Frequent Aquarium Questions

• Will different breeds of the same type 'platys' mate? for example, my sunset fire platy and my red wag platy?
  
  
• How can I tell if my Female Gourami is pregnant? She seems to be getting wider in the stomach and has also been changing color from a light gold to a darker goldish color with a bit of black stipes on her back.
  
  
• Do you have any useful tips on Betta breeding?
  
  
• Are gouramis live bearers or egglayers? Will they eat their offspring?
  
  
• How can you determine sex in Bettas?
  
  
• How does the Betta fish get pregnant?
  
  
• Our platies have given birth to eleven baby fish. We have placed them in a 2 1/2 gallon tank for the time being. What do we need to know in order to raise them?
  
  
• How do I know if my ryukin goldfish is going to lay eggs?
  
  
• How can you tell if guppies are male or female?
  
  
• I have 2 Oscars. Today I noticed there are eggs all over the undergravel filter. I don't know which one layed them or even if they're male & female. Do females lay unfertilized eggs? How can I tell which one is male and which is female?
  
  

• Will different breeds of the same type 'platys' mate? for example, my sunset fire platy and my red wag platy?
  
  Without a doubt, all members of the the Platy genus (Xiphophorus spp.) are capable of interbreeding. Many different Platy groups are actually subspecies or even unique crossings with no taxonomic difference from each other. They will even breed with Swordtails.
  
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• How can I tell if my Female Gourami is pregnant? She seems to be getting wider in the stomach and has also been changing color from a light gold to a darker goldish color with a bit of black stipes on her back.
  
  Gouramis are egglaying fish, and do not "get pregnant". However, it does sound like your female may be ripe with eggs. Without proper conditioning, though, it is unlikely that your gouramis will reproduce.
  
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• Do you have any useful tips on Betta breeding?
  
  Here a few pointers towards success with breeding Bettas: First, always condition the male and female separately. During this time, provide them with high quality foods like mosquito larvae, bloodworms, and daphnia. Live foods are best, but frozen foods can work as well. Also, do not introduce your breeding pair to eachother unless you are certain that both fishes are ready to mate. The male will have constructed a nest made of air bubbles at the water's surface, while the female will appear swollen with eggs. Finally, be sure to watch your pair carefully after putting them together. Bettas can be quite fickle about choosing mates, and may attack or kill a potential partner they decide is unacceptable. Be ready to remove one of them if hostilites arise, or if the pair seem disinterested in eachother.
  
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• Are gouramis live bearers or egglayers? Will they eat their offspring?
  
  All gouramis are egglaying fish. Males will build a nest of bubbles at the water surface, where the pair will deposit the eggs. The male will guard this nest and care for the eggs and young until they are able to swim on their own. In some species of gourami, both parents will share this duty. How the young are treated once they are on their own varies between the species: some will ignore their offspring while others will eat them. The exact level of care the parents will provide is different for each species, so you should research the type you are trying to breed to learn the specifics.
  
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• How can you determine sex in Bettas?
  
  Most, but not all, male Bettas have long fins, while the females' are always short. They are also typically larger than the females. Male Bettas will also only be kept one per tank when offered for sale, as they will often fight to the death when placed together.
  
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• How does the Betta fish get pregnant?
  
  Bettas do not get pregnant. They are egglaying fish that deposit their eggs in a nest made of air bubbles, just like their relatives the gouramis. The male will guard the nest and young until they are able to swim on their own.
  
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• Our platies have given birth to eleven baby fish. We have placed them in a 2 1/2 gallon tank for the time being. What do we need to know in order to raise them?
  
  Young livebeares are quite easy to raise. Pulverized flake food and frozen "baby" brine shrimp are fine as foods, as are any of the commercially available "baby fish foods" (aka fry foods). Growth is usually rapid if given plenty of space and regular aquarium maintenance. There really isn't much special care that they will require, other than taking their tiny size into account. They may be placed with other fish as soon as they are large enough not to be eaten.
  
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• How do I know if my ryukin goldfish is going to lay eggs?
  
  Ryukins, like any goldfish, will appear to have a slightly swollen abdomen when they are ripe with eggs. Typically, it requires special conditioning to induce them to spawn, so it is unlikely your fish will lay any eggs on their own.
  
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• How can you tell if guppies are male or female?
  
  Like most livebearers, guppies are quite easy to sex. The surest sign is to look at the fish's anal fin (the unpaired fin undeneath the body). In females this fin is normal, but in males it is modified into a spike-shaped reproductive organ called a gonopodium. Male guppies are also noticeably smaller than the females, are more colorful, and have more elaborate finnage.
  
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• I have 2 Oscars. Today I noticed there are eggs all over the undergravel filter. I don't know which one layed them or even if they're male & female. Do females lay unfertilized eggs? How can I tell which one is male and which is female?
  
  Yes, female fish will lay unfertilized eggs. If the eggs turn white, they are infertile. The most reliable way to sex Oscars is to look at the emerging sex organs. The male will have a small spike just before the anal fin that comes to a point. The female will have a similar protrusion but it will be wide at the tip.
  
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