[Sharky1234]

Hi!

I just got a 65 gallon tank from goodwill ($30, no leaks or cracks :-D), and I've decided to move my South American biotope to that tank, meaning I'll have an empty 55 gallon! I've been wanting to start a selective breeding project with platys for a while, so I'm going to divide the 55 gallon (Males, Females, and Fry), and use that. For now I'm just using Mickey Mouse platys, though I may add some patterns later on.

My goals:
White, and Yellow/Orange with all of their fins (except the mickey mouse shape) red.
Blue, and Red with white fins.
And this might take a while, but I want to try for a heart shape instead of the mickey mouse pattern! My goal with that would be all red with a heart shape.
Also any colors other than usual colors/patterns, or even if I'm not trying for that combo/pattern, I get I will be breeding them for that color.

I'm going for a well planting tank (the fry portion at least) with:
Green Cabomba
Water Wisteria
Java Fern
and some kind of moss (probably Java).

As soon as my filter gets here for the new tank (next week!) I'll be seeding it with media from my 55 gallon's filter and starting the cycle. It'll be my third fishless cycle, which are typically about 2 months for me, so hopefully it'll go faster. If I can get it under a month that would be ideal!

Wish me luck!! :fish:

 

[Boredomb]

Good luck!

 

[Sylverclaws]

Good luck!

I also breed platies, though not so specifically as you're trying for. I did end up breeding a blue MM platy with a red tiger platy that had a twinbar tail though. Got a mostly blue platy with a red dorsal fin and a cross between mickey mouse and twinbars with darker stripes and spots on his body on one side. lol I've also gotten some sorta purpl-y blue ones breeding blues with reds.

I'm am debating on trying bumblebee platies with red platies or blue just to see if I get anything odd. lol I'm more for odd colors than patterns, but I have gotten odd patterns before.

I also do mollies and ended up with some black gold dusts breeding gold dusts with dalmations, and some gold ones with scattered black shadowing and spots. It's quite fun, but you don't want inbreeding and want nice healthy parents, even if the babies don't exactly come out pretty, they'll at least be healthy. ^^; My best was ending up with what I call calico mollies, they came out orange black and white, and rather pretty, with lyretails, and also some silver lyretails mixed with creamsicles that came out pale yellow or silver with red or orange spots and markings. And some that come out black and white, kinda like pandas...

Just a tip for you! Try to get your fish from different shops, less inbreeding chances, especially get males from different shops than females at least. Buying males and females from the same shop often results in the occasional deformity.

I would love to see photos when you get started and of your fry!

Here's a few examples of my oddities. I really want to see how yours come out. Sorry, the one of my "Blue Tiger" isn't too great, he never holds still.


My creamsicle/silver lyretails, one male and one female, female first:




My panda, he came out worse than the blue tiger. ^^;


Please share your results! :3

 

[Sharky1234]

Thank you!

Sylverclaws those are gorgeous! I'd love to get some purpley ones :-O Your calico mollies sound cool, too! I'd love to try mollies eventually, but I feel like platys are better in my setup because they're a little smallar.

I have one female I got from someone else, so I don't know where she came from. I also have two more females, and a male from the same store. I'm going to get at least one more male, and one more female, as my white female just disappeared.

I'm going to be very careful about inbreeding. I'll be keeping records of who I bred when, and with any fry I keep I will make sure I have their parents written down. Plus I won't have all my females give birth in the fry portion of the tank every month, only if I've specifically bred them, then I'll know for sure whose children they are!

Thanks for your tips!