Xiphophorus maculatus 'Blue Platy' babies:

March 31, 2010. About an hour ago, one of the aquarium strain Xiphophorus maculatus 'Blue Platy' females gave birth to 12 babies. There might have been more, since platies in confined spaces (like breeder traps) will eat their own young, but 12 is enough for the time being. Usually the Orange Chromides eat the young, but this time I was able to seperate the mother out from the other platies, placing her in a breeder trap last night. It was the Orange Chromides’ behavior that clued me in to the fact that the mother had given birth: I was looking at the aquarium from across the living room as my wife and I ate dinner, and as I watched I saw one of the chromides throw itself against the side of the breeder trap. Knowing the Orange Chromide’s fondness for fish fry, I decided to check the breeder trap. Sure enough, there were baby fish. Exciting!
An Orange Chromide watches two Blue Platies foraging for algae on an unknown Cryptocoryne sp.
Photo by D. Jury.

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