Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Food and Feeding => Topic started by: Chris on May 17, 2015, 07:33:42 PM
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One of my Sunset Platys has spent most of the afternoon giving birth to fries.
I lost several almost immediately, because the other fish in the tank ate them.
Mum was becoming very distressed in the aquarium, so I removed her and placed her in a plastic tank I usually use for tank cleaning.
She gave birth to at least another dozen or more fry. In fact, I lost count.
I have now returned Mum to the main aquarium and have an isolation tank set-up for the fry.
What should I use to feed them ? Also, how long should I keep them isolated?
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You can get fry food, I think it is called liquid fry, they do a special one for live bearers as they tend to be bigger than normal fry.
When one of my Platies gave birth I originally thought the fry were all eaten except for 1 but about 3 weeks later when doing a water change I discovered another 6. My tank is quite well planted and I don't have any large fish, the platies are probably the largest so that helped them survive I think.
They had just been eating finely ground fish flakes nothing special as I didn't know they were there.
The fry are about 5 weeks old now and are about 7mm. They spend most of their time hiding still but come out at feeding time. They can also swim very fast if they think they are in danger.
When deciding to return them to the main tank I think you need to think about the amount of cover available to them and how big the other fish in the tank are.
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Thanks Anne. I took another look in the isolation tank this evening. There are at least 20 babies in there.
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Wow, that's quite a few considering some were eaten before you moved their mother into the isolation tank.
I think I read somewhere that the fry will mature when they are between 5 and 6 months old.
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Hi Anne, live bearer fry can be fed on normal flake food crushed up really small (almost like a powder) they grow very well on it too. you have to be careful just how much you put in though else you'll swamp them, they only need a miniscule amount. congratulations by the way...... Aunt Anne! :D
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yeah and spot the idiot.................... I read the wrong names. Sorry Anne, and Chris. what I said is right though just got a bit muddled! lol
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I honestly thought you'd been to McDonalds when I read that title!