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Well, a sad UPDATE

Today when doing a water change baby was not found. I had not seen him since yesterday.... RIP little guy.

Well the colony number is back down to 6...

Ok Queen seems bigger. And the babies inside her are definately growing bigger. They seem like the will come soon as there eyes are quite bigger. Thats all for now

?Anyone Out There?

I'm out here..........others are too probably. A lot of people read but don't post.

Sorry for your loss

Thank you patty. He would have been 3 days old today.

Sorry about the loss. Is there a chance he is still in there though. My fry can hide themselves in between the pea size substrate and are virtually invisible. I saved mine by the way, have them in a 10gal. Found 5 total. I hope yours is just in hiding. Even if the bigger ones did get him, it sounds like you will have many like him again soon! Later!

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

UPDATE

Ok so tonight I have 2 one day old babies from QUEEN!!!
I saved these two as I dont think I was being very fair with them becasue when there older sibling lived outside of the tank there was about twice as many plants for it to thrive in. The two babies are very light yello and very cute. I found one this morning and one when I came home today. And now Queen is back to her normal size.


So now I am awaiting the arrival of the middle females fry. I will probably save around two of hers also.

Congrats again Punk! /:'

UPDATE

I am sorry I havent updated in a few days I have been kind of busy.

Ok so alot has gone on in the last 4 days. I still have Queens two babies ALONG with the middle females 10 BABIES!!! Lol I saved them for the same reasons I saved Queens two babies- because there is not enough shelter for them in the tank. So as of now the colony went from a tiny 6 members to a WHOPPING 16 members lol. I am ok with it as I got the new 55 gallon. I will be starting a log of it in the planted aquaria forum soon. This is the list of the members who will be cycling it for me. And who else will go in and when.


5th Day After Setup

-Queen
-Larger Young female (crooked spine)
-Medium Female (the one with ten kids)
-Small female (none of her fry lived)


14th Day After Setup

-Little Male
-Resident female 24 karat molly
-Resident ADF

---- After these three are out the 12 babies I have in the breeder box right now will be released into the colonies main 17 gallon they are in right now.


21st Day After Setup

-Queens oldest baby
-Resident Panda Cories
-Resident Kuhli Loach


30th Day After Setup

-The babies will probably go in this day depending on how the water is (quality wise)


I plan to also add differnt varieties of platies after a few months of this tank being setup. I would like to see some interesting varieties from the ones I already have. And I will enjoy seeing new queens and kings rise and fall in the tank. I will also enjoy seeing babies thrive in the plants while predators such as the future rams, future halries, older platies, and the female molly.


I hope you all are still enjoying this like I said earlier it will get more exciting as I add them to the 55 gallon. Once again sorry I havent posted in a while lol.

UPDATE

Ok so in five days (the 27th) Queen, small, medium, and large females will b going into my newly setup 55 gallon. There is only gravel and a few little plants in the tank now but in the next few weeks I will be adding more decor (driftwood, large rocks, plants) and fish (harlies, bolivians, gold rams, otos, and my current fish). So right now the colonies tank is just a smalll amount of gravel, and a little decor. So within the next few days the colony will slpit and the only members of the colony left will be little male and queens baby.....and not to forget the 12 babies in the nusery. I am worried about leaving the little male with queens baby becasue this is the only member that the male shows aggression towards and with out the older more desirable feamles in there he will be quite angry. So what do you think I should do leave him or let him go with the girls? It will be interesting putting the fish in the new tank and see what happens with the hiarchy in this tank. Queen will probably stay dominant though.



BABY UPDATE

Ok so all 12 babies are still alive and thriving with little fat tummies. Queens two babies are a little bit larger than the other 10 babies as they have the advantage of 2 days wiser on there side. The babies on average are about this long ---- I excpect them to start having a little spurt here soon but I will probably see most growth when the get realeased into the 17 gal.


So what do you guys think? Any suggestions comments? Anything I am doing horribly wrong? Lol

Is that all the babies those platy's have?? For some reason I thought they had a bunch at a time. Maybe they did & all the rest got ate before you found them?

Ok so there is a slight change of plans. The first group was added today and the second group will go in on the 27th wehn I was originally planning to add the first group. So the grups will all be getting in the big tank a little earlier. And the 4 girls are loving it they zoom back and fourth through the 4 feet of tank they have. I am very excited to add the next group in a few days it will be very exciting.

UPDATE

Ok so as of today the new 55 gallon is doing great everyone is in there except the babies who are growing up in the old tank. Queen is up against a new kind of enemy....2 BOLIVIAN RAMS... She doesnt really like them by her colony. So she "dances" in front of them to ward them off. But she can't always keep the little youngins away from them. Im not saying the rams are aggressive they are actually quite peaceful towards the platies but Queen still does not like them. I do feel sorry for Queens oldest kid. He is now "coming of age" and the older male has banished him. He stays all the way on the other side of the tank while everyone else swims around oh so gleefully on the opposite side of the tank happily eating through java moss and playing while he picks around through the plants trying to get food but most of the other group is where the food is. But as he is growing he is starting to put up somewaht of a fight.

The babies have the old tank all to them selfs. It is nice and warm and has lots of food an goodies. Queens two fry are getting in there mickey mouse ears but the are still a light yello color unlike her older son who is dark orange so there coloring will be different.

The new tank is a really natural tank with a natural gravel, driftwood, and large rocks. The plants include java moss, anubias, ancharis, and wisreria.
I plan to add more anubias and some java ferns. But Im happy as long as my fish are happy.

Hope everyone is still enjoying this log and I plan on it getting more exciting soon.:

OH and Patty

Yes, most of Queens babies got eaten other than the two that I have saved.

The reason of the other small broods is that they girls were young when the had them and the grils were still small so the babies were tiny and they had only a few.

Ok Punk, that makes sense.......... just like a lot of other creatures in nature.

Do you have the regular lighting that came with your tank, & are you adding anything for the plants? I ask because I have a few plants that are just barely hanging in there in my 55 gal. They're just stuck in the gravel. I want a few healthy plants, but don't want to go to much trouble to have them. Someday I think I'll get desperate enough to search this site for back articles on how to have a few healthy low light plants without much fuss.

Glad your new tank is doing good. There's those Rams again! There's always mention of them on this site & even pictures! I'm wanting some but my tank is already full! I have a spare 10 & 20 gal. that need fixing up & all the equipment added, but I'm trying real hard not to fall into the MTS!

Patty,

Lol yes I really love my bolivians now they have soo much personality! The platies are warming up to them and just sort of watch in disgust as the parade around the tank. Puh! like the platies are all that dignified!

I only have about .55 watts per gallon on my tank- doesnt leave me with much of anything to grow! But I can still grow
-ancharis
-java fern
-anubias
-java moss
and there are a few other plants that do well in little light but these are the only ones that come to mind.

Idont do anything special with them though- I just attached the java moss to rocks and driftwood but thats all.

Thanks! I just put that list on a stickie note. Might come in handy some day.

I have very hard well water, so I have to take that into consideration when I buy fish & maybe someday plants. I won't use a ph downer after joining this site. So far my soft water fish are doing good though. I believe they were accustomed to living in hard water before I got them.

How long have your plants been in there Punk? Let me how they're doing after a couple months. Time will tell.

UPDATE

Queen and the middle size female are showing eyeballs now so babies are on there way.
Queen doesnt mind her family being around the bolivians now she has accepted them as a freindly family freind
The "large female" turns out to be a male. Lol silly me I was getting suspicisous of this after all the females had had fry but that one hadnt. And now today I saw him trying to mate so that cut it lol. He was just a late bloomer I guess casue his gonopodium is not fully formed unlike the male that is half his size lol. I have cut down the colonys feedings as they seemed to be getting some tummy aches lol.

BABY UPDATE
Ok so the babies are gettign very big. They wil be in the big tank in a week. I have one of them in there now as a little tester and he is doing fine he has been in there for 2 days! But he hides in the moss and under rocks.
We did have a loss a few days back on of the babies got stuck in the gravel. It was sad. But I still have 11 fat little healthy babies.
Queens 2 babies are getting orange fins while there bodies stay yellow so they will be some pretty little specimens.

I may add pics sometime soon alghtough they will be crappy.

I would love to see some pictures. Please do. Even if they are "Crappy". I especially want to see this queen.

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

Lol Kunzman I will put some of in the near future. Yes I will put up some pics of Queen if she lets me. She has never had her picture taken before so she may be a bit resistant lol.

Sorry everyone I tried to get pics but they did not come out good at all. But I am having a birthday in a month soo I know what I will be asking for lol.

Oh well! I can wait. I know how it is to have a piece of a digital camera. By the way I am PMing you with a question.

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

UPDATE

The colony is doing well Queen did have a bit of fin rot that came along with some pandas I got but both her and the pandas are clear of it now. Queen is getting close to having her 3rd batch of fry....which has got me thinking of how many batches of fry she is going to have in the course of time that she is part of my life. So i got into doing the math and waht not and I decided she could have up to 60 batches of fry or more! while she is with me lol I was stunned.... But anyway..... her eldest son is now larger than the small male...but yet still gets bossed around by him.

BABY UPDATE

Babies are definately getting close to going into the 55 gallon I may put them in within the next few days. Queens babies colors are absolutly amazing me. They are bright yellow with bright orange fins they look like little fire balls. ....very proud.

UPDATE
Well Queen is in QT.
She is in there for ich It is gross. But clearing up. The tank got ich due to a heater that crapped out and I have noticed with platies and when I kept mollies that they are sensitive to large temperature changes. But luckily I had a spare STEALTH heater and it is really working great! I dont really see Queens fry in her anymore now that she has been in the QT and sick and what not soo I guess she absorbed them or something- I dotn know if they can do this I have just heard of it. But I guess we will have to wait for mre babies from her for a while. She is currently sharing the QT with a pair of Blue rams and the 10 fry. The fry and rams will go in with her whenever she gets over her ich. I am sure she is missing her huge spacious home lol.

BABY UPDATE
The babies are gettign VERY close to going into the big tank. Queens two babies are really pretty as stated in previous updates. They are getting a little more orange on there bodies now though. I am ver happy with there growth!

QUICK UPDATE

Queen is fully healed!!! She will go back to her colony tomorrow. The colony doesnt know what to do without her there....everyone is so idsorganized. There is un-approved mating going on and the larger female is bossing everyone around....guess hse was Queen for a day.

The small female had her 2nd batch of fry today....no recorded survivors.

Babies are all doing fine still.

Nice read....I missed this somehow....probably holiday madness. Good to hear your babies are doing good.

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

UPDATE

Ok well as of a few days ago the whole colony is in the tank. The total amount of babies left is 6. Those are including Queens 2 fry. Today Queen dropped her thrird batch and man did everyone pig out. It was sad. But the colony is already at 13 so I dont want more kids. I watched Queen drop a few of them and then she would immediately turn around and gobble them up. So as of today the only pregnant one is the large female. Queen is getting old but her rein is still going on as Queen...no sign of anyone taking her place.

Well I am kinda getting tire of reffering to them as "large female" or Queens baby" so I need help getting better names for them.

Large male-?
Small male-?
Large female-?
Small feamle-?
Queens oldest kid-?

I guess the current fry will get names later. I will begin taking pics next month

Are there any characteristics that you can use to give you ideas for names? What kind of platys are they again? My first thought is to continue with the royalty titles.

King
Prince
Queen
Princess
Jack

Just a fun idea!

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

Kunzman, I actually really like those names!

As far as characteristics go:

Large male- Sunset Coral, crooked spine, very fat and peaceful.

Small male- Sunset Coral, Tiny, slim, very mean towards Prince, loves the ladies.

Large Female- Mother of 6, 1 batch of kids, pregnant, Sunset Coral, Peaceful, like to be alone, very healthy, hates the small male.

Small female- Smaller than large female, Sunset coral, 2 batches of kids...no survivors, peacful, very cute and pretty.

I think I will just call Queens oldest fry Prince...Thanks Kunzman!/:'

Ok so today I gave away the large male and the small male to a freind who is setting up a tank. I also gave away the female molly to another freind who has a brackish setup. So now the colony is down to 11 and the prince can take his rightful place without that little male always bugging him......Just a small update everyone!

Looks like the larger female will be giving birth in the next few days. I really doubt any fry will survive until I get more plants for the tank. Like said before in my posts all I have is java moss, anubias nana, and ancharis. There is alot of java moss for them to hide in though!

Glad to help! This whole log is reminding me of a Roman, or medieval romance novel anyways. Lol

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

UPDATE

This is going to be my last update until I get my new camera. I just think it will alot more interesting.


Ok so not much has been going on. Queen seems to be getting older but she still is ruler. The larger female gave birth. The fry all got eaten. I thought one might make it becasue I saw it go into a clump of java moss but a few minutes later I say my feamle blue ram in the moss and he has not bee seen since. The kids are doing great there is one that is all red it is really cool looking...the only all red one I have. Also Queens two other kids are doing fine. The kids get chased every now and then...mostly around feeding time but no one hase been hurt or eaten. Most of the time they are just annoying the other fish. I have seen two of the kids fighting...forming a hiarchy? But that is pretty much all that has been going on.....the next update will hopefully have some pics!!!

UPDATE
Ok so alot has been happening here in the platy world and I'm sorry to say none of it is good at all. A strange illness spread among about half of the babies. All came out of it fine- I guess thats good! Anyway about a week ago the larger female was killed by my LARGE male blue gourami defendign his empty bubble nest. It was sad and grusome. And just a few days ago we lost the smaller female after she was trying to give birth to her 3 batch of babies. It was also sad....and she doesnt have any babies to pass on her genes. All fry are doing well after the got over thier illness. Queens two are doing very very well- they didnt get the illness. Prince is getting bigger and aslo doing great. Queen is at her prime. She looks as beautiful asever lol. I think it is from the amount of weight taken off her from the two larger feamles dieing. Anyway I will get my camera in a few weeks so I will have pics soon for everyone who reads this.

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate circumstances.

I was just thinking about you the other day........ seemed it had been awhile since you posted. Awaiting the pics.

Re: Platy Punk

I Have A Platy Colony too! Only that the babies have all survived. How Long do the babies take to grow large enough to not get eaten? if you do want to save the babies, then put in river rock substrate, as well as gravel and etc. because the little fry will hide in there, and all the un eaten food and gunk will be eaten by the larger fry. thanks again!


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