Polly is pregnant!

[MamaPizza]

And Paul is the daddy

Breeder trap ready, am on constant watch to get her in on time but not too early so she can safely pop her babies and they can hide from her and the others.

WTF am I going to do with 20 odd platies?

Ooh, congrats to Polly and Paul You face the dilemma of platy owners everywhere. This is what some other fishkeepers have done-

1. Give them away to a local fish shop. Don't expect any money though. Also be aware that they may end up as food for the other fish.

2. Give them away to friends. Don't expect any money though (sensing a theme developing here?)

3. Keep them. If you have a massive house and you really like platies.

4. Let nature take its course. This one tends to polarise opinions a bit. Basically you do away with the breeding trap, let the babies take their chances and the theory is that the weak ones will get picked off. If you go with this option then throw a couple of handfuls of java moss in the tank to give the babies a fighting chance.

Giving to a pet shop sounds most sensible. Maybe keep a couple and give the rest away. How long do I wait? 4-6 weeks until they are ready? I don't want any money, but it would be nice if they sold them on rather than feeding them to other fish.

I would love to keep them, but thanks to DSs crap toys we don't have any room for a bigger tank.

I was actually thinking about your fourth option at first, which happened to us by accident before. Just before Christmas we got a heavily pregnant platy fish (nobody realised) and within two days she must have had fry, because on Boxing day I saw that little fry swimming around. Mother died just after Christmas, so the stress of moving and giving birth must have taken its toll (RIP Pippa). Never seen any babies afterwards, so thought I had been hallucinating and then end of January a little platy baby started to emerge from the plants and she has been thriving since. Bless her (we named her Peaches ), she has managed to hide for a month and is the only survivor of her siblings. We have many life plants and rocks, so she managed to stay alive and now she is a full part of the community.

I was / am tempted to try this again, but it seems so cruel, that they eat their own babies. I know it's nature, but still...

Yes, a lot of people feel the same way. This is why I don't keep livebearers, I'm too much of a softie and I'd end up overrun with them!

I'd ask the pet shop how big they want them to be, you might want to try a few different shops too.

I am off to the local pet shop this weekend and will ask if they'd take them, what they would do with them and how long to wait. It's the same that I bought Paul and Polly from and they are very nice, so let's hope the babies can find a nice new home. Now I just have to wait for Polly to pop

I think it's time! She has squared off yesterday and her anus looks white. Can you guess I have been reading a lot about signs of impending labour? Put her in the breeder now, let's see if we have babies in the next 24 hours. I really think she is close, but as I have never had fish babies before I can't be 100% sure. Fingers crossed for a smooth birth.

Hot water and towels at the ready! Good luck to Polly. Is it a trap or a net that you've got her in? A trap has mesh at the bottom that the babies can swim underneath to hide from the mother, in case she gets peckish post-birth.

It's a trap, I really want to keep the babies alive, even though most of them will be given to a pet shop later.
Am on constant watch now. She was so unsociable yesterday, just hiding by the heater and pushing Paul away, something is definitely happening.

Has she started frantically cleaning and rearranging the gravel yet?

...any news? I've been knitting fin-warmers. xxx

You two really made me laugh.

Sorry, but no news yet :( Come one, Polly, puuuuuush!!!

I put some pictures on a special fishforum and they all said she is about to pop, so will leave her in the breeder for today and keep my fingers crossed.

Is she staying in an upright position so gravity can help? Possibly get her to walk up and down the stairs a few times? Come on Polly...focus your energies.

No news yet. Is this the longest fish labour ever? I really want to let her out again, but I bet as soon as she is out she will pop and the babies will be eaten :(

Give her some curry and then take her for a drive down a bumpy road.

We all know what REALLY helps! Maybe Paul should erm, step in ;)

Well, we let her out again for now. Didn't like seeing her in her confinement. I am at home the next days, so ready to catch any fry to put them safely in the breeder box or put her in again at a later point to birth. Got a bushy plant which should help in case she pops tonight (sod's law, bet it will happen).

I don't have any fish but do love a live labour thread! Good luck Polly!

Don't forget that her and Paul need to go on a date night and get back to business within 4-6 weeks after the birth.

Paul is trying to massage her back, but she is telling him to get off.

That's a good sign. When she starts screaming 'you have no idea what I'm going through!' then you'll know she's really close.

Ooh. Eau brings up a good point. Are they going to be reared in the 'Gina Ford' style. If so, you should probably ensure you're there to separate them immediately and only feed them at set periods, not giving eye contact in the interim. (or something like that! )

Oh, she is definitely shouting at him. "It's all your fault! You did this to me! Shut up! No, being kicked in the balls doesn't hurt as much! Don't you dare to touch me! Fuck ooooooff!!!"

No Gina Ford, Polly is a hippy mummy and she will go with the flow Boobies, co-sleeping, no routines, that's the plan.

I don't know if Gina Ford has ever kept fish.

Sounds like Polly is doing well. Don't forget to bring her a cuppa and a limp slice of toast when she's finished.

...but just think how often she'd be testing the water if she did - no wayward ammonia, nitrate or nitrite levels there!...

Gina would test the water every hour probably.

Well, no update. If it wasn't for the geeks experts on the fish forum who told me she is about to pop I'd think she was just fat.

Last night Paul and the two male guppies (Gary and Gill )were chasing her all around the tank and she was very stressed out. They didn't want to leave her alone, and she was going frantically all over the place. They probably can't wait to have their live food . So we put her back in the breeder box and she was instantly calm. I was hoping to wake up to babies, but nothing yet. Seriously, this labour is taking ages. But she seems to be happy now so will keep her in.

On a side note. I won a 4ft fishtank on ebay yesterday for the grand total of £26.01! Will pick it up by the weekend and start cycling the water straight away. This means that by the time the babies are ready to get out of the breeder box the new tank will be cycled and ready so I might keep a few more Now, does anyone want some toddler toys? Where the fuck am I going to put all of DSs things?

Thanks for the update - are there little fishie obstetricians starting to circle with thoughts of intervention?

Good luck Polly!

Can you get forceps that tiny? Try playing her a hypnobirthing CD.