# Water Temp for Induced Labor?



## DjSupreme

Hey Everyone!

I read somewhere(I cant find the thread) that you can induce labor by increasing the water temperature of my tank. I have just platties and catfishes in my tank. I was just curious what the temperature range was that would induce labor and wont even bother trying if it will endanger my other fishes.


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## SuckMyCichlids

I've read that that works for some species but I cant really recall right now. Platies usually breed pretty good on their own as with most livbearers, its best to keep atleast a 1:3 ratio of males to females to spread out the aggression the male can put on the females

Just curious, what type of catfish do you have in there and how big is the tank?


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## DjSupreme

My ratio for F to M Platties is about 2 to 1. (Corrected)
2 Male Blue High Fin Platties
2 Male Orange Wag Platties
2 Female Red Tiger High Fin Platties
2 Female Painted Platties
2 Female Sunburst Mickey Mouse Platties
2 Female Red Platties

6 Albino Cory Catfishes
2 Green Cory Catfishes

I got a 55 gallon tank.


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## SuckMyCichlids

That's a ratio of 1:2, shouldn't be too much of a problem, just keep an eye out for fin nipping and look out for fry during water changes lol, the survival rate will increase with the more places you have for them to hide, java moss as well as floating plants can do wonders


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## DjSupreme

Java Moss.. Is that grass ball looking thing I see at Petsmart? I heard fries eat the microorganisms that live in it but is there any special care for them? Do I just drop them in my aquarium?


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## SuckMyCichlids

You might be thinking of marimo moss balls, those are a more solid defined ball, wouldn't do too much for cover I don't think but still wouldn't be bad to add to your tank, all live plants help your water but, google java moss and see if your lfs has any


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## BBradbury

DjSupreme said:


> Hey Everyone!
> 
> I read somewhere(I cant find the thread) that you can induce labor by increasing the water temperature of my tank. I have just platties and catfishes in my tank. I was just curious what the temperature range was that would induce labor and wont even bother trying if it will endanger my other fishes.


Hello Dj...

I keep large tanks of "Livebearers" and Corydoras and use slightly warmer water when I do my water changes. I'd typically replace at least half the tank water weekly. The combination of the pure, treated, tap water and the warmth would stimulate the pregnant females to drop the fry.

I keep my tanks at 76-78 degrees. The new water was about 82 and so the tank water stayed at about 80 degrees for a few hours after the water change, then slowly returned to normal.

The fish would swim in and out of the warmer water as it went into the tank. They seemed to love the weekly, warm water changes.

B


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## navigator black

Two issues - the baby fish in the mom are in eggs, receiving a minimal exchange of nutrition from the Mom, to maintain their weight as they burn their yolk, but they aren't attached to the Mom. They are developing eggs which will hatch and drop out.
If you try tricks to rush them, you will speed up their development, but I find fry born in warmer tanks are often weaker fish. So you have to balance that out. I used to keep and breed my platys at around 74f. 

With 12 platies in a 55, I would get hold of (garden centre?) some chicken egg sized rocks and smaller, and create two or three long rubble zones in the tank. These are zones adults can't get between the rocks of, but where fry can go to ground. I would then either put in a lot of floating plants, or as an inferior option, go to the dollar store and get some squares of green plastic plants of the sort used in craft projects, They are about six by eight or so on grids, and maybe an inch high. Float them.

I keep wild form livebearers, and unhybridized platies have been impossible for me to find. They are the rarest of the rare, believe it or not. But using set-ups like the above with other Xiphophorus species, you could expect to have over a hundred fish in a 55 within 3-4 months. This is without removing fry. They will over-run you.
You are going to have some hard to sell fish though, as they all be crosses between the commercial forms.


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