Platy fry care

Hollister16

I am new to having platies. I bought 7 platies about 2 weeks ago and wanted all males and I ended up getting 1 female. I have 2 male Mickey Mouse Platies. 2 male Sunburst Wag Platies. 2 male Longfin Platies and 1 female Red Wagtail Platy. I know I will need to get a couple more females. I left for the weekend and came back to my house monday and noticed that I have baby platies and I had to leave for a couple more days and just got home and I have 10 Platy frys left. I got them out of the tank and put them in a critter keeper for now. I need to know some info on how to take care of them. What size tank to get, heater, light ect. Thanks

Oldman47

For a drop of 10 fry to grow up will take a tank of at least 10 to 15 gallons. The best way to raise them is with plenty of small food, powdered is best, and lots of frequent water changes to maintain the water quality pristine. The tank needs to be at an appropriate temperature so unless your home is fairly warm, you will need a heater. A filter is a must for any tank. Lights are only necessary if there are no room lights. I have several fry tanks with just a clear cover and no light at all. The room gets a bit of light during the day from diffused sunlight coming into a north facing window.

1077

I agree with previous post. You might also consider some algae or vegetable based foods to crush up for the young fish and adults will benefit from this food as well. I like to tear pieces of dried algae (can buy at petco) and place small pieces in the tank for fish to nibble at. Java Moss would be preferred over the dried algae but these fish do seem to do best with this type of food along with other foods offered.