Lively PLATY FISH Are the Color Kings in the Entire Fish Community

A female "Golden Comet" or "Twin Bar" Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus).
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Platy fish are very famous for their colors. In fact, they are called color kings in the entire fish community. They are good for the beginners and they can easily live with other species of fish in the same aquarium.

They come from South America, especially Mexico and Guatemala. As they carry a dark spot on their tail, they are famous with the name 'Moonfish'.

Originally, there were two main species of platyfish. Now there are numerous varieties created by the breeders. They are interbred with swordtails and it is now very difficult to separate them from other species. Presently they are available in all possible colors you want and even in all combinations of colors your desire. So these variations make your aquarium very lively and colorful. That is the main reason for experienced fish-keepers to go for platyfish.

A well-lit aquarium with a lot of plants is ideal for platyfish. If you add a small amount of salt in the water, they are very happy to live in. Of course, this will depend on the other species of fish you are keeping in the aquarium. There should be enough open space for them for swimming and hiding. If you provide some floating plants that will automatically provide enough hiding places for them.

One important thing to remember about the colors of platyfish is - the males will not show their colors until they are fully grown up. If you keep the temperature of the water a bit colder, their colors will brighten up.

Platyfish will eat all types of live food as well as flaked food. In addition, they will eat a lot of algae and other plants. If you provide them live or frozen brine shrimp, blood-worms or tubifex, they will be very happy. They will require some amount of proteins in their food but at the same time, they will require algae in their daily diet.

The females are bigger than the males. The females grow up to 2,5 inches while the males can grow only up to 2 inches. However, the females are in plain color while males are found in a number of colors.

They can happily live in the water having a ph level of 7.0 to 8.0. The temperature of the water should be kept in the range of 60 to 75° F.

They are very easy breeders because they will reproduce without any efforts or attention on your part. They will not eat their eggs or fry and they will live peacefully with their kids. They will get overpopulated soon; you should provide enough space in your aquarium for their growth.

As they are hardy and they can tolerate a wide range of conditions of water, they make an excellent choice for both the beginners as well as for the experienced fish-keepers.

Chintamani Abhyankar is a goldfish enthusiast and has been raising and breeding goldfish for many years. He is an expert on their care and an advocate for raising healthy goldfish the natural way. Article Source: EzineArticles

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LIVEBEARERS in General - PLATIES in Particular

Two red wag platies (Xiphophorus maculatus) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Livebearers are a very common fish in many smaller community tanks up to 20 - 25 gallons. They are relatively passive and provide much interest because they bear live fry that is often large enough to live on their own immediately, assuming they can find a suitable place to hide right away. If they are not, they are rapidly eaten by the rest of the aquarium occupants, including their mother.

There are essentially four types of livebearers found in the small aquarium; guppies, platies, swordtails, and mollies.

Guppies have evolved quite rapidly and been bred for a number of color variations and fin shapes. They are extremely popular and are often the first fish a novice aquarist may keep. Swordtails and platies share the same genus - Xiphophorus, so are very closely related. The swordtails are more streamlined in general and are interesting because of the "sword" that often extends from the tail fin. Often they are more active and aggressive than platies. The platy is usually much stockier, taller and shorter and comes in just as many colors as the swordtails. Mollies can become quite large in comparison with the other three and also is actually a brackish water fish. Believe it or not, mollies have even been used to start a saltwater aquarium and show a little problem with adjusting to such drastic water differences.

Any livebearer species seems to have very energetic males. Because of this, any livebearers should be purchased in trios, two females to every male. The males need to be diverted otherwise they can wear a female down with constant attention. Luckily it is quite easy to differentiate a male from a female, the females have a fixed triangular fin at the base of the body, males have a gonopodium instead. This a special movable sword-shaped fin near the anus of the male. It is normally held parallel to the body. It is a movable appendage that rotates forward and forms an open tube to pass sperm packets to the female. Even a brand new fish keeper can identify between the sexes with a little careful observation in the pet store.

Livebearers females, especially guppies, can store the sperm packets passed to them by a male and become pregnant at a much later date. So even if a male has been there only briefly, it is not a surprise that suddenly a female is pregnant without any apparent cause. Another thing that can happen often found in swordtails, is that when there is a tank full of swordtails where there are no males present the dominant female may suddenly appear to change sexes and become a male.

Platies are the fish I generally use in a community aquarium, guppies seem to be a lot more fragile than they used to be. Probably as a result of the tremendous inbreeding that has occurred to define and create new combinations of colors and fins. The guppy is not the most sturdy fish to add to a new aquarium. Guppies are best added, if they are to be kept, well after the initial maturation of the biological filter is fully completed. There are much better fish to initiate a new fish tank, guppies are certainly not the best.

Swordtails are very active and swim continually. They are usually one of the larger fish and their constant swimming can cause havoc for much smaller fish. There is no doubt that if you plan on keeping the larger community fish like gouramis and angels the fast swimming swords can take care of themselves in most cases. Platies seem to be a bit more placid in an aquarium with small tetras and danios but are also large enough to take care of themselves with barbs and sharks. So even though the swords and the guppies may seem to have the flash, the platies do offer as many color varieties and seem to fit well with almost any small community aquarium.

By Stephen Pond http://www.noviceaquarist.com Dedicated to providing information required for the successful novice aquarist. Keep tropical fish alive and thriving in your first aquarium through the critical first six weeks and beyond. Visit my website for detailed information for the novice aquarist on all aspects of the beginning aquarium. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Fact Sheet: PLATY FISH - Xiphophorus maculatus and Xiphophorus variatus

(Original Title: Platy Fish Fact Sheet)

Photo by Allie_Caulfield

There are two species of Platy, Xiphophorus maculatus, and Xiphophorus variatus. Platys are closely related to Swordtails and Xiphophorus helleri, and Xiphophorus maculatus will freely interbreed with Swordtails. The interfertility of Xiphophorus variatus with the others two species may be less, but hybrids can occur. The Platies and Swordtails we buy are often not of pure species.

All three species come from Central America. Xiphophorus variatus, commonly called the Variatus Platy, appears to be able withstand slightly colder conditions than the other two species, and may be more suitable for an unheated tank in a reasonably warm house than the other species, but all are basically tropical fish. Platies tend to be shorter but thicker than Swordtails.

Water Conditions

The platy is a tropical fish and I recommend a temperature of 24 degrees C (75 degrees F). They prefer harder water with some salt in it although they are quite adaptable. The platy appears to be better able to survive higher Nitrite (NO2) levels than most fish, but these should normally be avoided for all fish.

Food

The Platy is an omnivore and will eat some algae as well as live food including Mosquito larvae (wrigglers) and Daphnia. They do well on all normal fish foods.

Companions

The Platy is a peaceful fish and is a good fish for a community tank of small peaceful fish. The Platy lacks the long fins of the Guppy and is a faster swimmer, so its companions can include some of the slightly aggressive fish that you would not put with Guppies. You need to avoid any large, aggressive or predatory fish.

Suitable companions include Rummy Nose Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Guppies, Endlers Guppies, Neon Tetras, Peppered Catfish, White Cloud Mountain Minnows and Zebra Danios. Most of these fish will eat baby Platies.

Pest Fish

Never release your pet fish or put them in the position of being accidentally released. The Platy has the potential to seriously damage fragile ecosystems.

By Steve Challis Steve Challis has articles on a huge range of subjects at http://www.bettatrading.com.au including Fish Fact Sheets like the Guppy Fact Sheet at http://www.bettatrading.com.au/Guppy-Fact-Sheet.php. Article Source: EzineArticles

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