VISITOR'S QUESTIONS
4... Pregnant Platy
This is not at all unusual with Livebearing species,
they are prolific breeders and the Platy is no exception.
The males possess a modified anal fin, this is called
a gonopodium, and it is an organ of copulation. Packets of sperm can
either be directly introduced into the female or just fired in her general
direction; this will render her fertile for some months. Under these
circumstances a female can be perpetually pregnant and would produce
a brood of young every month. However, under normal aquarium conditions,
these babies are likely to be eaten by their parents and other fishes
in the tank. If you are going to save the offspring you need to remove
the female when signs of her pregnancy show.
A pregnant female will show signs that she is pregnant
by her tight round and swollen abdomen, also you may, are may not notice
a dark spot at the rear of her abdomen, this is known as a “gravid”
spot.
Platies are able to reproduce at three or four months
of age, and there are a variety of aids available from your local pet
shop or aquarium supplies store to help save your fry. One such device
is a breeding trap; this involves trapping the gravid female in a small
plastic container suspended in the aquarium. Inside the container is
a grid, which the fry are able to fall through, thereby separating them
from the mother. This type of arrangement is all to often a stress for
the pregnant female and she may be brought into premature labour because
of it.
There are also spawning nets that can accommodate a
small number of fry until they are big enough to be released into the
aquarium, these nets hang onto the side of the tank.
However, a much better method is to set up a separate
spawning tank in which to place the female. There she can give birth
in peace and the fry can be reared in safety.
The fry are normally born in the early hours of the
morning, when the aquarium is in darkness. They will seek refuge in
the foliage of plants for a few hours before rising to the surface to
hide among any plants there. You should check each morning to see if
the female has gone any slimmer, if so check amongst the plants for
any babies. Once you find the fry the female can be transferred back
to the main aquarium.
A normal sized female will produce between ten and
twenty babies, although it is possible for a large female to produce
up to fifty young. It depends on the size of the main aquarium inhabitants
the point at which you can introduce the young to the main aquarium.
Common sense should prevail here, although you could try introducing
just one or two first to see how they fare, before introducing the rest.
A word of caution though, all to many fishkeepers end
up keeping to many fry only to find that they have too many fish to
cope with. Remember your aquarium can only accommodate so many fishes,
and many aquarium shops refuse to take on extra stock.
Check the
breeding page for more information about breeding in general, feeding
fry etc.
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