platy/mollies pregnant?

Question
QUESTION: hi i have quite a few platies and mollies.
50 gallon i have 2 female black mollies, 2 female silver mollies & 1 silver male mollie, 3 female redwag platys, 1 swordtail male and 1 swordtail female, 1 female sun platy. I have a few i believe might be pregnant, i dont know how far along and i honestly dont even know if they are fat or pregnant. I see the black grid on atleast 3 of them but dont know if im just seeing it because i read it somewhere. basically all i need to know is any other ways to check if their pregnant? what the best way to handle this situation is, if i want to keep as many as possible? and if i can send you pictures through an email or something for you to check and see.. thanks so much for your help

ANSWER: Hi Shari;

Generally if there are males in the tank with them, the females will have babies inside them. It really is a guessing game on when they will drop the babies though. There are a couple of clues that can help. When a female is ready to deliver in a week or less, her belly will become "boxy" looking. It will be somewhat flat on the sides and bottom. She will also hide more, usually near the bottom of the tank under some plants. The babies are usually born in the early morning before dawn. This gives them the best chance to find hiding places before the other fish are aware of them. Provide plenty of live and/or artificial plants to help them hide. If you decide to separate the babies, get a baby grow-out tank of at least 10 gallons. Once they triple in size they can usually be added back to the adult tank. As long as they are big enough not to be eaten, it's safe.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: do you have any good websites or pictures so that i can compare my fish to them> I have searched the Internet and rented books from the library still nothing.. If i have a few that I think might be due would it be a good idea to by a tank seperator and put them on the other side either alone or together? is it best to keep them one mom at a time or can i put more them one?..


Answer
Hi Shari;

You can keep more than one mother together but they will eat their own as well as each other's babies. Feeding the mothers well, having as big a tank as you can afford, and lots of hiding places is the best way to help avoid that. The problem with tank dividers is that there are often gaps between the divider and the glass that the babies can slip through. They can be so darn tiny!

I really don't have any links to good pictures of gravid female platies. It's really hard to find them, and believe me, I've tried too. You just have to watch and see how it goes. Save the ones you can save and wait for the next batch.

Good luck!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins