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I want to breed Platies, but they don't seem to breed like guppies.. is there any way to perk them into wanting to breed????

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

with breeding livebearers, you have to have alot of tanks for the fry, i know breeding sounds fun, but if u cant hold the fry and they are liveing in poor conditions it makes it no fun,

again u can't really make the process happen, it kinda just does.

also patients is important with any fish, u can't just get a pair of fish and expect babies the first day or even month. just give it time.

I have live floating plants in my tank. It gives the little ones a place to hide, othewise they will be eaten. Once you locate the small ones, put them in a breeding net. I tried keeping the pregnant females in the breeding net, but nothing happened until I put them back with the other fish....
I keep my platies with danios for population control, but still get a few babies hidden in the floating plants.
It takes a while, just be patient.

man.. my platies breed like crazy! how big is the tank? how many platies do you have? and what kind of platies?


always make sure theres like 2 females for every male... or even like 3 or 4 females... it will keep em going... they should have fry every 28 days or so...

*Chelle*
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I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

Will some salt in the water make them happier and get them in the mood?

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

i dont think so, i haven't seen wild platyies before but i have mollies, and swords. i haven't known platies to be that salt -ish,


anyway, no i dont think salt will get them into the mood, just give them time.

How about live food or a large water change?

Last edited by weird22person at 11-Jan-2006 20:06

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

i dont have platy's right now because the last ones i had died off but when i do get some i am hopping to get about 2 males and 4 females...does that sound right?

thanks for all the help

ku5626,

The numbers seem about right, one male at 2 to 3 females is a good ration to reduce the stress on the girls from the advances of the boy.

What is your breeding motivation anyway? Just to get a lot of platies or do you try to maintain a particular strand. In the latter case you should make sure that your fish source provides pure bred fish as otherwise you would need a few generations (if even possible at all) to cull the fry that is off from the strand you intend to have. For example, the children of my sunsets are all sunsets, but their children (and there are only these platies in the tank, no additional mixing possible) are some sunsets and some yellow ones(which I love ).

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Don't add salt to the platty tank.

Live plants are always a plus, but I don't keep them in my tank. (Planted some yet-to-come-up bulbs though) Anyway, the best way to breed is to:

1) Make sure they have there space. I'd go with a 10g or 20g and get 3-5. (they tend to swim together in the tank, or at least mine do)

2) When you notice a female is pregnant (at least for a few generations) put her in a seperate tank so the babies survive. ^_^

Have fun!

Inky

thanks guys i appreciate it!!!