Platy fish is a popular freshwater fish that is native to Central America and Mexico. They are mostly referred to as platies or southern platy fish. This article will cover the concern “How to identify Pregnant platy fish?”, their symptoms, duration, care guide, etc.
How to identify Pregnant platy fish?
Pregnant platy fish will have a distended belly beyond the fish’s normal body shape. It can also have a darkly colored spot behind her anal fin, which enlarges with the progression of pregnancy.
Platy fish is hard, warm-water fish from Central America and can breed once they reach the age of four months (although they are not adult until six months of age). This species is a livebearer (female gives birth to free-swimming young).
This section lists out some of the features a pregnant platy fish exhibits:
Distended belly
Eggs inside the female platy’s belly will start to develop after fertilization. The gestation length of platy fish is around one month, you’ll notice your female fish’s body becoming plumper and more distended than usual with every passing day of pregnancy.
Dark gravid spot
An important feature of pregnant platy fish is the development and growth of the gravid dark spot around the female’s anal fin. As the pregnancy proceeds, this spot will grow in size and become darker.
Increasing appetite
The fish’s appetite will increase with the progression of pregnancy to feed and nourish countless tiny platy fry. They’ll swim around the fish flakes faster gathering as many as they can before the other fish get to them.
Behavioral changes
As pregnancy continues, you can expect to see behavioral changes in the pregnant platy fish. You’ll observe the female preferring to spend more of its time near shades and other hiding spots.
What is the gestation length of platy fish?
The gestation length of platy fish ranges from 24 to 35 days. However, most platy fish reported their first delivery by the 28th day. Aquarists should be vigilant for the arrival of platy fry after 3 weeks of pregnancy progression.
What are the stages of platy fish pregnancy?
The platy fish pregnancy comprises the following stages:
Pre-fertilization
During this stage, the male of the platy fish species starts chasing females instantly. It’s a sign of upcoming mating season and depicts that platies are getting ready to breed. These fish exhibits plenty of sexual dimorphisms, in which females are larger and have larger anal fins. However, males have pointy anal fins.
Fertilization
It’s recommended to keep at least two to three female platy fish to one male. Since the chasing antics of males can be too much for one female and can end up stressing a single female. Therefore, keeping more than one female keeps the male’s attention diverted.
Gestation
The next stage of pregnancy is gestation or gravidity. After fertilization, you’ll see clear changes in your female platy’s appearance. The gestation period lasts for 24 to 35 days.
Birth
Care should be exercised to determine the stage of birth so that you can determine when to shift pregnant platy fish to the breeding tank. It’ll help keep your pregnant fish calm, have a robust brood, and maximize fry survival. Platy fish give birth to one fry at a time and the birth process can last for a few hours.
What are the required maintenance measures for pregnant platy fish?
Following care and maintenance measures can be taken for pregnant platy fish:
Installation of a breeding tank
Adult platies reach up to three inches in size and have a tank requirement of 10 gallons. The breeding tank will only house the pregnant platy and its fry, it’s best to go with a 20 gallons tank. Tank also requires a water heater to control the water temperature.
Water conditions
Platy fish are freshwater species living in the warm waters of South America. Therefore, you’ll need to control the water of the breeding tank to mimic the species’ natural environment. Water temperature should range from 70° to 77°F, with pH around 6.8 to 8.0.
Diet of pregnant platy
Platies breed during the spring and summer seasons when food sources are abundant. You’ll have to maintain the female’s protein intake to keep the pregnant platies healthy. The protein requirement of fish can be accomplished by feeding bloodworms or brine shrimp to the platies.
Caring for the fry
Platy fries measure up to 7 or 8 mm and appear almost translucent. They like to hide in the dark corners of the fish tank. Platy fry can be observed better after two months are up. Keep platy fry in the breeding tank for at least two to three weeks before shifting to the adult tank.
Conclusion
Today, we covered the article “How to identify Pregnant platy fish?”, their symptoms, duration, care guide, etc. The pregnant platy fish have a plumper belly than usual body shape and a dark gravid spot around the anal fin that grows with every passing week of pregnancy.
