Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it common for the mom to eat the fry the day after they are born. If so whatcan I do to prevent this. Why does the dad fish eay the fry as they are being born is this common practice (they will not eat regular food only the fry)

Yes, it is very common if you don't have a breeding net/box. Platies are live bearers and will eat their young if they don't have a place to hide or go. You will need a breeding box/net for your female, and place her in it when her gravid (dark spot on her abdomen) spot is very dark. You can place her in the breeding box/net for up to 24 hours, but no more as it will stress her out. You will also need a new tank for the babies and some fry food (you don't necessarily need it. If you can't find it, some finely crushed adult food will work just fine).

Daddy wants the babies only because they are full of nutrition... mmm mmm babies.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Thank you so much!! How often do theses guys breed it seems that not even a month has gone by and she is pregnant again? Now could I just put her in the tank I have for the other fry and take her out afterward or would this cause more stress? As you can see I am a beginner at this we bought 2 and in little as 2 months we now have over 28 2 different broods.

Yep, they are breeding machines. Guppies are called the millions fish (for reasons you now know of) and I'm sure platies are not far behind. I'm not sure how often they breed actually, quite often- that I'm sure of.
I would just get the breeding box/net because it would cause unneeded stress. They aren't too expensive. If you get too many babies, you could see if you can donate them to your local pet store (some may purchase them or offer store credit or maybe nothing but take them off your hands). If you have kids, you could see if their school might want some fish as a class pet kind of thing. Or if they don't bother you, you can always keep them yourself. It's very awesome to watch them grow up.
You can check out this link, it's for guppies, but they are both live bearers so the information for platies is very similar.

No question is too small, so if you have any other questions, just ask.
Guppy Info

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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Thanks a lot for you patience.

It takes practice.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."