Freshwater aquarium fish can be a great addition to any home. The more you know about them, the better off you’ll be! Everybody loves to see baby fish grow up and become big, strong adults. However, many people don’t know that other creatures in the tank love to eat platy fry! Do other fish eat Platy fry?
Yes, many fish will eat Platy fry. Unfortunately, some are ravenous predators who love to snack on little, defenseless creatures like small fish fries!
Even fish like swordtails, guppies, mollies, etc. will happily eat Platy fish fry, let alone betta and other predatory fish.
This blog post will talk about some of the predators of baby platy fry, what to do if your tank has predatory fish in it, and how to protect your little guys from these voracious fish!
Will Other Fish Eat Platy Fry?
Yes, other fish will eat Platy fry. Many different types of fish can prey on baby platies, including betta, angelfish, swordtails, guppies, mollies, and pufferfish. That being said, some types of fish won’t eat the young fry, such as gourami or killifish.
There are several ways to protect the young fry, including; not keeping predatory fish, separating them from other fish with small hiding spots, and providing lots of shelter like plants or rocks.
While it may seem like your platy will eat their baby fry, there is nothing beneficial about this action as all it does is make both mother and babies stressed out.
Also, remember platy fish eat betta food too. This might bring chaos and war in the aquarium. And even these platy fish will eat their own fry.
Why Do Other Fish Eat Platy Fry?
Well, if you’re like me, then you probably bought a community tank. This means that there are several different species of fish in the same water with each other.
When a fish is new to an aquarium, it might eat the juicy fry from another species.
The main reason other types of fish would want to eat platy fry is that its protein and protein are good for them!
Every organism has a niche in every water ecosystem where there are many other fish too small to take on as prey or food. So for those who can’t compete with more giant beings, little swimmers like the baby the platy come to the next best thing.
List Of Fish That Will Eat Platy Fry:
Some people have also said that Gouramis won’t eat fry, but I think this is an exaggeration as there are many accounts of them eating fry just fine. Platies themselves will sometimes steal fry from other fish and eat them, so if you have a tank with a male and female, there’s no guarantee that the fry will survive.
Angelfish
It is an omnivorous fish and will eat anything it can fit in its mouth.
Betta Fish
This type of fish does not know the difference between food or a living creature, so if there is something small enough to swallow, they would probably eat it.
Swordtails
This type of fish is not very picky about what they eat and will pretty much try to swallow anything that wiggles in front of them.
Guppies
Guppies are attractive because if their fry gets too big, they can prey on other fish types like killifish.
Gourami
This type of fish is a big eater and will eat anything that comes close to them.
Pufferfish
If you own this aquarium, it would be best not to keep livebearer fry or other small swimming creatures as they can quickly become prey for the pufferfish.
What Fish Won’t Eat Platy Fry?
There are various fish that are not likely to eat the baby platy fry. For example, most fish won’t eat platy fry if they are larger than the size of their mouth.
Fish not likely to eat platy fry include Chinese algae eater, Corydoras catfish, pleco, Kuhli loach. Fish that will probably eat fry have goldfish, guppy, mollies.
Can You Keep Other Fish With Platy Fry?
Many types of fish will eat baby platy fry, and some fish definitely shouldn’t be kept together. Therefore, it is important to research the fish you want to keep with your platies before adding them to the tank.
If you aren’t sure what kind of fish can be housed in a community aquarium or which ones should be kept alone, check out our blog post about the best community fish.
The first type of predatory fish you should not house with platy fry is those who eat live plants and algae-like betta fish (Betta splendens). However, other aggressive or carnivorous fish may try to prey on the young fry, so it is best to keep them in a species only aquarium.
Some fish that you can house platy fry with include swordtails, guppies, mollies, gourami, and pufferfish. However, you should always research before adding new fish into your tank! While most types of minnows are generally good with fry, some fish will eat young platy.
How Can You Protect Platy Fry?
To protect the baby Platy fish from predators like Corydoras catfish and other bottom feeders, you can use plants that they cannot get to or floating plants on top of the water surface. Another way is by using a tank divider so that the fry cannot get in the area where the larger fish are.
You can protect your baby fish by separating them from other types of fish in a tank and adding lots of hiding places for them to be able to hide underneath or behind something when they sense danger.
There are various ways to protect Platy fry. They include:
Don’t Keep Predatory Fish
You should not keep predatory fish if you want to protect your Platy fry.
The reason that one should not keep predatory fish is that they will likely capture your fry. It is also possible that the prey fish will be injured or killed. The predatory fish will also scare off other fish from eating the food you provide for your fry.
You should avoid keeping predators like goldfish, guppy, or mollies because they eat the platy fry. It is best to keep them in an aquarium with other types of fish that are not likely to eat the baby platy fry.
Separate Platy Baby Fry
You should separate your baby fry from the other fish in your tank.
This separation is important because some predators are more significant than others, while others eat smaller prey. The reason why you should keep them separated also has to do with the fact that they may get injured or killed by another predator if you don’t.
Keeping the baby platies separated will also help because you can keep an eye on them to ensure that they are healthy and growing at an average rate.
It is also advisable to separate the baby from adult platies when they are born to avoid them being eaten by their parents who might mistake them for food.
If you have a community tank with other types of larger fish, it is best to separate the baby Platy fish in their container to grow safely. In this way, your adult fish will get along better since they won’t have to compete with the baby fish for food.
Platy fish will stop eating anything you give them if they find their easy target in the tank. Also, these fish are omnivores. Hence, you can even find platy fish eating plants in the tank.
Similarly, platy fish eats shrimps too. So, you can give them variety of food without a second thought. Platy fish will eat algae as well if it is available in the tank.
Keep Lots Of Hiding Spots
Another thing that you should do to protect your Platy fry from other fish is providing lots of hiding spots for them.
You can use fake plants, driftwood, or rocks as these are things that the adult fish won’t eat and will provide some protection for the young ones. This way, they don’t have to worry too much about being eaten if they go out to explore the surface of their tank.
You must keep lots of hiding spots in your aquarium because it will make larger fish less likely to find and eat the Platy fry. You can use rocks, plants, or other decorations as hiding places.
Does Eating Platy Fry Have Any Benefits?
Well, the good news is that eating baby Platy fish has its benefits!
- Platy fish are a great source of protein.
- Platy fry is high in calories.
- Baby platies are easy to eat.
FAQ
Do Platy Fish Eat Their Baby Fry?
No, platies will not eat their fry. They are very good parents and definitely do NOT eat the fry that they produce! However, there is one exception to this rule of thumb.
If you place a male with female fish in an aquarium with fry already in it, the male may eat some fry. But, depending on their personalities and how well they get along, this can be an expected behavior rarely happens.
Conclusion
If you want platies, please get 20 or more so that a male is less likely to eat the fry. If you only have a few platies and they produce fry, please make sure that there is no male in the tank or another adult fish of any kind. Then, they will eat the fry!
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.