platy in labor?????????

Question
my platy has a kinda big stomache and was laying on the bottom of the tank so i put it in a breeder net and it has been just sitting on the bottom of that underneath one of the plants its pooping a lot and not eating is it in labor or what is going on i cant see any black dots on the belly because its and orange and black spotted fish please help i have no clue about fish having babies how long can labor last  

Answer
hey jill,
signs of labor can last up to a week or two before birth, but birth normally only lasts an hour or two at the most.

not eating, alot of pooping, and doing a weird swim-in-place-shakeing-thing are all signs of pregnancy, along with the spotting on the stomch (which isnt very reliable because of different fishes coloring like you said).

keep trying to feed her and tempt her with good food, such as brine shrimp, so she doesnt starve.

also, adult fish eat babies, so keep a lookout for when the babies are born so the mom doesnt gobble them up right away. stick little plants in the breeder net for coverage once they are born...at least then they have a chance to hide from the mom.

once the babies are born feed them crushed up fishflakes. keep them seperate from adults until they are at least six weeks old, but they might still be too small or they might get bullied at this age, so keep a lookout on them.

good luck with the new possible babies! it sounds like you have some on the way...
best wishes, chelsey