Will my platy eat her babies?

Question
  I have a 2 gallon tank and I have had my tank for about 2 months.  I had
two platys, but one died about 2 weeks ago, so now I'm down to one.  I
noticed some tiny fish in my tank this morning, and I'm not sure what to do.  
Will my mother eat her babies?  Do I need to separate them at all, and if so,
how? I do not have any live plants, just some fake coral.  How long will it be
okay to leave the babies in that small of a tank?  If you could answer my
questions, I would really appreciate it!  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jenna
It just depends, sometimes they do eat them and sometimes they don't.  If you want to keep them, you'll probably be best removing them though(which can be tough) or adding some fake or live plants to the bottom so they can hide.  But, if you do intend to keep them, you'll need a larger tank.  They do make a breeders net for fry, it hangs on the side of the tank, but it won't fit in your tank, it barely fits well enough on a 10 gallon tank.  

As for how long to keep them in there....really depends if the mom is going to eat them, and there's no real hiding place for them, and eventually your water quality is going to get bad with that many in there, so I'd say the sooner the better.  

If you do intend to keep them, or most of them, I'd suggest buying a larger tank, at least a 10 gallon, and move the mom to that, it'll just be easier then trying to find a bunch of small fry/babies.  But it'd be a good idea when they're larger to separate them-males and females(which can also be difficult) so you don't end up with a bunch more of them.  You could also check around at some small mom and pop type of pet stores, they may take them or possibly buy them off you(or store credit) once they're big enough.

Let me know if you have more questions, and good luck with them!

Christy