Assorted Platties

If you are new to the aquarium hobby, Platy fish are the fish for you. They are peaceful, easy-to-care for, and ideal for community aquariums. These mesmerizing fish have a bright coloration.

There are many breeds and hybrids within this species which come in as many colors as the rainbow.  The Platy inhabits the freshwaters of Mexico, Guatemala and northern Honduras.  Platies are livebearers and are easily bred.

Behaviour

Although platies are very small, they are an extremely active species. They love being in groups, but they are not a schooling fish. For the male to female ratio, it’s best to keep a group with one male and at least three females.

Tank Conditions

Keep them in a densely planted aquarium and you will have happy fish!  A 40 litre aquarium should be just enough for a group of 5 adult platies. Having more than five fish in a 40 litre tank is not recommended.

Compatibility

Platy fish make ideal tank mates as they are very peaceful. They enjoy swimming around in groups with males occasionally fighting amongst themselves.  Small peaceful fish are the perfect tank companions, especially with species that are loosely related such as Mollies, Guppies or Swordtails. They also get along well with other similar size and temperament fish such as Corydoras, Tetras, Characins, Gouramis, small peaceful barbs and obviously other Platy Fish.  Platy fish can be kept with shrimps and snails if you would like some non-fish companions.  They will not get along well with bullies and fin nipping fish.

Feeding

Platy fish are not fussy eaters as long as you provide them with a diet which is high in vegetables.  In their natural habitat, they eat small crustaceans, worms, insects and plants. They are considered omnivorous fish, but prefer a herbivorous diet.  They will eat most food, live, commercially prepared and vegetable food. Choose a good quality flake food to form the core of their diet.  You can treat them once or twice a week by feeding them brine shrimp, tubifex and bloodworms. Proteins are good as long as there are always plenty of veggies such as  algae. Boiled vegetables such as squash, spinach, cucumber and vegetable supplements such as spirulina are a good starting point.

Care

They are tolerant to temperature and water fluctuations, but take care for sudden changes in water parameters. These types of changes can lead to stress and should be avoided.

If you want your platies to thrive, you should definitely pay attention to water filtration.  The filtering system should be able to keep the water in great condition and get rid of waste or excess food that will harm the water quality. Water conditions are particularly important for Swordtail platies, as they are more vulnerable to poor water conditions than other variations.