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I just noticed a baby Mickey Mouse Platy in the tank. What should I do?
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3 Mickey Mouse platies
6 Black Skirted Tetras

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-03 18:48][/span]

If you wish to raise it, you need a breeding trap or another tank. If its the only one left, I'd suggest letting it fend for itself and give you time to set up a nursery tank if you wish to raise fry next time. Good luck.

I've got the breeding trap and the food. Is there anything else that I need to know?

I had a baby platy appear in my tank. I didn't do a thing, and it did very well fending for itself -- when I fed the larger fish, I'd be sure and crush a couple of flakes so they drifted downward. The baby would dart from the silk plants, gobble them down and go back into hiding. He seemed to instinctively know when he was big enough not to be "dinner" for someone else in the tank -- as he grew, he'd stay out more and more. At first he'd only feed near the bottom, but then he'd venture further from the safety of his plants. Now he feeds at the top with everyone else. I'd guess he's about 3 months old, and has grown really well. So unless your fry is really, really tiny, you might just make sure he has plenty of hiding places, and leave him alone.

You could also put a perforated divider in the tank so he can get through it but the adults can't follow. (You can lure him there by leaving the side with the adult fish dark and putting a light on the "empty" side where you want him to be. If he's small enough, you can make your own divider out of the plastic stuff that's made for needlework -- you can get it in a craft store.