Red Wag Lifecycle

[Witchlight]

Well first hello to everyone its my first post!
I've been lurking on here for the last couple weeks and it seems like a nice place.

Now I'd like to pick your brains.
I just got my first tank and have never done this before. I have a 20 gallon tank that I'm cycling for the first time. I choose to do it with live fish. I have 3 Red Wag Platy. They seem to be doing great and are quite active and if fish have moods I'd describe them as happy.

Sounds good so far but you know what? They went and had babies on me!!!
The tank is just going on its 3rd week now and still isnt finished the cycle and I really wasnt ready for babies. Don't get me wrong I happy that instead of dying during the first cycle my fish seem very healthy and happy but babies!!! What I haven't been able to find is the lifecycle of the platy from fry to adult. How long are they fry???

[CACAdmin]

:Welcome: Glad you decided to join us. :smile:

Yes, platys are very resilient fish. As for the appearance of the fry, that's nothing surprising. People often joke that platys are born pregnant, which of course isn't the case. However, they reach sexual maturity by 3 months of age.:Eek: Also, one impregnation can result in multiple broods of fry. The female stores the sperm from the males and uses it later to impregnate herself... so even the purchase of all females you can still find yourself with a batch of fry.

Is your tank planted? Namely, are there lots of hiding places for the fry? The reason being is that the adults will eat the fry.

I don't want to inundate you with too much info at once. Here is some info about platys: http://www.pacificaquatics.ca/infosheets-Platy.html

Also here is an illustrated guide on sexing your platys: http://www.pacificaquatics.ca/Infosheets-Sexing_Livebearers.html

Hope this helps. Any questions, just ask. Lots of friendly, experienced folk here to help you. :yes:

[Witchlight]

Thanks for the quick reply.
Ya there is a lot of the plastic variety plants a few large stones on either side allowing open swim space in the middle. Right now the fry hide from the larger (1male 2 female) in the loose gravel and in the plants. So I think there good for little hidy holes. I was trying to figure out how fast they should grow and I guess if they hit maturity at 3 months that means REEEAAALL FAST!
WOW!

[CACAdmin]

I guess they're about an inch long at 3 months. When they're first born, often you don't see them right away because they're not much more than eyeballs with a tail and crawl around in the gravel.

As for food, I just grind a little flake food between my thumb and fingers so that it's a fine powder... small enough for them to eat. They don't need a lot but do need more frequent feedings. Be careful not to overfeed, they always need less than you imagine. Any uneaten food will just pollute the tank.

[Melody]

The third week of a cycle can be when it really gets sticky. Platy's are messy creatures so it is quite a load for a cycling 20G. How often are you doing water changes? Do you have a test kit? Cycling with fish means being extra diligent and extra water changes, which usually delays the cycle somewhat but is of course, kinder to the fish.

Jay has given you good advice under normal circumstances when it comes to raising fry, but I'd be extremely cautious with feeding a cycling tank that much. It would be better, in my opinion, to feed no more than a small amount every two days until the tank is cycled. It won't hurt them, they just won't grow as quickly. A spike would hurt them far more.

Keep in mind that if you have Livebearers you are going to have a lot of Livebearers. I don't know what your plans are for more tanks, but you'll see babies every 30-45 days from each female, averaging at least 20 fry from each birth and potentially three times that. In a few months you'll have more females giving birth, and so on.

Stores usually don't want them until they're young adults. However, you can often find homes for bags of fry/young fish in classifieds such as ours. I'm forever looking for females, for example, and usually keep Jay cleaned out of those...lol.

I wouldn't keep more than a dozen or so adult Platy's in a cycled 20G so you already have an excuse for more tanks :smile: .

Congrat's on the birth. My first Livebearer birth was compliments of the equally prolific Guppy and I've been addicted ever since. It never gets old for me - I still get pumped when I see fry.:D

[CACAdmin]

Thanks so much for jumping in, Melody! :notworthy: Great advice! I've never had any experience with fry and a cycling tank so hadn't really factored that in. I learn something new every day... that's what's so great about this hobby.:yes:

[blainep]

Might be a good idea to pickup one of those 'live' ammonia monitors, if I remember, they're about $10, easy way to watch for spikes.

For sure, lots of water changes ! All will be good in a short while.

[Melody]

Those monitors are da bomb - good thinking. They're made by Seachem and called Ammonia Alert. They're permanent so it is money well spent. Ammonia is the most toxic and its the first sign of trouble now or later.

[Witchlight]

The monitors due sound good. Its hard getting out to the aquarium store as I work nights and dont drive but I can get out there this weekend.

I first say the fry on Saturday and there still there so so far so good I guess.

[Melody]

I'm glad to hear that they're doing well:smile: . You can do water changes in the meantime, just in case. Try not to disturb the gravel too much but get any waste/leftovers out. This will keep the ammonia and nitrite from building up to toxic levels. You can watch your fish for signs of trouble as well and be prepared to do water changes the second you see the symptoms, such as:

Gasping at the surface and/or the gills moving quickly.
Inactivity
Hanging around the filter output.
Blood-streaked fins.
Discolored or swollen gills.Any one of these symptoms is a sign of ammonia or nitrite poisoning and action is crucial to prevent deaths.

If you have any questions along the way, we encourage you to ask. Good luck!