The growth of platy fry is the concern of many platy breeding aquarists. It is fascinating and exciting to have new platy babies. You can’t wait for them to grow up already and bloom to full size.
The standing question is, how long does it take platy fry to grow fully? On average, the platy fry will grow to full size between 5 and 6 months in captivity. They grow faster while in the wild. The growth of platy fry largely depends on factors such as water quality, optimal temperature, ideal feeding regimen and the space they’ve got in your tank.
Platy fry are sensitive little creatures. They will keep you on your toes and force you to up your game a few notches higher. With more experience, you will become more efficient inadequately taking care of and raising the young ones.
How can I make my platy fry grow faster?
There is nothing wrong with trying to make your fish grow faster than expected. As long as you do everything by the books and don’t cross some red lines while at it, you are doing good.
Here are some of the things you can do to achieve your desired goal:
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Water quality
Platy fry does well in conditions that older platys live in. It is vital to deal with anything that might cause stress to the fish fry.
For instance, you might have to clean your filter system regularly and perform more water changes. Your water quality (pH, temperature, general hardness, etc.) must be as high as possible.
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Temperature
Fishkeepers regard temperature as one of the critical aspects of water quality. It is crucial to keep the temperature at the optimum level; that is why I emphasised it separately.
The ideal temperature range for platy fry is around 70 and 820 Fahrenheit. High temperatures mean higher metabolism, which will translate to a higher growth rate. Choose an efficient automatic heater to ensure your water temperature goes higher or less than the recommended range.
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Feeding
Platy fry need a balanced diet to grow effectively. One or two types of food will not do the trick here.
You can feed them the same food you feed adult platys. Just make sure to add bloodworms, brine shrimps or other live food along the way.
Feed platy fry 3 or 4 times a day and ensure that you vary their diet every day.
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Fish tank
The size of the tank you have placed your fish indirectly affects the growth of your fish. In a small space, your platy fry will be relatively small in its growth spurts.
I recommend having at least 0.5 gallons of water for each fry you keep. With more space in aquariums, platy fry grows decently.
You can set up a different tank and transfer the young platys into it. Having a separate tank for platy fry will save them from predators like their own parents and make it easier to take good care of them. Once the platys are grown, you can take them back into the communal tank.
The conditions above are okay when applied separately. Accurate combo application of all the above tips will have you raise your fry in a flash.
How many babies can platies have at once?
According to Wikipedia, platies can have a range of 20 to 50 fry at once. The number of fry platies give birth to is mainly dependent on the condition they were in.
A stressed pregnant female will not give as many or healthy fries as female platies in good conditions. If you want to have a legion of fry, keeping the conditions in your aquarium at optimum levels is obligatory.
Unfortunately, most fry do not survive. They are either eaten up by their parents and other older fish or killed by other factors. Out of twenty, only seven might reach maturity. Most of them can survive if necessary measures are taken.
How long does it take for platy fry to develop colours?
This question has roused varying responses from fishkeepers both online and offline. The consensus is; the time for the development of colour in fish depends on the type of platyfish.
Some platyfish show colours right after birth, while others will have strains of colours in a week or two. At two to three months old, platy fry typically have their colours fully developed.
Final thoughts
A responsible aquarist will always research and prepare for the birth of fry they intend to raise. It is not an easy job, taking care of lots of baby fish. However, with ample knowledge, I believe you will learn on the job and be the best you can at it.
Once you get the hang of it all, you will have yourself an additional bunch of adult platys at a maximum of six months after their birth.
Jesse is the principal author of this blog. He is an avid fishkeeper with rich experience spanning several years. He is here to share his knowledge and ensure you also have a guiding compass, as he did with his father.
