Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: susie58 on August 02, 2014, 09:55:36 AM
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Hi
I have 5 male and 2 female platies in my 60ltre biorb ( I didn't know how to tell the sex when I bought them). The females are both pregnant and being constantly harrassed by the males and I want to move them both out of the tank into a small, quiet tank to give them all some peace and quiet.
I only have room for a small 12 ltre 'starter' aquarium, but it has a filter and I have set it up now.
Do I
1) Attempt a fishless cycle and risk even more platy fries being born in the biorb ( I already have 4 with more on the way by the look of it)
2) Move the females into the new tank now and go through a fish in cycle with pregnant fish/baby fries being born in the tiny tank
Thanks
Sue
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With the proviso that you realise the 12 litre is too small for 2 platies plus fry in the long term: do a fishless cycle on the 12 litre, the reason being that 2 platies plus fry is very overstocked and you'll end up having to do several water changes a day with a fish-in cycle. Yes I know the females will be pestered a bit longer, and yes a lot of fry will be born in the tank but a lot will also be eaten. If you take a few rocks from the bottom of the biorb and somehow squeeze them into the 12 litre's filter (even one would help) that will kick start the cycle so it shouldn't take as long as a fishless cycle from scratch.
For anyone reading this who thinks I don't usually advise substrate to kick start a cycle, the rocks on the bottom of a biorb are the biological filter media ;)
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Thanks Sue
The male platies are all fighting to get to the females and it's like a war in the tank at the moment.
I have taken some of the substrate from the biorb and put it into the new tank (not in the filter though as too small and wouldn't fit). I also had some stones in there which I have moved. And I have cleaned the biorb out today (regular maintenance) and squeezed the filter into the new tank too.
I realise that the small tank isn't big enough to cope with the 2 females and the fry but it will stop the cycle of constant harassment/baby platies being born in the biorb. Hopefully the fry born in the small tank can be given new homes as soon as they are big enough. Otherwise I'm going to be so overstocked in the biorb that all of my platies will suffer. :(
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Don't forget the female platies will carry on having fry every month for around six months once you have separated them as they can store sperm...........
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Yep, that's the reason I bought the small tank - permanent separation is the only way to go. Hopefully the 2 ladies will have a nice quiet life in their little tank once they've released all their little fry. ::)
And the boys might finally get over themselves and stop the macho stuff :rotfl:
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And the boys might finally get over themselves and stop the macho stuff :rotfl:
Possibly not :(. Even with no females in there the males are likely to continue squabbling amongst themselves, although they don't tend to be particularly vicious to each other - just a bit of 'pushing and shoving' really. Just ensure you have some areas of the tank to which they can move away (e.g. hidey-holes, dense plants) and they should be fine.
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Typical boys :vcross: It's the ladies I feel sorry for - my own fault and lesson learned! Next challenge will be sexing the 4 fry I have and finding somewhere to put the females (if any) from this birth (hoping there are no more before the little tank cycles.
There are loads of hiding places for them if they do squabble, plants all round the tank and a couple of small ornaments. One thing about the biorb I will give it credit for though, the shrimps and babies love it as they can just dive into the substrate :raspberries
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Assuming platy males develop like endlers, watch the anal fin. With endlers the first ray elongates before the rest of the fin shrinks. As soon as you see that take those fry out before they become fully functioning males.
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Thanks Sue. I hope they are males really as the boys will be staying in the orb and I'll move the ladies into the little tank. The little tank is too small for any more than the 2 females I already have - but if they are all males that will make 9 males in the orb and that don't sound too good to me :(
I can advertise them (the fry) but how can I make sure they go to somebody who will look after them properly? Do you know if there are any 'fish enthusiast' sites I can actually put them on?
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The site I use is aquarist classifieds (http://www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/). I usually advertise surplus fish as free to anyone who will come and get them.
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With common species like this, it's often really difficult to impossible even to give them away.
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Thanks both, will give it a try when they are a bit bigger.