platy Fish Females can warehouse sperm for up to six months; they are almost always pregnant with fertilized eggs and can give live birth to 10 to 40 fry every 4 to 6 weeks. Breeding the Red Wagtail Platy Breeding the red wagtail platy is more than easy—it's not a question of if but when. The female platy will usually spawn around 20 to 80 platy babies that will be ready to swim and feed. Unlike many other fish species, platy fish are easy to please when it comes to breeding conditions. As is typical for male live-bearers, male platy fish will constantly chase female platies to reproduce, which can put a lot of stress on females. 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