[nuff]

Hey gang, been a while since I was here, but have a question about some Rainbow (mixed) Platys. Picked up two pregnant females about amonth ago, and this last week they both gave birth...lots of little ones living in and among the rock and plants...however since then both the females have been in hiding, coming out only when the lights are out and room activity has stopped.

Right about the same time, I cleaned the front glass with windex and paper towels...all the fish ran scared, but they usually do....then come back out shortly thereafter....not the two platys...this time, they stayed hidden.

From what I have read, they are not know to be particularly shy critters.

Any advice? Oh, the lights have been increased in duration due to the expected addition of a breeding size female (confirmed) angelfish.

The zebra danios have not been affected by the activity as the platys have been. Those little buggers are breeding worse than guppies!!!!!!!!!


Thanks
David

[Iron Crab]

Hi nuff,
I was just wondering where you've been. Do you still have your lionfish?
It has been a few years since I was in freshwater. I would say just give 'em a little more time and see what happens.
Sounds like you know more about these fish than I do.

Bill

[nuff]

Hey IronCrab, been in hiding since the reef tank boiled last april. Went away for a three day weekend and one heater got stuck on and boiled the tank....a total loss.

As for what I know about the freshwater fishes...been a long time since I had freshwater, so learning about them all over again.

The platy's have since begun coming out again...after adding 4 more fish to the tank....two more platy's, and an angelfish that I inherited from my Mom.

david

[Iron Crab]

Really sorry to hear about your reef. What a bummer!
I sort of slacked off on the board also- I was "volunteered" into a job at work that took a lot of my time.
I'm finally getting into a reef- got a couple corals yesterday which are looking good. Had some major set backs to get this tank running. Took me two years to save up for it and then my water well went down the tubes. Had to use my tank $ for a new well. Saved up enough again bought the tank but because of work it took two months to set it up. After a week the tank cracked- took two months to get the replacement. After over three years I can sit and enjoy it.
I also like freshwater fish but I can't afford running two tanks at this time but I still check them out when I'm at the LFS.
Glad to see ya back.
Bill

[nuff]

hey Bill,

Good to hear you finally are getting your reef started. I fully understand about the money situation....that's the reason I haven't replaced my reef just yet. It will be up and running again before long though hehehe!

Freshwater is something I have had since I was a kid...and knew nothing about it then other than what the lfs's tell you, and you know as well as I do that they, for the most part, don't know what they are talking about. This one, i decided to do similar to a reef....no external filters, only half the tank with gravel in it, NO UGF, only a bunch of rock to provide the bio filter, and a small mechanical filter to remove the undissolved organics. This, by the way, works great to control algae as well. Had a bloom of algae overnight, and added the mechanical filter and no more algae problems. The fishes seem to be happy....two Rainbow Platys, numerous babies from these two as well, 2 Orange/Red Platys, one female (confirmed) Marble Angel, 5 Zebra Danios who started laying eggs the first week in the tank, and one Beta Splendens (electric blue fins on this baby). They all eat like pigs, including the babies.

Sporry to hear about the problems you have been having with getting the reef tank back up. It takes patience and money over anything else don't it??

Thanks for the welcome back...the reef section seems to have died, is the whole site losing popularity?

David