FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I started a new aqarium about 6 months ago. It is a community with guppies, neons, and platties. The guppies seem to be doing great at multiplying, and I don't expect to get babies from the neons; however, my platties don't seem to be having any babies at all. I did notice this morning one small little baby platy hiding inside a shell at the bottom of my tank. I only noticed it after moving the shell it was hiding under and, after taking my eyes off of it for a few seconds, haven't been able to find it again (probably because it has gone back into hiding).

Being live bearers, I would have expected the platties to have more babies by now. Granted, I do expect some to maybe be eaten, but why would I not have more? Is it possible that the guppies are devouring the platy babies? And if this is true, why would they eat the baby platties and not the guppies?

Guppies and platies will eat their own fry. Sometimes the fry are small enough to hide in the gravel. Do you have any floating plants in the tank? They make great cover for fry...you could try something live, such as hornwort, or there are artificial plants made for that purpose as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Guppies and Platies will certainly eat their own fry as well as other fry in a tank. Water Sprite is good for fry as it gives them a very good hiding place.

You could try using a breeding/fry net and remove the mother as soon as all the fry have been born also add a litle bit of a floating plant there as well.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Hi, I'm new here too, but I just wanted to let you know I had the same problem with my platies and mollies. My mollies were mulitplying monthly and from my platies I was getting nothing. I just got my first batch of platy babies recently. So hang in there just a little longer, or maybe add at least another female platy. I'm not sure how many you have.