Baby Platys

Hi Cinders,

Congratulations on the babies...but take it from me, the novelty WILL wear off Mine have had zillions...and now the babies have started as well
I didn't do anything special for mine, just crumbled up some normal flakes in to really tiny pieces and they have been fine. I didn't segregate mine either, after Sue saying I would be over run with the little cherubs if I did, I have just let nature take her course.
I have been lucky and been able to home them with my LFS (local fish shop for Ken's benefit ) because otherwise I would have had a serious overstocking problem.

Obviously, the choice is yours....and I wish you luck with that decision

Oops...sorry Ken

Thanks Resa,  I know I shall probably get zillions eventually, but for the moment I am enjoying it.   They are amazing little replicas.   I shall probably let the others take a chance, they look like they are quite adept at avoiding trouble !

Thanks Dutchy.

Thanks Resa, I will.

Thanks Daniel, I shall probably crush some ordinary food and give them.  It was exciting seeing the first ones.   Good luck with your rainbows.

MrsB and I have just noticed baby goldfish out in our pond and we're really excited about that - so I can understand the excitment of baby 'indoor fish'. Congratulations on your new arrivals.

Thanks Sue,

Congratulations Colin on your baby goldfish.  How exciting for you.

Just found a little baby platy too! Going my LFS to get a net box because my danios are savages!

You may be lucky and find a shop that will buy them - but they usually give you a credit note not cash. Others might take them without giving you anything. But the problem with livebearers is that they reproduce so easily that it costs very little for a shop to buy them from their wholesaler, and they know that they are (in theory) disease free while they don't know if a customer's tanks are disease free. That's why many shops won't take them from customers. And those that do won't take them till they are big enough, around the same size as the ones on sale in the shop, which means you will need somewhere to keep the fry till they grow.
There is always Ebay (collection only unless you want to invest in boxes, insulation and heat packs) or the website aquarist-classifieds to try to sell them privately. But again, you won't get much for them as they are cheap in shops.

It sounds very cruel, but the best thing to do about fry is nothing. You may get a few surviving if you have plants (real or synthetic) for them to hide in, but you don't have the problem of what to do with them if you can't sell/give them away.

I had some baby platys born three weeks ago, and they are now swimming freely around with the older ones, who seem to be ignoring them, and yesterday I noticed three more extremely tiny ones, and they are swimming around quite happily, although doing a bit of hiding in the plants still.  So I am leaving them to take their chances now, and going away for a week tomorrow, so have to leave them to a neighbour (also a fish keeper) to keep an eye on them and feed them.   Will have to do something with them when I get back or I shall be overstocked !!