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Would it be possible to raise about 30 Platy fry, to 1" long(about 5 to 6 months of age), in a 25 gallon tank with 2 adult Platies, 2 ADF, and 3 Peppered Cories?

The tank is 30" x 12.5" x 16". I'm currently using two Penguin 125 power filters along with some extra bio-media for this tank. I do weekly 20%-30% water changes/sand vacs and filter pad cleaning every other week on a rotating schedule.

The reason I'm asking is because I'll be moving in about 3 weeks. And if I can't keep all of the fish in the one tank, I'll have to give away all of the young Platies. I really don't want to do that. That would be like throwing away $20, since I can get $0.67 a piece when they're old enough.

It's doable, but you need to increase your water changes to a minimum of twice weekly. But, my question is why? Is it worth $20 for the additional time spent, food, water treatment, etc. The time spent alone doesn't warrant the $20 you might make.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Thanks for the quick reply.

It's not really about the money. But getting some store credit towards future purchases, certainly adds another reason for enjoying this hobby.

It's more about the fact that I like raising livebearers. I really enjoy seeing all of the different color patterns in each batch of fry.
Plus it's not like keeping them will cost me any additional time or money. I'll actually be saving some time. I currently have three tanks running. The fry are in the 25 by themselves. The other fish listed are currently in a 10 gallon. And I also have a divided 10 gallon for Bettas. If I do this, I'll only have two tanks running, the 25 gallon and the divided 10. I also already have plenty of food and water conditioner, so there won't be any additional costs there.

You should be fine then. Just increase your water changes to at least a couple a week, monitor your water parameters closely and then trade your fish off as soon as you can.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

I definitely keep an eye on the nitrates, especially as the fry start growing larger. I'll do as many water changes as needed to keep the nitrates below 10, as I do with all of my tanks.

Thanks again for your input!

I figured I'd just update this thread instead of starting a new one.

The move was done last Monday night. Aquarium wise, everything went fairly smoothly. The only problem was I never got a second 5 gallon bucket to help with the move. So all of the fish including the fry had to go in one bucket that had no plants for hiding places. As a result, I lost a bunch of fry before I could get them into the new setup.

Now, I'm left with just 6 Platy fry, 2 adult Platies, 3 Peppered Cories, and 2 ADF in the 25 gallon tank.
As a side note, both of my Bettas made it through the move with no problems at all. Their fins are actually looking better now thanks to the water in this town.