New Platys & Mollys - 2+2 =10

[CACAdmin]

Today I went to a lfs intending to get a couple of female sailfin mollies as brooders (all part of my breeding plan). Well I came home from Pacific Aquatics (http://www.pacificaquatics.ca) with the 2 female mollies and 2 beautiful hifin platys... surprise, surprise. :laugh:

However, as it turns out 2+2 didn't equal 4 fish but 10:swoon: . I put the two female mollies in a bucket before transferring them to a q-tank and when I looked less than 10 minutes later, lo & behold there were 6 fry in the bucket too. One of the gals (who didn't even look pregnant) had dropped. ::D: The fry all look big & healthy enough so I do think they were full term... probably her first brood being so small.

And so instead of 2 new fish... I now have 10.:laugh: No pics yet as I don't wish to disturb them until they are settled. (& then don't count on anything great, I'm no photographer. :rolleyes: )

[Melody]

Bought some brooders, had a brood, your work here is done.:yes:

[CACAdmin]

:nah: ...I think it's only the beginning.:laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Here's a pic of the female mollies:

http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/new-sf-f-mollies.jpg

Pics of the hifin platys will have to wait as they are in a tank with no light.

[Cory Lover]

They look nice!

[ChrissyFishy]

They look like dalmation creamsicle mollies::D:

[Pamelajo]

Nice!! Sounds like you might need another tank. Time to move out the couch.

[CACAdmin]

Then I have nowhere to sleep.:rolleyes: ... Melody keeps telling me that sleep is overrated but my body thinks otherwise.:laugh: I'm envious of you having a basement. If you get hubby busy building tank racks you'll have lots of room for more tanks. :wink:

[Pamelajo]

I swore these were my last ones. But....... could upsize the one on the bottom down the road and if I get that other rack.... a little bigger than I need could upsize that one too..... Now see what you start. I will tell hubby it is all your fault.

[CACAdmin]

Of course, blame me. :Worried: It's a good thing I live at the other end of the country. :twitcy:

[Pamelajo]

You could get a fold up cot and enclose the balcony.

[CACAdmin]

I rent so I think they might have a problem with me enclosing the balcony and I do like to sit outdoors when the sun is shining. Also, I think my sister might like to have a place to sleep when she comes to visit. Other than space, though, the biggest problem is running out of electrical outlets (if you own your own place you can have an additional breaker box installed... I'm stuck with what's available.)

[CACAdmin]

Well, I finally managed to get a pic of one of the hifin platys. However, looking closely at her now and the size of her dorsal fin, I'm already wondering if she's going to prove to be a 'late blooming' male. :rolleyes: (They do this to me all the time.:twitcy: )

http://canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/hf-f-platy.jpg

[Melody]

Not necessarily - dorsals are getting bigger all the time and she/he has a nice one indeed. Pretty colours!

[CACAdmin]

More variatus in this one...she's long and slender.. it's the camera angle that makes her look a little pudgy (don't tell her I said that :wink: ). I do notice a lot of times with my maculatus females, that the dorsal is the hifin shape but often doesn't develop much length at all.. and yet their male offspring will develop a very nice long dorsal fin.

[Melody]

Ooops, missed replying to this one. :eek:

Its normally that way with both variatus and maculatus females. Some have a wider base and more height than others, but it doesn't drape way over. All of the female Hifin Swordtails that I've had have been that way too until I got Darrell's. There are obviously different modifiers and/or genes at work there, which is intriguing. So I won't say the female Platy's never get the draping dorsal, but I've never seen it.

You should pair her up with a Rubynose male eventually, she looks like she's sporting similar colouring. The Rubynose are more Maculatus, but they also are larger/longer than your average Maculatus and the dorsal favours variatus.

Just a bunch of glorified mutts overall, but the combo can sure produce some stunners.:yes:

[CACAdmin]

She's still in qt at the moment but I have definite plans of pairing her with a Rubynose male... I'd live to see the results.

[Melody]

I've seen other 'strawberry' Platy's that are basically the Rubynose colour form. I like Darrells because he's bred them selectively so the red stops at the front of the dorsal. the line has a nice even edge to it and it suits the name better if it stops behind the head. The females don't sport that though, so she very well could be from a line that looks more like Rubynose than she does. Only one way to find out!