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FAQs on the Behavior of Platies

Related Articles: Platies, Poeciliids: Guppies, Platies, Swordtails, Mollies by Neale Monks, Livebearing Fishes by Bob Fenner,

Pregnant female red wag platy being mean to male? 4/8/08
Hello,
I purchased a pair of Red Wag Platies from PETCO a few weeks ago, one male, one female. Much of the equipment in the tank is second hand, (including the 12 gallon tank itself) so I don't know brands, but I do know that the aerator (I'm sorry I do not know if I spelled that right) is fully independent (requires no external pump) and is made for the tank, and that the filter is a medium Whisper filter. I also have a heater and a thermometer in the tank. Now, as to the fish in the tank. There are 3 Danios (One Giant, one Long tail Zebra, and one Long tail Leopard), a Black Skirted Tetra, 3 Corydoras (One is spotted, one splotchy, and one albino), and a Black Mystery Snail.
<An interesting collection of fish, in the sense of not being sensible or recommended. Danios are schooling fish, and expect/need to be kept in groups of their own kind. Six zebra Danios (Danio rerio) for example. When kept in insufficient numbers it is not only cruel, but also asking for trouble. Have seen these fish become aggressive and nippy when kept thus. The tetra Gymnocorymbus ternetzi is a real troublemaker. Apart from being a schooling fish (again, six or more!) it is a confirmed fin nipper; will likely nip the Apple snail too. A dead snail = water pollution on a massive scale. And I cannot stress to strongly that Danios, and especially the Giant Danio (Danio aequipinnatus) require a lot of swimming space. Danio aequipinnatus gets to about 15 cm/6" when mature, and can (and will) eat small fish, including of course any livebearer fry but potentially small tetras, Danios, etc. Danio aequipinnatus needs an aquarium at least 150 cm/60" in length. Small Danios need something at least 60 cm/24" long.>
Anyway...
<Hmm...?>
All was going well until about 3 days ago when I noticed a small white spot on the female Platy's vent. I immediately started looking online and found that the white spot is supposedly the gravid spot for the Red Wags, which of course made me get all kinds of excited because I had thought she was pregnant a week ago.
<No, no, no. You can't reliably see the gravid spot on Xiphophorus spp., and it certainly isn't white.>
Today, I noticed that she has been refusing the male's affections and running from him, until about an hour ago. Now instead of running away from him, she keeps a bit of distance while having a bowel movement and then lets him get real close, only to swim away real fast and hit him in the face with it. (Is this normal rejection type behavior?)
<Who knows?>
The other thing she has been doing is hiding in places where he can almost reach her with his gonopodium, but not quite, which has been driving him nuts! I am beginning to wonder how long it will be between the gravid spot appearing and her birthing the fry.
<Gestation period is between 4-6 weeks, give or take a bit depending on environmental factors.>
So, I guess to sum it up, I have two questions.
1: Is torturing the male a common pregnancy pastime for the female?
<Not a pastime, but rather the result of evolutionary pressures acting on the males and females in different ways. Male livebearers are small and colourful, and consequently likely to get eaten young. So they are anxious to breed as often as possible before that happens. Females livebearers (at least in the wild) are bigger and camouflaged, so live longer. They select their mates carefully because they are committing a lot of energy and time to each batch of fry. They will attempt to reject males they consider unworthy.>
2: How long between a gravid spot appearing and the birthing of fry?
<It isn't reliably visible on fancy Xiphophorus spp. so don't worry about it. Unless your tank has lots of floating plants, the Danio aequipinnatus will eat all the babies within minutes of birth. So this discussion is completely academic. Do not put female Platies in a breeding trap. It is too small for them, and likely stresses the fish, leading to miscarriages. Read the many articles here at WWM on livebearers and fish breeding. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Pregnant female red wag platy being mean to male? 4/8/08
I noticed that in your response you stated that the giant Danio will get to 6 inches in length at full maturity, and you said that he will eat the fry. Currently he is only around 2 inches in length and has the smallest mouth out of all the fish.
<Do see here:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=10829
Danio aequipinnatus, maximum size 15 cm, minimum aquarium length 100 cm. Fishbase is a scientific database, and not something put together my amateurs! I don't make this stuff up to scare people!>
I also read that you said my tank setup was not recommended or sensible, but it was actually recommended by the store manager.
<Who you going to believe, a guy who wants to sell stuff, or a guy trying to help on the basis of 20+ years of fishkeeping and a degree in marine zoology?>
We've had all these fish for a couple months (aside from the platies) and they haven't fought since I removed a catfish that was getting a little too territorial (I'm sorry I don't remember the breed), he died of an internal bacterial infection soon afterward which I discovered was living in the rocks of our second tank (quickly replaced those).
<Bacterial infections don't "live on rocks" any more than Bubonic Plague doesn't hide at the bottom of closets. So again, if this is something the guy in store told you, treat with extreme caution. Internal bacterial infections are not common in aquaria, and mystery deaths are almost always down to other, usually environmental or dietary, factors. But we can discuss this another time.>
The tetra and the Danios usually swim in circles around the decor as a school (I don't see how their numbers are cruel as they seem very content with their situation), the Corys and the snail usually sleep inside of it, and the platies seem to think they own the tank because they pretty much do as they please.
<Swimming in circles isn't entirely normal. What they're doing is likely chasing one another or expressing displacement behaviours. It is exceedingly difficult to put human values on animal actions. The best we can do is ask: "Is this what these fish do in the wild?". If this isn't the case, then we can assume something is wrong. I call that cruelty, but you can call it something else if that makes you feel better. The bottom line though is that when fish are maintained in this way, they become unpredictable. Stress can allow them to be more prone to disease, while frustrated behaviours can release aggression, fin nipping, and other negative behaviours.>
But your response arose new questions, such as, how long will it take for the giant to fully mature? (Considering the store tank said he would be fully grown at 3 inches or I wouldn't taken the suggestion in the first place.)
<A year or so, I'd guess.>
Also, how long is the snail's average lifespan?
<Apple snails can live several years, but in aquaria they tend to last, on the average, less than a year.>
I know that my aunt had one in a 10 gallon tank (packed full of tetras and Neons) that lived for 6 years. Hers was a plain apple snail though. I don't know if there's much of a difference between that and the black mystery.
<Not really. It all depends on the environment. More often than not, Apple/Mystery snails get nipped by fish, so combining them isn't 100% recommended. Sure, it can be done (I've done it) but it isn't something that works every time.>
When hers died, it was stinky, but not all that messy. Though we did a 25% water change anyway. Back to the platies, I was wondering if I need to provide cover from the Corys so that they can't reach the fry?
<Corydoras won't eat livebearer fry.>
Also, there's a one gallon tank in our basement which only lacks a heater. If I set that up, would I be able to move the female there for birthing, and if so how soon should I move her?
<I'd not do that. Floating plants are the trick here, and then you put the fry into the breeding trap for a couple months.>
One last thing, the female platy (being a show off as she is) let me get a good look at that spot, it seems that the white is actually just transparency from the vent being enlarged. Is it normal for it to dilate that early?
<No idea, to be honest.>
Thank you Neale (regardless of your pessimism) for the warnings.
<Not pessimism. Rather, I try to give advice that will work in all cases. Sometimes you can play fast-and-loose and get away with it, but for beginners, recommending the cautious game is perhaps better.>
I will try to talk the landlord into allowing a bigger tank, but for now (until I have the money for a larger tank) they will have to live with what they already have and enjoy.
<I raise livebearer fry in 5-10 gallon tanks on windowsills. Lots of algae and space for them to grow. Sell the fry from a few batches, and you easily make up your expense! I got £40 (about $80) for one batch of halfbeak youngsters!>
Victor
<Cheers, Neale.>

Platys... beh. 4/6/08
Hello,
Ever since my female Platy died my male platy has been chasing all of the baby platys around. He just does this constantly, occasionally he stops to eat but that is about it. He chases one for a couple of seconds, stops for a couple of seconds, and then chases another one. He doesn't appear to be hurting them ( they are about half an inch long). He never used to do this, he would just swim with my female platy, but since she died which was about a month ago, he has been doing this constantly.
Thank You,
Megan
<Megan, this is pretty much what male livebearers of all types do. In the wild males are smaller and more brightly coloured -- and consequently much shorter lived than the females! So the males have to mate as often as possible before they get eaten, often after only a few months of life. This means they fight with potential rivals (other males) and try and mate with any potential partners (any females). Evolution has given them this instinct, and there's nothing we can do to short circuit it. The best you can do is add a couple more females (at least) so that his energies are spread out and he's unable to harass any one fish. Cheers, Neale.>

Mollie and Platy beh. 12/28/07
Hello,
First, tank detail:
The livebearers:
1 Dalmatian balloon molly
<... Have you read on WWM re?>
1 Red Wag (?) platy
The grumpy:
1 Bumblebee Goby
<Mmm, this is a brackish water animal>
The amphibious:
1 African Dwarf Frog
The clean up crew:
2 Ghost shrimp
1 Kuhli loach
1 Otocinclus
They live in a 5 gallon (18.9 litre) tank (let it be known now that I am aware the tank is small, but I am diligent with the water chemistry), with extremely closely watched parameters, and large water changes at least once a week.
<Good... hopefully not too much change with the water...>
Tank temperature is generally in the mid-high 70s,
<You have a purposeful heater?>
with incandescent light to promote algae growth for the oto. Nitrates slightly high,
<How high is high?>
all else is normal, absolutely no ammonia in the water. Medium blue substrate, small terra cotta pots for hiding spaces, as well as clear marble aquarium decor.
Includes three types of live plants, the one in question being the pongol sword, which looks exactly like this:
http://www.aquaplantas.com/images/fotos_plantas/0158-Clorophytum-P-Sword.jpg
<Mmm... am compelled to state that this, aka Spider or Ribbon plant is NOT aquatic... See the Net re>
Here, finally, comes the question:
I first noticed this behavior with my molly: it seems to be scratching itself against the sword, the broad portion of it. However, it does this with ONLY the sword. It does not scratch against the gravel, filter, or the other plants or aquarium walls. Just now, I noticed the platy doing the exact same thing. Again, only with the sword, nothing else in the tank. What is going on here?
<Some scratching is natural... not indicative of disease...>
Do they just like the way it feels? Neither of the fish appear to be infected with anything, all of the creatures are eating healthy, and they are all active.
I have one more question, this one should be easier: my platy has the tell-tale dark spot of the preggers female. But it also has the gonopodium.
Did I receive a hermaphrodite?
<Not likely... but it may be changing, or expressing itself as one or the other...>
Thanks in advance,
Alex.
<Do see Neale's pc. re Mollies: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
And elsewhere on WWM re Brachygobius, and start dreaming and scheming (if you haven't already) for another or larger system... you need it. Bob Fenner>

Re: Mollie and Platy beh.... Kings and Queens of De Nile 12/29/07
Thanks for your reply,
I have, in fact, been looking out for a better system, but for now, I think this could do.
<Mmm, not with the mix of species you have>
The molly appears to be quite happy, and because every time I change the water, I also rearrange all of the plants and decorations (much to the dismay of the loach) so the molly may not get bored for a while.
I don't actually have a heater, but the bulb seems to be doing well enough on its own. If the temperature ever steadily drops beyond what the fish can handle, I will buy a heater.
<Uhh... you need one now>
And about the platy hermaphrodite...
<Serial...>
yep, she had babies. Had to fish out around twelve of the little buggers. I'm keeping them in a half-gallon tank (it's all I have now) and feeding them ground shrimp pellets. I haven't had a chance to get more suitable food, but I may be able to wing it with hard-boiled egg yolk and minced bits of worms. I'm currently lighting their tank with an old-style desk lamp... you know, the ones that get extremely hot to the touch.
I'm positive the goby type that I have in the bigger tank is the one that can live in freshwater.
<Please send along an image>
About the sword.. I had suspected as much, but the molly and platy seem to enjoy it so much, I may just keep it.
Regards,
Alex.
<I'd keep reading. BobF>

Re: Mollie and Platy beh.... More chatting, now re Tetras 12/29/07
Thanks for the continuing suggestions, you'll be pleased to know, I gave up the molly and goby in favor of tetras. Much easier to deal with.
<Hmm... oddly enough, doesn't always work out this way. Cardinal and some other tetras can sometimes be disappointingly short lived in very hard (20+ dH) water, whereas gobies and Mollies in hard water with a little salt added are very, very durable. But still, if you don't want to keep a brackish system, then there's no mileage in trying to keep brackish fish in plain freshwater.>
I'll look in to a heater... what's the optimal temperature for this tank to be at?
<Unless otherwise stated, tropical fish should be kept at 25C/77F. A degree or two either way won't make much difference, but most tropicals will weaken and die below 20C/68F. Conversely, keeping fish above 28C/82F can cause problems with oxygen starvation and short life spans.>
Can you suggest a good temperature to keep the baby fish? It's around 80F in the tank, I brought it down a little because I'm afraid of frying the fry.
<Nope, keep the fry at the same temperature as the adults.>
Regards,
Alex
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Mollie and Platy beh. 12/29/07
Thank you very much for your help and suggestions, guys. I am hopefully well on my way to having a happy tank.
<Very good.>
I have rummy-nose tetras.. so far, they seem to pretty much stick to themselves.
<These are excellent fish. There are at least two different species sold as these, but in either case provided they are given soft, acidic water conditions they are quite hardy and long-lived. Tend not to do well in hard, alkaline water though. Do keep in groups of at least six, or they pine away.>
About the heater: I hate to sound to skeptical, but are you sure it is required?
<It's really as simple as this: if the climate in your house is identical to that of the Brazilian rainforest, then no, you don't need the heater. But if your house gets colder than the Brazilian rainforest, then you need a heater. In other words, a daytime variation between a peak at ~25C/77F in the day and a low of ~20C/68F at night will be fine. When kept at the wrong temperatures, fish either die from suffocation/heat exhaustion (if too hot) or immune/digestive system failures (if too cold). Your move.>
I keep the light on in the tank at least 10 hours of the day in order to promote algae growth, and the temperature through that alone hovers around 78F (I have one of those 'ballpark' strip thermometers).
<Doesn't matter what sort of thermometer you use, so long as its accurate to within a degree or two. Given a basic, LCD stick-on-the-tank one costs very little (they come as free gifts on all kinds of fish kit) there's NO excuse for not using one.>
I NEVER let the water drop or rise out of the 70s. The fry tank is now at the same temperature.
<If this is so, then fine.>
I can't remember where I read it, but during my reading up on how to care for livebearers, it was mentioned that the fry enjoy high-protein diets.
<Garbage. Livebearers (with a few exceptions like the Pike livebearer) feed almost entirely on algae and mosquito larvae. Both of these are low protein foods, algae more so than mosquito larvae, but mosquito larvae are still only something like 4% protein. The vast majority of dietary problems with livebearers come from lack of fibre -- greens -- rather than lack of protein. All this will be explained in any book on livebearing fish, of which there are many.>
Somewhere it was also mentioned that hard-boiled egg yolk works. I mashed a small portion of an egg yolk to a pulp in a small dish of water and fed it to the fry, and they ate with gusto.
<This is an old-school treat for fish fry, and does indeed work well. But it's a treat, maybe once or twice a week. For the rest of the time, algae, Algae, ALGAE! There are plenty of algae-based (often Spirulina) flake and dried foods in the shops, or else you can use algae-covered rocks from green ponds or chop up Sushi Nori bought cheaply from an Asian food market.>
Should I continue this diet?
<As a treat, sure, but it isn't required.>
Should any greens be involved?
<Yes! Livebearers are omnivores, just like us. And just like humans: without meaty foods, they're fine; but without green foods, they get sick and die!>
Thanks for all the help!
-Alex.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Mollie and Platy beh. 12/31/07
Thanks very much for the heads up about the fry! I'll start adding greens immediately. And thanks very much for all the other information! If I have anymore questions, I will be sure to contact you.
Regards,
Alex.
<Glad we could help. Cheers, Neale.>

Platys, young, beh. 12/18/07
Hi I have 2 Mickey mouse platys and one dark orange platys and now MANY babies of both breeds but only from the one female, there are like 50 babies from 2 different litters in a 225 gal long tank, I have recently given my mother about 12 of the babies and 2 days ago and now I have noticed that most of them are staying at the top of the tank most of the time including the adults. I do not know if this is normal or not please help..... thank you..
<Greetings. It is entirely normal for baby livebearers to stay at the top of the tank. The more Platies you have, the more they will school together, and what you are watching is a bunch of happy, sociable Platies doing their thing! Cheers, Neale.>

Strange behavior with platies, lack of data, no reading, children 12/12/07
Hi,
<Rozelynn>
My brother and I have "introduce" our two male platies after quarantine (I bought him the new fish after his molly died and I didn't know how to tell male from female). The new one is about half the size of our first one. The smaller one flattened it's fins and started swimming backwards while floating at a 45 degree angle at the larger one. After about 3 minutes they where doing this to each other. Neither was biting at the other. Is this normal and what are they doing?
Thank you
Rozelynn
<Can't tell... not enough information included here... Re the make-up, history of your system, water quality, tests, feeding... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platybehfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Long strands of platy poo 9/3/07
Hi,
<<Hello, Lori. Tom here.>>
I have a female Mickey Mouse Platy living in my 20 gallon tank with two Peppered Corys, one Zebra Danio, one black guppy, four two month old Platy fry, and four one month old Platy fry.
<<Nice.>>
She is going to have another batch soon (in the next two weeks.) Ever since I got her, about six months ago, she has produced long strands of poo. They are red, green, or brownish in color, and are up to about six centimeters in length. I feed my fish two to three times a day Nutrifin Max Color Enhancing food, and I feed my fry, Hikari First Bites. Please help me, I don't know whether or not to worry.
<<No worries, Lori. If the feces were white, we’d likely have a problem. Otherwise, she’s pooing what she’s eating. Keep in mind that “color-enhancing” foods like the Nutrafin product contain items like red-algae (pigments) as well as other natural additives that are meant specifically to bring out the colors in fish. These also “enhance” the color of their fecal matter. The length may seem a bit disarming to you but this isn't out of the ordinary, really. I've got a Sailfin Pleco that appears to produce "spaghetti" on its diet largely of algae wafers and zucchini. Nothing whatsoever to be concerned about.>>
Thanks again,
Lori
<<You’re welcome. Tom>>

Platy Behaviour Problem 7/3/07
Hey WWM,
<Hello>
I know I've just recently asked a question, but I'm hoping you can help out with a issue I've been having with my platys as I couldn't find a similar Q&A online. <Will try.>
I have 3 platys (2 female & 1 male) in a 10 gallon tank along side other community fish. The male loves to follow around my female white calico (fish #1) continuously. <Typical behavior.> I purchased the second female which is an orange sunburst (fish #2) to help take some of the attention off female #1 so she isn't always stressed out, as she doesn't exactly appreciate the constant attention from the male. But the male is not only uninterested in fish #2, he aggressively chases her around the tank whenever in eye sight, then goes right back to following fish #1. <May not interest him, or may be a juvenile male which can sometimes look very much like a female.> I'd like to get fry from both females if possible as they're beautiful fish, but don't want my fish to suffer through the breeding process. Should I consider buying more platys? <If possible, more females.> If so how many and of which gender? <Female> I can still fit in 3 more fish comfortably within my tank, and would rather not go above that. <A light stocking load makes the tank much easier to manage.> Any input would be amazingly helpful. Thanks for your time!
Sincerely,
Erica
<Get some more females if possible, chances are he will show interest in at least some of the new ones and give your current fish a break.>
<Chris>

Re: platy behaviour problem 7/4/07
Hello again, I did get some more females for the tank, one extra male did end up getting in the bag without our noticing, so the ratio has become 2 males to 4 females. As for the fish being an immature male, that is very possible no doubt, I have looked at the lower fins, and it is a female from what I see, there isn't a gonopodium, but rather a fan like extension. How long does it take a platy to develop into adulthood? The other platys I just purchased also look somewhat small like the sunburst platy I have. The male Mickey Mouse platy and his victim the white calico are much larger and rounder in the belly. Is this by chance a different strand of platys? Thanks again for all your amazing help and input!
Erica
<Hello Erica. It sounds as if you are sexing the platies properly. Any aquarium book will show pictures, and a little time on Google will help too. Anyway, 2 males to 4 females is a good ratio. Platies become sexually mature within about 3 months. All platies are the same two species (Xiphophorus maculatus and X. variatus) and both species and all varieties interbreed. In fact all the "fancy platies" sold are probably hybrids. Anyway, this means that when they crossbreed you end up with "mongrel" fry, as with dogs and cats -- offspring that don't conform to any one breed. That's why if you want to breed sunset platies, you only keep sunset platies in the tank, and virgin female sunset platies at that. So rather than getting a new variety of platy, what you're likely getting are crossbreeds. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but crossbreed fry are sometimes difficult to sell (pet shops want varieties they can label as something special and sell at a premium). Be sure and have a look at the MANY platy and livebearer articles we have here, at: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm . Cheers, Neale>

Platy Male Aggression – 07/01/07
First, Thanks for al the fantastic information. This site has been extremely useful to a new platy lover.
I've had my 15 gallon tank for a little over a month now. After two weeks I added my first three platies - one male and two females. Everything was
going very well, so three days ago I added three more platies - again one male and two females. The males, however, don't seem to be getting along.
<Mmm, can be a bit of aggression... but you do have sufficient room here...>
The newer male has become dominant pecking at the other male who now pulls his fins in and floats backwards (away from him) whenever he approaches. If
you have any advise on how to decrease the aggression it would be appreciated... should I add another male to take the pressure off the one who is getting picked on?
Thanks very much for your time and advise!
-Lisha
<Actually... do try this first... Catch the "alpha" male up in a net of size, or place in a "breeding net" or trap hanging in this tank (or a small floating/plastic colander... like those used for straining cooked pasta...) and leave it there for a week or so... this will keep it separated, but allow a new social dynamic to be forged... See if then it will "get along" with all. Bob Fenner>

Mean Platy 5/21/07
Hello guys, and thanks for your site. I have a question about a platy who seems to have some behavioral problems. I have a 20 gal tank with 2 female platys, and 3 peppered Corys. The larger of the two platys is a bit mean, though, and seems to enjoy chasing the other platy around the tank.
<Mmm, quite common... better for most all fish species to be kept in odd numbers... to give one of the other "beta" ones a chance to rest... And with livebearers, to arrange that there is a ratio of more females to males...>
 No fins have been nipped so far, but I am worried that she's stressing out the other fish. Mean platy is also pretty aggressive at feeding time, and she's particularly fond of the sinking tropical wafers I have for my Corys and I'm worried that they're not getting enough food.
<Can be a concern... though these "armored cats" do have potent defenses...>
I've been thinking of adding a male platy to see if that will help with mean platy's behavior (you know, give her something to do other than steal food and chase her platy friend!).
<A good idea>
Also, I've been planning to introduce a blue gourami at some point -- do you think it's likely that the gourami will be harassed, or will a gourami be big enough that the platy will leave it alone?

Should I introduce a pair, or a single gourami?
<Mmm, two would be my choice here>
I've included my tank stats below, for your info. Thanks in advance for your help!
Nicole
- 20 gal glass tank with power filter
- Temp set at 76 F
- set up for about 2.5 months, first six weeks without fish (I was doing a fishless cycle with household ammonia)
- the platys were my first residents, introduced 4 weeks ago
- the Cory cats were added 2 weeks ago
- current levels: ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0, nitrate = 5ppm, pH = 7.4
<Thank you for sharing, writing so well... completely and clearly. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Skittish, clamping, lazy platies 5/14/07
Hi guys,
<Sinafey>
We've been having a problem with our platies for about 10 days now. They're extremely skittish whenever somebody even walks by their tank or we turn on the light in the room or tank (going as far as trying to bury themselves in the gravel), are clamping, and just laying on the substrate of the tank all day except for feeding time.
<Interesting... fright contagions are one of my fave behavioral traits to study, discourse on...>
We've also noticed discolored spots on several of them, usually on their heads. It's not raised like fungus, and is just one large spot so doesn't look like ick. On two of them it's right on top of their heads, and one has it right above her top lip.
<Perhaps related to the behavior... but what came first let's say? Is it the nervousness that has led to the physical traumas or vice versa? Or are they even related?>
Tank specs are: 55 gallon, Nitrates: ~10, Nitrites: 0, KH: 80 (moderate), PH: ~7.
<No ammonia?>
We have about 19 Platies, 3 Emerald Green Otocinclus cats, and 2 African Dwarf frogs. We've had problems maintaining our PH (it keeps wanting to drop) so we dilute a small amount of baking soda in tank water and are adding it slowly after each water change.
<This should be fine>
Doing this has given us moderate alkalinity and has kept our PH pretty steady at about 7 for the last several months. Since the fish have looked sick we've been doing at least a 25% (usually closer to 30%) water change about twice per week.
<Good practice, percentage...>
About 2 days ago my fiancé got Maracyn and we've been following the dosing instructions on the box.
<The antibiotic Erythromycin? For what?>
If anything they seem to be laying around on the substrate more, and we noticed that one of the younger platies got a spot on it's head as well. I know it might be too early to tell if the meds are helping, but it doesn't look promising.
Any idea what may be causing our problem?
<Mmm, yes... likely either "something else" environmentally... or the beginnings of a parasite... Flukes possibly, even ich, Velvet... Have you introduced any new livestock (sans quarantine) or live foods, plants in recent days, weeks?>
We love these fish and have been doing everything that we can to make them better, but it just doesn't seem to be working.
Thanks so much for your kind help,
Heather
<Best to keep up with the water changes, including bicarb additions, and be observant at this juncture. Bob Fenner>

White lines on Platy?? - 03/24/07
Hi there,
I am new to the aquarium hobby and I have now found your wonderful website.
<And you, us>
Ya'll are so great to have sooo much information and such friendly people here. I promise, I have searched your site all over to try and answer my query and even tried to join the chat boards but it said that registration
is closed at the time. So, I am hoping that perhaps you could help me??
<Will definitely try>
I have a 30 Gallon tank with two zebra danios, five neons, one tiger barb,
<Mmm, do watch this... are social animals... but even in groups, can become nippy...>
two x-ray fish, three red wag platies, one albino catfish and two unknown orange fish with brownish blackish mottled markings. We just recently brought home two of the red wag platies and the two x-ray fish from the local pet store (four days ago) but I didn't know about this quarantine stuff so I just acclimatized them to the temp of the tank and then put them in. (I will have to acquire a QT now from somewhere.) Anyway, one of the platies was pregnant we believe due to the big round bloated belly she had but now she has these white lines going up and down her sides that make her look like she has ribs and is emaciated ... yet still bloated?
<Mmmm, maybe>
I hope that made sense. I have a photo that I cropped and tried to adjust the contrast to make it easier to see the lines. Oh, the photo has two fish in it but I just zoomed in on the lines I spoke of.
Please can you tell me what this is?? I added MelaFix for the first three days to try to soften the move for them and hopefully not make it so stressful. When I saw the white stuff I thought it was Ich so I've been treating with Rid Ich (for two days) but the lines are still there. What is your opinion?
Many grateful thanks for any help you can provide,
Christina
<Not to be anthropomorphic, but these look like "stretch marks"... areas twixt underlying musculature, where lines of scales have been pulled apart ("advanced fishes like this have ctenoid scalature that can/do show such "articulation") under some circumstances). I would not be concerned re the lines here... Should grow back together post-parturition. Bob Fenner>

Platy colour change 2/12/07
Hello!
<Hi there>
I have a fish problem that I have not encountered before. I have a ten gallon tank with 4 female platies and 2 males. I've had this tank for 2 years and have only had the occasional fungus problem.
Well, one of my orange males is turning a dark brown colour and is hiding in the corner and won't eat. I have no clue what this is, he's just under a year old and never seemed to be stressed out or anything.
Thank you in advance for your advice!
Shelley
<... water quality? Tests for same? Filtration? This reads as a likely environmental disorder. You have read re Platies on WWM? Bob Fenner>

Unusual(?) Platy Behavior 1/27/07
<<Hi, Deborah. Tom this afternoon.>>
Our tank: 12 gallon, 6 neon tetras, 5 platys, 1 incredibly lethargic algae eater (can't even remember what it is). Water tested regularly and all parameters always good.
<<If the “algae eater” is a Common Plecostomus, or a variety of the Plecostomus species, you won’t see a lot of ‘action’ from this fish. Can grow very large, however. A 12-gallon tank won’t suit this guy for long.>>
Platy History: Got 2 dwarf sunsets (one male?, one female? Can't really tell because they are so small and don't stay still long enough for me to observe tail fin very well). Then later the tetras. Female(?) platy died. Got a "Minnie" Mouse platy. She proceeded to have at least 7 babies (3 survived. All female I think).
<<Talk about an “instant” family, eh?>>
Current behavior concerns: Momma Minnie has been hovering either near the surface or on the bottom. Not as active as usual.
<<Not uncommon after livebearers give birth.>>
Swimming backwards about half the time when she does move. She tends to get long strands of poop which hang for a while (gross!) which are usually sort of grayish. They are now white. She doesn't look preggers (not fat like she was before she popped out babies). Should I be concerned?
<<Unfortunately, yes. White feces are not a good sign. In almost all cases, feces should be dark in color. I say “almost” because lighter colored “poop” can also occur with perfectly healthy fish. It’s the other behavior, in conjunction with this, that suggests that she’s not well. If you can isolate her, please do so. Juvenile ‘livebearers’ don’t always fare well after giving birth. Many (most?) can be fry-producing dynamos but others, sadly, don’t survive. In a lot of cases, Deborah, the “mother” needs rest that she doesn’t get if left in the main tank. A single, healthy female can be unbelievably stressed by the pursuits of a single male, occasionally to death. A weakened female isn’t going to have a good chance at all, if any. Separate her if you can and keep her water conditions optimal. Additionally, though I don’t recommend crowding the tank you have, you really want to have more females than males (3:1 or 4:1) to keep “Don Juan” from sharing too much of himself with any single female. (Yes, Platys can/will breed with other varieties of Platys. I knew you wanted to know. :) )>>
Thanks!
Deborah
<<I’ll do a little finger-crossing for your Platy, Deborah. I’m afraid that’s about all we can do right now. Wish I could be more hopeful for you. My best. Tom>>

Good morning... I have a question regarding platy mating behavior. - 12/29/06
<<Hello, Linda. Tom with you this afternoon.>>
I have a question regarding platy mating behavior.
<<Okay.>>
I currently have 5 adult, 1 juvenile, 1 fry in a 37 high tank along with assorted tetras (11 total tetras). I've noticed that the one adult male platy will only mate with the largest female. The juvenile male platy will mate with the others but not the larger female. Is this an alpha male, female behavior?
<<Undoubtedly. Depending on the female’s disposition, this may be the only male she’ll allow to approach her. Not at all unheard of.>>
I'm getting ready to start a 55 gallon livebearer tank and will move all the platy's into the new tank. It will be interesting to see if the behavior holds in the bigger tank.
<>
I do intend to add other livebearers, probably swordtails and guppies along with other platys.
<>
Tank water parameters are ph 7.4, nitrates 0-5, nitrites 0, amm 0.
<<All good…>>
Other than the alpha mating behavior all the fish are fine and act completely normal.
<<Well, for the fish, the mating behavior is normal. Survival of the fittest and all that.>>
I don't make a point to save the fry. A few survive and prosper on their own.
<<Understood.>>
I do 25/30% water changes every two weeks. Any comments will be appreciated.
<<It sounds to me like you have everything in fine order, Linda. Other than my comment about quarantining new fish before adding them to the 55-gallon tank, I can’t think of anything that immediately jumps out at me concerning your plan. As an aside, I noticed that you didn’t mention Mollies as part of your livebearer stocking plan. I suspect that you’re already aware of the fact that these are considered to be a brackish water species though my head swims (pun intended) from the agreement/disagreement aspect of this. Freshwater? Brackish? Marine? And not one comment about this from a Molly. :) >>
Thanks,
Linda Ritchie
<<Good luck in your venture, Linda. An enjoyable and prosperous New Year to you. Tom>>

Aggressive male platy 11/18/06
Hi there,
<<Hello, Rebecca. Tom with you.>>
We just started up an aquarium after a while and just got two male platys. They are the only ones in the tank. We have had them for about a week. I just noticed yesterday that one of them is being very aggressive towards the other one, chasing and nipping at the other when he comes anywhere in the vicinity. Any thoughts on why?
<<Provided that your water parameters are good, he’s probably just “protecting” his territory. Not uncommon for fish to stake out a claim on “their” part of the tank and chase others off when they venture into that area. Could also be that he’s showing the other who’s “boss” for potential breeding purposes. Back to my initial statement, check your water conditions (or have them tested at the LFS). If your parameters are out of whack, i.e. ammonia/nitrite levels are detectable, it can bring out aggressive behavior in a fish due to stress. Otherwise, I’d just keep an eye on him to make sure his aggression doesn’t get out of hand. If it does, you’ll have to find a way to isolate him for the sake of the other Platy.>>
Thanks!
Rebecca
<<You’re welcome, Rebecca. Good luck with your “guys”. Tom>>

Odd platy behaviour 11/01/06
Hi, there,
<<Greetings, Julia. Tom>>
Thanks to your advice way back in April when I set up my first tank, the fish have been doing well and I've had a huge population explosion amongst my platies.
<<Usually Platys don’t need our advice. They just have population explosions on their own. :) Glad to hear everything has been going well, though.>>
I've noticed in the last ten days that one of the females has started acting quite strangely though and its not behaviour I have seen before so was hoping someone might have some thoughts.
<>
She has become exceedingly shy, but not in the usual pre-birthing sense. She spends a lot of the time either at the top of the tank or near the gravel. I've watched and she doesn't appear to be gasping. I've had a few ich and fungal outbreaks since set up but there are no telltale signs of sickness on her at all and her gills look fine. The entire population has been well for quite some time now.
<<Good to hear that the others are doing well.>>
She does look slightly L-shaped, instead of the usual straight stance her back fin appears to be pointing downwards and her bottom fin is permanently erect. She also tends to shy away from food at feeding time waiting for the others to finish before she goes for food of her own.
<<This could be neurological, Julia. A bent spine, if you will, can be an indication of a few different problems but, when connected to a disease, there would typically be outward symptoms/signs, as well. I would rule out a viral infection – one known to affect the brain/spine – since none of the others are affected. Piscine tuberculosis (Mycobacteriosis) can cause this problem but would have additional outward indications such as sores/lesions on the animal’s body. Physical “trauma” such as one might expect from vaulting out of the tank onto the floor isn’t the case here. I might conclude that she’s simply “predisposed” to an inherent condition that’s led to this.>>
For background this is 126 litre community tank of mainly platys, but a few zebra danios (10) and harlequin rasboras (6). I am advised that stocking is well within ethical limits.
<<I’d never accuse you of being “unethical”, Rachel. I reserve that term for lawyers and politicians…and used-car salesmen…and, well, never mind. Seriously, though, I do understand that folks in the UK don’t necessarily hold with what we Yanks feel are “appropriate” stocking limitations. I feel that you’re past the limit but I can’t argue with success, either. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.>>
I complete a 30-50 litre water change every week and feed a mixed diet of flake food, spinach and frozen and freeze-dried bugs.
<<Excellent. Now if we could get everyone to be as conscientious…>>
Any thoughts on this would be gratefully received.
Many thanks
Julia (UK)
<<Hopefully, these have been, Rachel. Sorry that I couldn’t offer more on your Platy but I don’t know that there’s much that you can do at this point in time. My best to you. Cheers, Tom>>

New FW Tank Questions 10/5/06 platy beh...
Hi again,
<Hi>
Sorry to bother you! No problem.> I have a few more questions. (Actually more than just a few! Sorry again!) So here it goes. All of my 4 fish have died but 1. <Why?> She is a red wag molly. It is a 10g fw tank. What fish do I add? <Nothing until you know why the others died.> Should I get my own test kit? <Yes> I am afraid to have anything to do with the local pet store! So far they haven't done a thing right! <Not good.> When we went in the other night all the fish were dying! It seems they don't know anything! But they're the only pet store in town. (Besides Wal-Mart!) My parents aren't going to drive me to Owaso every week! <Mail order is a possibility.> Also how much water do I change? <!0-20%> How often do I change it? <Weekly or bi-weekly.>
Thanks,
Kyleigh
<Time to start reading. Start here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwset-up.htm >
<Chris>

New FW Tank Questions Part II 10/5/06
Hi,
<Hi again>
Thanks for your help! <Sure> I know that 1 of my fish died because it got stuck under a bubble decoration. The other 2 I am 99.9% sure died of stress. <Do you know what caused the stress.> But what 2 fish do you recommend to go with a red wag molly in a 10g FW tank? <2 or 3 more platies, they are social and appreciate the company of their own kind.>
<Chris>

Platy Problem, actually beh. 9/26/06
Hi again, guys,
I have two questions about my platies this time (I have 1 red wag & 1 blue).
The first question is about my male platy (at least, I think he's a male).
<Easy enough to discern...>
When I first got him about a month ago, he was very docile & always swam together with my female platy. After a week or two, he started being
extremely aggressive toward the female platy, running into her side constantly & bumping into her tail.
<What they do...>
At first I was kind of scared about that, but the female's tail was wholly intact, & he eventually stopped terrorizing her after about a week. During the week or two following that,
my female platy became very plump (doubling in size), & the male followed her wherever she went. They almost swam as one being because they'd go everywhere together. ... and I thought that everything was peaceful & alright because they were getting along so well. BUT, just today he started getting extremely aggressive toward her again, & she has a little slit of the middle part of her tail missing. He won't stop leaving her alone, & I'm starting to worry about her.
My questions are: Why is he being aggressive with her on & off?
<Nature... need more room, more break-up of the environment... a different sex ratio (also natural)... more females>
Did he bite her tail, & if he did, why is such a perfectly-cut piece missing (why doesn't the cut from her tail look jagged, like a regular bite), & why did he do that?
<Mating behavior... favored through space and time>
Also, is my female platy pregnant?
<Likely so... is a more or less constant state...>
Does his aggressive behavior have anything to do with this if she is pregnant?
<Mmm, yes>
I've enclosed pictures showing my platies. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when the male platy was being aggressive the first time, I thought that adding 2 mid-sized Pristella tetras would distract him;
<Good idea... might help>
unfortunately, he leaves them alone entirely & never bothers them at all. Also, I definitely know that the pristellas didn't harm the red wag because they always mind their own business, & they're extremely shy.
Thanks, guys. Hope to hear from you soon. Save my fish!!! lol
--Jessica
<See WWM re Platy behavior... Systems... Reproduction. Bob Fenner>

Re: Listless Platy behaviour 9/10/06
Hi Tom, and thank you for taking the time to write back.
<<Hi, Gina. Happy to do so.>>
I'd like to learn more about "cycling", and I had a feeling the tank was too small, but the advertisement on the box make them sound so ideal; I thought that'd be the perfect size to start out a small boy with a few pet fish.
<<Might have been if they had been a little more informative, Gina. I completely understand your thinking but too many of these outfits "prey" on the uninformed.>>
And I think the box said 5 fish was the limit.
<<"Five what?", would be the question, Gina. I highly doubt the box was very specific...>>
He has been disappointed with our "mortality rate", and I feel terrible.
<<Not to worry. You've found us and we'll do the best we can for you.>>
I did note that when we fed the fish today, there were some fuzzy white strands growing on the filter.
<<Likely a bacterial growth of some kind.>>
This happened before. After these appeared in the past, the water would get very cloudy and the fish would eventually die.
<<Definitely a bacterial growth ('bloom' actually). Green colored water is the result of an algae 'bloom' while whitish colored water is, typically, the result of a bacterial 'bloom'. (The substrate, if not rinsed off, and some decorations, may contribute to this but I don't think this is the case with you.)>>
Even when I cleaned the tank, the process would repeat itself.
<<Did you rinse the filter media? This should be done in water taken from the tank. Never, outright, replace the filter media since it contains the beneficial bacteria necessary for biological filtering. Also, never wash it in tap water. Doomsday for the 'good guys'!>>
If our platys don't make it, can we keep the Pleco in the tank by himself, or does he need companions?
<<The Platys would do better, alone, in this particular tank than the Pleco will. Your Pleco will - potentially - grow too large for a two-gallon aquarium. Heck, he'll grow too large for anything shy of a 40- to 50-gallon aquarium. His common size will be 9- to 10-inches. Best case? 14 inches, and better. (No, I'm not making that up!) Find the room, if possible, for a 30- to 50-gallon tank. Cycle it properly. (I'll be here to assist.) Teach your son that fish need lots of room. They come from rivers, lakes and oceans in nature. (No, I'm not being 'hard' on you. You made a good choice based on what information you had. Now, it's time to learn.>>
We are really quite attached to him (no pun intended)!
<<Well, let's keep him 'attached', Gina, and, yes, I took that as a pun! Not a bad one at that. :)>>
Thank you in advance!
Best Regards,
Gina
<<If the "cycling" gets too tedious, give me a yell. I'll attack it from any direction you like. Tom>>

Missing Platy 8/31/06
Dear Chuck! I am very sorry to bother you again, please forgive me. I did not mention this in my last email, it just didn't seem very important. One of my other platies was acting a bit funny, hiding, and laying low, I actually thought she was pregnant, well Chuck...I can't find the fish anywhere, I mean it, I have looked every where, is it possible she was eaten?! I have 3 flying fox, and 1 female betta, and what appears to be only 5 platies left, Is that possible? I haven't noticed any aggression to this fish, or anything weird, they have all been eating normally, and I don't see any signs of it being eaten...my toddler thinks he went for a walk! I hope he's right, here's to hoping. Could that really happen? She was one of the biggest platies, I don't like to point fingers, but if I had my guess it was probably Benjamin, he is chasing another of the females, who is hiding in the zoo med, I think he has to go Chuck, do you think a pet store will take him back? You guys have the greatest web site going, I spend alot of time reading all the info, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, and I promise to try and not bother you again, not today anyways, haha!!!! Charlie
< Look around the base of the aquarium stand with a flashlight and see if it jumped. If not, it could have died and been eaten by the foxes. Tell your story to the pet shop and see if you can trade him in or at least exchange him. Since you were not able to pick him out then they should take some of the responsibility.-Chuck>

Aggressive male platy behavior 8/31/06
Hi guys!
<Well hello there - this is Jorie.>
Wow! I've been going round on the web looking for some answers and thought I'd give you a shot. Here goes.
<We try our best to help here...>
I have a 20 gal. community tank with 6 neon tetras, 1 sunset gourami, 4 rasboras, and now I'm down to 1 huge male Mickey mouse platy, 1 female Mickey mouse platy, and 1 red female platy. The enormous male platy has killed every other platy (both male and female) that I have put in this tank and some other fish, too.
<I've seen this happen; mostly livebearers are pretty docile, but the males can get *very* territorial sometimes. In fact, I have one male molly who is currently in "time out" (i.e., his own 2 gal. tank) because he was terrorizing another male molly in my 29 gal. brackish tank.>
I have a 10 gal. tank that has only a male betta and a blue gourami who had to be separated from the sunset gourami so I am afraid if I put the mean platy in there he will get beat up.
<I'd be more afraid for the betta with his beautiful fins. But, you might be OK, since none of these fish look at all like each other. You could give it a try, but keep a close, careful watch.>
What's going on here? I keep reading how friendly this breed is but that is not what I am witnessing here. Oh, and we are on our second batch of platy fry, but from a different momma fish, he killed the first momma as she was delivering.
<Yikes - the platy in question sounds like a terror indeed. As mentioned above, male livebearers (guppies, platys, mollies) can at times be quite territorial. I'd say give the 10 gal. a shot (make sure to give everyone plenty of cover (e.g., decorations, plants, etc.), but do monitor all three fish closely. Hopefully that works. If not, I'm afraid the platy in question may be destined to live alone in a 2 or 3 gal. tank. Don't know if you have a small spare tank lying around (do make sure to provide it with filtration, a heater, etc. etc.), but if not, the Eclipse/Marineland brand if fairly reasonable in price, and includes built-in filtration. When the time comes, that's an ideal single male betta home - just in case you want to plan for the future:-)
Any help with this situation would be greatly appreciated.
<Hope I have.>
Thanks in advance.
<You're welcome. Good luck with the meanie, and everyone else! Jorie>

Male Platy wants To Breed All The Time 8/28/06
Hello, I hope you can help. I recently bought a ten gallon tank, and moved my male and female platy into it, until then they had been in a gallon tank, and were very happy, but he started attacking her, she was not mating with him, and she had become reclusive. I moved them, and bought 5 more platies, 2 female Bettas, and was told at the pet store that I could not pick my platy's sex.
< Change pet stores. You are the one buying the fish, you should be able to pick out the fish.>
My thoughts were of course, that it would distract 1st. platy (Benjamin), my 3 year old son, Benjamin named him, ha! from further attacking Maggie, 2nd platies, but it has gotten a lot worse, she isn't eating, is wobbly, and he actively pursues her, the other 5 platies appear to be this ratio, 3-2 for the girls, one of these males is particularly larger then all the other fish, but seems only to peck a little, not overly aggressive, I have moved my male Betta into the gallon tank, and one of the female Bettas is sick and I have her in the Betta tank that Sunshine used to live in to hopefully get better. What can I possibly do with this fish? Right now he is in a big bowl of water that I set up for him, although the water has been conditioned, there is no filter, or bubble stone, or heater. I feel he will eventually kill Maggie if I leave him in the community tank. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much for your time. Charlie
< I would reduce the water temp of the main tank to the mid 70's. At the upper temp range these fish are very active. Add some floating plant material or a floating ZooMed Aquarium Log for the picked on fish to hide. Floating material is very important for fish that have been beaten up or chased. Near the surface is where the food is so they won't starve and can regain their strength. As a last resort you could trade him in for a smaller platies.-Chuck>

Re: Aggressive Platy Gets To Go Home 8/28/06
Dear Chuck! Thank you so much for your speedy reply, I have returned Benjamin to the community tank and am off to a different pet store to get these excellent things you have suggested, I have no doubt that they will be most helpful. I love Benjamin, he is a quirky, and incredibly energetic little fish, and beautifully coloured, I would hate to lose any of them, and my son keeps asking me, " Mommy, why is Benjamin in the fruit bowl?" Thank you again for the information, I will let you know how it goes, I was in a panic today, I am so glad that I have found you! Have a most excellent evening!!!! Charlie and Benjamin!

New Fish 8/20/06
Hi,
<<Greetings, Susan. Tom>>
3 days ago I got 6 platies, in a 10 gallon tank. They seem to be very aggressive with each other. Only two of them, but before it was only one.
<<New environments/conditions can bring this type of behavior out in some fish, Susan. A little early to tell if this is a "permanent" situation, though. My Sunburst Platies go through "phases" where they'll exhibit this type of behavior only to quit and go back to their normal activity, which is looking for me to feed them. :)>>
I feel bad because the other fish seem to be scared of them now.
<<Again, Susan, a bit early to tell.>>
The two fish are both females (I have 2 males and 4 females) and one of them seems to be picking on only one, and the other one is picking on the rest. But they won't pick on each other. They all seem fine, they look fine, I don't know why they're doing that.
<<Could be establishing a "pecking order", of sorts. Other factors may be involved here, however.>>
And another question: I'm not sure if one of my aggressive females is pregnant, but she had a bit of a bigger belly then some of the others, and she has a blue gravid spot.
<<With 'livebearers' such as Platies the females, almost invariably, are either pregnant or on their way to being so. Females are capable of storing the males' sperm inside of their bodies so they needn't mate every time in order to give birth. A single female, isolated from any males, can give birth three or four times (perhaps more) once she has mated. The fact that your female has a larger belly with a darkening gravid spot indicates that she's, almost certainly, pregnant.>>
She has a blue color to her, so is it just a beauty mark or something? The "gravid spot" is inside of her, so is it possible that she is?
<<I'd say this is not only possible but probable. On a sidenote, females close to giving birth won't be very tolerant of other fish, particularly the males. They prefer solitude and quiet (understandably) while the males have only one thing - besides eating - in mind, if you see where I'm going with this. Boys will be boys... :)>>
Thank you for your time.
Please respond as soon as possible this is very urgent for my fish.
-Susan
<<Keep in mind that all of your fish may look a lot alike but, won't necessarily behave alike. A dominant female may be showing the others, male and female alike, that she's going to "rule the roost" especially where mating is concerned. Usually, it's the males who pester the females practically non-stop but you might just have a couple of ladies who don't "play that game". Not at all uncommon, really. Keep an eye on them. If you have one that seems to pick on the others just because she likes to, she might have to be isolated. In the meantime, I wouldn't be too concerned. Best regards. Tom>>

Sunset Platy, bumpy 6/11/06
My sunset platy has little red bumps all over him/her. Is this normal?
<Mmm... just color is fine...>
I have not figured out its sex yet. There was another, but then it died. The surviving one showed no signs of pregnancy until now.
<... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platydisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Sluggish Platy 5/29/06
I have a red high finned platy and for the past couple of days now she has been laying on the bottom of the tank and leaning on rocks. The other platies in the tank appear fine swimming around, but she is not swimming around. I also have noticed some of her scales are missing. We have tested the water in the tank and everything seems fine. Do you have any suggestions in what could be wrong with her?
Jennifer Campbell
<Could be a couple of things. She might be getting picked on, pregnant, or sick. If you see here getting picked on she may need to be separated from the others and given a chance to recover. If sick there is not enough evidence of the illness to treat properly, but keep an eye on her for more specific signs. And lastly if pregnant it will pass after birth.>
<Chris>

Normal platy behaviour? - 05/09/06
Hi, Tom
<<Hi, Julia.>>
Thanks again for all your advice.
<<My pleasure.>>
Quick update to say that my pregnancy guess was correct and seven days in and we have our first, exceedingly tiny, sunset platy baby.
<<Beautiful. Glad to hear it!>>
The advice on this site about putting them in the breeding net to save worry is spot on. Having finally caught up with him it's nice to know where he is!
<<The little rascals are "devilishly" hard to keep track of unless you do this.>>
Here's hoping he survives okay.
<<Trusting he'll do just fine.>>
Thanks again
Julia
<<Any time, Julia. Tom>>

Platy Blowing Bubbles - 05/05/2006
I have a female platy who is blowing bubbles at the top of the tank like crazy. Do you know why she might be doing this? I have 3 females and 2 males, and only 1 female is doing it.
Jennifer Campbell
<Jennifer, how long has this behavior been going on? Is the fish you described otherwise acting normal (e.g., eating, swimming, etc.)? I've read about people claiming their platies do this, but haven't ever seen mine do it. Having said that, there are a couple of mine that love just hanging right below the surface. As long as the rest of her behavior is normal and the water parameters are all good (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate), I don't see any problems. If you haven't recently checked these parameters, however, do so, because it could be a sign of her gasping due to low O2 content, etc. If all is well environmentally, I'd chalk it up to bizarre fish behavior - they all seem to have one "quirk" or another...they really are quite pet-like! Good luck, Jorie>

Normal platy behaviour? 4/30/06
Hi there,
<<Hello, Julia. Tom here.>>
I'm struggling to find a concise explanation of normal platy behaviour.
<<There are variables involved, Julia.>>
Yesterday, after five weeks of setting up an aquarium with plants only and preparing the water etc. I introduced my first four fish: one male red platy and three females (of which two are sunset). The tank is 80cm x 35cm x 45 deep. My nitrates are 0, pH 7.5, ammonia is, I think, 0 or very close and nitrates vary a lot between 5 and 20. I already accidentally overfed them this morning so had to hoover out the gravel to remove some of the food.
<<Oops...>>
For the most part the fish seem to be happy. They are rotating between hanging out together, or dividing into a red camp and a yellow camp. I have two concerns. Every now and then they scoot up and down the side tank at high speed, which looking at other edits here, appears as though this might be cause for concern. It lasts for a few minutes at a time before they wander off and nibble algae or chase each other about the tank.
<<Simply adjusting at this point. New "confines", etc.>>
The second concern is that one of the sunset females hides quite a bit. She is frequently sociable but periodically goes and hides in a bogwood 'cave' or at the back of the tank at the base of one of the plants. Again, should I be worried?
<<No. She's adjusting, too. Without knowing how mature your Platys are, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of pregnancy.>>
The male seems quite lively varying between keeping the females company or chasing them around.
<<Now, this, I would categorize as "typical". (No offense, guys.) :)>>
I've only see one female give him a bit of a warning peck but it didn't look too aggressive.
<<Not at all unusual.>>
Lastly, all of the fish have at some point developed a small white spot only for it to clear up again within an hour or so.
<<Can't rule out Ich but I wouldn't jump all over this. Keep a close eye on your fish, though. Good water conditions and healthy, stress-free fish are far less likely to be susceptible.>>
I haven't even had them for 24 hours yet so had put this down to new environment stress. Is that likely or, do I need to do some emergency work now?
<<It's too soon, Julia. The "ideal", of course, is that our new pets become, immediately, "at home" in their new environment. We forget the stress of netting and transporting them, not to mention putting them in an aquarium that is foreign to them. Give them, and yourself, a little more time. Your concern is understandable, however, I think you're putting pressure on yourself somewhat prematurely.>>
Many thanks,
Julia (UK)
<<You're welcome. Tom (USA)>>

Re: Normal platy behaviour? - 5/2/2006
Dear Tom
<<Hi, Julia.>>
Thanks for taking the time to answer this. I had thought it most likely that as the fish are new, they just have some settling down to do, but I didn't want to make an assumption and accidentally kill the poor little fellas within a few days of moving them in!
<<Best to wait and observe during the first few days. The sooner the fish are stress-free, the less likely things are to go wrong.>>
All the ich-like spots have gone and the female is still hiding out about 50% of the time but is feeding well. There is every possibility that she could be pregnant as she is likely to be at least four months old and was living in a mixed sex tank when I purchased her.
<<We can try to bring them up responsibly but kids these days... :)>>
One last question - how long do they live on average?
<<Three to five years is the "average". My experience with these fish is between three and four years. Interestingly, and ironically, at higher water temperatures, the immune systems in fish are stronger, leading to healthier/happier pets but their metabolisms are also increased which tends to shorten their lives somewhat. I, personally, think the trade-off is worth it.>>
Many thanks again,
Julia
<<My best to you and your new friends, Julia. Tom>>

Molly and Platy Behaviour - 05/06/2006
Hi there,
<Hi - you've got Jorie here tonight>
I don't know what to do with my fighting mollies & platies.
I have a 10g tank. I had 1 male platy, 1 unknown platy (no female or male fin), and 1 female black molly. I wanted to breed the fish, so I bought a black lyretail molly back in
February. The 2 mollies have been getting along all right...although he chases her incessantly.
<Livebearers, esp. mollies, are notorious for this. Generally, you should keep a 1:4 or so ratio of males to females, or the males will likely bully the females to death...>
About a month ago, I bought another male platy (thought it was female, but just not developed yet). The new male platy is somewhat aggressive and will not let the other male near the "unknown" platy. There was a lot of fighting
starting and fin nipping, with my original male platy starting to hide out, so I moved all 3 platies to my 35g tank. I thought having more room and being in a different setting might change things a little (take out some of the aggressiveness in my new platy). Didn't work. So, then I moved my original
male platy back to my 10g.
<You said "you moved three platies". Bottom line is you have too much testosterone in that tank! With a 10 gal. you really should only have 1 male livebearer in there, with perhaps 4 girls. What all do you have in the 35 gal.? Perhaps the male molly can be moved there?>
Now, in my 10g are the 2 mollies and 1 platy. Yesterday, I noticed that the mollies were starting to fight with each other. I thought this might be some
kind of mating behaviour, but after today I'm not sure. The male molly is constantly following the female around with his mouth sniffing?? nipping?? at her belly.
<That's what the boys do to the girls...all day long. This is why you can't have a 1:1 ratio>
But yesterday, it's like she had enough. They curve their bodies
and swim in circles nipping at each other. A few times, I saw (seen?) the female grab hold of one of the male's fins and not let go...dragging him and jerking on him.
Before the 2 fish decide to kill each other, I moved the male molly to my 35g today.
<Perhaps you can just have a few females in the 10, and put the males into the 35...>
So, now I have a female (bullyish) molly and a skittish male platy in my 10g tank,
<I'd watch this combination closely>
and the male molly, male platy and unknown platy in my 35g.
<Sounds good.>
Any ideas on what kind of behaviour is going on here?
<Yes - horny male livebearers! This is what they do...>
 Why would this aggression start now...after being together for 3 months?
<Perhaps they weren't sexually mature until recently.>
 I'm not sure where to move what fish and how to possible get any of my fish breeding without overstocking my 10g.
<Your livebearers will breed wherever, whenever, so don't worry about that! But, whether or not the fry will survive depends on what else is in the tank. I don't know what all you keep in the 35 gal., but perhaps let the fish you want to reproduce be in there, and make sure there's plenty of hiding spots for the fry, incl. floating plants if possible. Also, you could catch the fry as soon as you see them born and let them grow in the 10...I did this for a while playing the game of "musical livebearer tanks...Bottom line, you cannot have more than 1 male livebearer, molly or platy, in your 10, and you need to have a few girls in there so that the sexual aggression is fairly spread around. Even Also, make sure there's ample hiding spots. Alternatively, and probably the better idea (as mentioned above) consider just keeping females in the 10...trust me, if you have a few girls in there, it won't be long until you see fry, as the females can hold sperm up to 6 months!>
Help please!!
Donna
<Hope I have! Best of luck, Jorie.>

Molly and Platy Behaviour - 05/07/2006
Thanks for the super quick response!
<You're welcome - we try our best!>
What do you mean by watching the male platy and female molly??

Until I can get some female platies to add to my 35g, I don't want to move this platy because the other male platy is nipping
at him.
<You should be fine - I was only concerned because of how you described the two fish you currently have in the 10 gal. respectively as a "bully" and "skittish". As long as there is no aggression, everyone should be fine as is for the time being.>
In my 35g, I have 2 penguin tetras, 1 white tetra, 1 pleco, 1 snail, 10 neon tetras, and 10 harlequin rasboras, a lot of artificial plants, and a few rocks.
<Sounds good - pretty small fish with lots of swimming room I am sure they appreciate!>
 I plan on eventually changing the substrate in this tank to fluorite, removing everything artificial and adding live plants, more rocks/caves, and a couple "centerpiece" fish as recommended by someone else on your site the other day. They suggested either German Rams, Kribensis, and/or Cherry Barbs. Although, I'm not so sure about some of these with the mix I have.
<The barbs could potentially be problematic, but the rams are peaceful, not to mention bright and colorful. Just be sure you have provided lots of hiding places and plant cover for them, if you go this route. The Kribensis a/k/a purple cichlid a/k/a pink cichlid is also relatively peaceful, so that should be OK as an alternative "centerpiece" fish.>
I had originally wanted to go with 2 clown loaches, but was told they would be too big for this tank.
<OK - I think I was confused and thought the clown loaches were already in the tank. Yes, I agree on them truly being too big for a 35 gal. - they can grow over 12" long...>
Donna
<Hope I've clarified things a bit. Best regards, Jorie>

Male platy attacking female 3/24/06
<Tom with you this morning>
I have one male platy and two female platies in a 10 gallon tank. <Okay> The male platy has been chasing and bothering the two females. The male has caused a little damage to one of the female's fins. Is this a sign of attraction or is it just aggression? <Most likely establishing dominance. Interestingly, a dominant female can/will do the same to males> The aggression had just started yesterday. I've had the male for six days now. <Keep an eye on the male and be prepared to separate him if need be. A possibility, among others, would be to purchase a divider and seclude the male in a small section of the tank away from the females for a time. Can take a little of the "starch" out of an overly assertive fish. Tom>

Blue platy turned orange? 3/2/06
Hello. I purchased 2 blue platies back in September. They seem happy and healthy. My concern is that one of the platies has turned orange, what's that all about? I would very much appreciate it if you could solve this mystery for me.
Thank You
<Ah, many platy (and other live-bearing toothed carps, family Poeciliidae) have less than "fixed" strains... Yours is exhibiting a bit of "throw back" legacy genetically. Not to worry. Bob Fenner>

Odd Platy Behavior 1/14/06
Hey guys,
<Daria>
I've looked all over your website but haven't been able to find an answer to my question. I'm not sure whether its much of a problem but more of an odd
behavior with one of my Mickey mouse platies. I have four male platies in a 10 gallon tank, ammonia, nitrite at 0 and nitrate between 5 and 10ppm.
One of the Mickey mouse platies likes following the smallest one of the four and rubs up against it, making me almost think he's trying to mate, but the
other fish is also a male, so I was hoping you could explain the behavior to me.
<Mmm, just "friendly" or perhaps "searching" behavior. Not unusual>
He is not the dominant male in the group and is often the most skittish one, even though he is the largest and seems to have some kind of attraction to the smallest platy. Sorry to take up much of your time, since this really is not a live or death situation, but the Stevie (the smallest fish) seems to be bothered by this and spends a lot of time hiding behind the plants, although there are no other visible problems with him.
thanks for your time, Daria.


Platy problems... actually normal behavior - 01/12/2006
Hi, my name is Andy. I am new to the aquarium thing, and I have purchased three platy's, two female, and one male. the male tends to follow the females around but not bite at them.
<Normal...>
but they run from him , he keeps following and it seems the females are afraid of him. What should I do?
<Mmm, nothing>
or is he just trying to mate?
<Yep>
Please give all the info you have to give. thanks dearly Andy
<No worries Andy. Bob Fenner>

Platy fry colors 12/14/05
Hello!
I have A LOT of platy fry in my tank, two of which are about 2 months old, and about 15ish that are about 2 weeks old. I was wondering how long it takes for the fry to get the same vibrant colors as the adults?
<Two to three months generally>
The female that gave birth to these guys is orange. The two older fry are kinda light brown with a vertical black stripe down the middle and some of the young ones are really pale, almost white and some are brown. They look so plain compared to all the other fishies. They are all growing fine and all look really happy. They are such brave little guys to swim around with the adults.
Thanks for your help!
Shelley
<Feeding small amounts more frequently, being diligent re water changes, using foods with carotenoids, Spirulina can help "speed up" the coloring wait time. Bob Fenner>

Unusual Platy Behavior 11/11/05
In my 9 gallon tank I have 1 male Red-tailed Albino Platy, 1 female Twin Goldbar Platy, and 1 female Sunset Fire Platy. These are the only fish in my tank. For the past 2 and a half weeks my Sunset Fire Platy is acting very unusual, she spends all of her time lying on the bottom of the tank, unless it's feeding time and then she eats just like the other fish. She has a long, almost transparent trail of slime coming from her anal fin that trails
behind her when she swims during feeding. I have tested the water and the results read that my water is perfect. I figured if this was Dropsy she would have died by now. What should I do? Thank you for your time and patience.
Sincerely,
Jonathan
<Mmm, "perfect" is a subjective evaluation... non-informative (like the prez). I would do the "usual" remedial efforts of changing water, adding a level teaspoon of "aquarium salt" per five gallons of system water, replacing the activated carbon in your filter. Bob Fenner>

The Super-productive Capabilities of the Platy 10/22/05
New tank owner was left with the house we just purchased.
<What?>
I went out and bought 2 gold platies, and I did not know they were live bearers (did not tell me this when I purchased them). So now I have 3 half inch new ones, 4 smaller than that, and now I just found 3 more little ones under grass and rock I have in tank. I went to the pet store where I purchased these platies and they told me to lower temp in tank or shut off thermometer? Is this correct? I just want them to quit breeding. They were also surprised they all survived! They have survived. And I only have a 10 gallon tank and that is all that I want. Help! What should I do to stop them from having any more fry?
<If you don't want babies, don't have livebearers. Sorry, I know that's not very helpful. Honestly though, turning off the temperature may work, but only because you are making them stressed and sick. My suggestion is to work out a platy for something else exchange at your fish store. You could also keep males only, but they may pick on each other. Congrats on healthy fry -- it's a good sign your tank is healthy.>
Thank you for your time and help.
<Sorry I can't prescribe platy birth control. Catherine>

Red Platy A Loner? 7/22/05
Greetings. I have read your site with interest, and find it a tremendous
resource.
<Thanks, I've been reading it 5+ years, and the amount of info here never ceases to amaze me. I'm just glad to add a bit to the pool, if I can>
After reading over the advice given previously to others about
Platy aggression, I returned one of my two males to the LFS, as I was unable
to add any females of the species to the tank for fear of overcrowding.
While this is not a pressing query, I would like your opinion about whether
the remaining Platy is happy: After I removed the aggressor, the Platy came
out from hiding, swims about the tank most of the day, mingles with the
White Clouds, is eating heartily, and seems to enjoy swimming past a small
plastic "imitation Platy" I placed in the tank.
Could a single Platy actually be content, or am I reading contentment into
his actions? Perhaps all the swimming and eating is actually unhappy
behavior. I've asked him if he's happy, but so far, no reply. *winks*
<While it would probably prefer some more platys, especially female platys *wink back at ya* it should live a long and happy life without company of the same species. And yes, I do hate how platys give their owners "the silent treatment"; biting the hand that feeds it seems to me!>
Thank you.
<My pleasure>
Holly
<M. Maddox>

Platy behavior 7/16/05
Hello people one of my platies has been hovering over the gravel in my 20 gallon hexagon fish tank. Can you tell me what is wrong?
from, Joe
<Perhaps nothing... please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platybehfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Lethargic Platy 7/5/05
I have read through some of your FAQs to find some answers to help my
lethargic platy. I have 5 sunset platys, 2 male and 3 female, they have been
happy in the tank for 3-4 months. I've done regular water changes over the
period and have had no other problems. The Platys share the tank with neon
tetras, clown loaches, plecs and Corydoras. A couple of days ago 1 of the
females began behaving in an odd manner, she seems to be resting atop the
filter for most of the day, swimming at the top of the tank to eat but her
swimming seems to be a difficult task, also she has become very thin, whilst
the other platys seem perfectly happy. Any ideas?
<Perhaps an internal parasite, maybe a genetic pre-disposition... you do feed a mix of nutritious foods... with greenery included I take it, considering the other livestock you list... Perhaps the one platy is "just" old. Bob Fenner>

Baby Fries and a lonely Platy 07/02/05
I looked through the FAQ and I didn't see these questions
answered. Sorry for the lengthy e-mail.
<No worries>
My first question pertains to a lonely Platy. I set up my
tank last Tuesday and added 3 platys to it. 2 of the
platies have died since (the latest this morning). The two
platies that died looked sick and I knew they were going
to go. My last platy looks healthy, but stays at the top
of the tank in the corner. It isn't gulping for breath so
I wonder if it is staying there because it is lonely. I am
hesitant to add anymore fish into the tank until the water
cycles through in about 3 1/2 weeks. I have a sucker in
the tank but I highly doubt this is the type of
companionship the platy wants. Should I add more fish?
<... no... please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm>
My second question is about platy fries (sorry if this was
already answered!)
<Just fry... fries are made from potatoes>
2 days after setting the tank up I had
about 12 baby platies and spent all of Friday removing
them from the tank into a plastic bowl (about 1.5 gallons)
with an aeration tube. Should I buy in a bigger tank and
how often should I do water changes?
Thanks!
Andrea
<These questions are all answered as well as several other important related matters... on WWM... Please read there. Bob Fenner>

Aggressive Male Platies
Dear Crew, I was not aware of how to figure out the sex of my platies until I noticed the aggression that was taking place in my tank. After a bit of research I discovered that the majority of them were male...a bad thing. Of course, I should have known that Wal-Mart knows nothing about fish and done the research myself first. Unfortunately, now I am stuck with too many male platies. As far as I know they all get along except for one very aggressive male who picks on all of the others. He is larger than the rest and seems to feel he is the dominant one. Is there anything I can do to stop him from being aggressive? If not how can I get rid of some of the males so that this does not continue to happen? Wal-Mart will not take them back:(
Thanks, Frustrated
<You can try giving him a time out. If you have another tank you could put him in for a few days he may have a new attitude when he re enters as the new guy on the block. But I doubt it will work, long term. Best to find the extra males new homes. Maybe trade them at a different pet store. Don>

New Tank With Platies
I'm a new, though unofficial, fishkeeper. My 9 year old son wanted fish so
we got a 20 gal tank, cycled it, and added 3 platys - one blue, one red Mickey
and a white platy with a red spot. I think they're all girls, but the red one
nips at the others, is not as active, and stays on the bottom of the tank.
She has no spots or discoloration, and a moderate appetite. I was searching
the internet to find information on platy behavior and after a long time found
your sight. You have been very helpful already. Based on the information
here, we'll do a water test, and verify gender. I'll be checking in often. Thank
you. Cathy M.
<Good luck with your new tank and on behalf of the WWM Crew we thank you for your kind words.-Chuck>

New Tank Platy
I am new to aquariums. I have a twenty gallon tank which I have cycled for three days and added BioSpira. pH is normal around 6-7, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all low, temp sits at 78-79 so I added two platys and three phantom tetra today. One of my platy's, a female is sitting in the upper corner while the other, male, is swimming everywhere. It seems to have something brown hanging from under its tail fin. "Guessing fecal material of sort." Earlier in the day
she was swimming everywhere, now she's not. Any ideas?
Nick
<If you just added them today, that would seem normal. It takes some time for some new fish to adjust to their new conditions. It could also be that the male has been aggressively trying to breed, stressing her out. You should always have more females than males to spread out the aggression. But let's touch on water quality first. It is not good to have low ammonia and nitrites. Both MUST be at zero. If you are showing any at all, then water changes are in order. Do as many as are needed to keep both as low as possible.
The BioSpira will add the bacteria needed to control both, but will need some time to adjust to your bio load. Do not add any more fish until both remain at zero without a water change. Also, to say your pH is "around 6-7" is like saying the water temp is between freezing and boiling. A 1.0 difference in pH is huge! But the important thing is to keep it steady, not hit a target number. Doing frequent partial water changes will correct any spikes in ammonia and nitrite, and later control nitrate, as well as keep your pH matched to your source water. Don>

New platy hiding
Hi--I am new to the platy world and have two questions about normal behavior and temperature. I have a new 3 gallon tank which ran for about 5 days before we added one male platy.
<Mmm, do you know about "cycling", establishing biological filtration in aquariums? Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm >
He has been in the tank for about two days. He hides most of the time (he has some good spots in which to hide) and only comes out to eat. He seems healthy and eats well. After he eats, he swims around a bit, then goes back into hiding, usually until the next feeding. Is this normal "new" fish behavior? Could he just be lonely?
<Normal to an extent, and Platies are indeed social creatures... but I suspect your tank is toxic due to not being cycled principally here>
Also, we moved his tank after one day because he was in a warm room and I was worried his tank might be getting too hot (don't want any boiled fish!). What is the temperature range for platys? (We don't have a heater in the tank right
now.) Thanks!
<Most anything in the high sixties to high seventies is ideal... more important that the temperature not vacillate much than it be an actual temp. A shame you have such a tiny, changeable world for you and your fish/es to deal with... I would save up and get a "real aquarium"... Do read re proper/adequate FW set-ups, maintenance on WWM... Your passion will drive your actions. Bob Fenner>

Re: new platy hiding
Dear Bob,
<Joy>
First, let me say thanks for taking the time to respond to my question. I appreciate the fact that you provide this service free of charge. However, I find it incredibly insulting that you do not consider my tank to be a "real" aquarium, just because it's not some 200 gallon monster.
<Mmm, a ten would, will do...>
"A shame you have such a tiny, changeable world for you and your fish/es to deal with... I would save up and get a "real aquarium"...
I think you need to consult your Webster's to review the definition of an aquarium. It doesn't specify a certain size requirement.

Just because we have not spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on fish and a tank does not give you the right to scoff. We all have to start somewhere, right?
<Am not scoffing... just offering my input...>
My 7 year old son is autistic and he worked very hard to get this aquarium. He is very proud of it and I will not have you make a mockery of it, intentional or not.
Just in case you do care, I cycled the tank for a week and tested the water with a Mardel Master Test Kit (pH, Hardness, Alkalinity, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia). Everything is within normal parameters, so I do not consider the tank to be "toxic". Our little platy is no longer hiding...he is doing great. And don't worry...I won't be bothering you with any more questions about my "pseudo aquarium".
Sincerely,
Joy Buchanan
<Back to your world... good luck, good bye, good riddance. Bob Fenner>

Overactive Male Platy
We have one male platy in our 30 gallon tank with 4 females, along with 4 female barbs and 1 male barb. The male barb became very aggressive towards the females last week so we removed him for a couple of days, then returned him to the tank and he's pretty cool now.
<Good>
The male platy has now become very aggressive towards the other platies, and now all the other female fish. Should we remove him for a while or is he just being amorous?

We removed him for a bit but he seems more aggressive then ever. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Nel
<All sounds like you're doing things right... Your system is large enough, you have good sex ratios for your fish species... Likely you're right... they're just overly frisky. Bob Fenner>

Mickey Mouse Platy
Hi there
<Hello>
I've been reading lots of stuff on Mickey Mouse Platys but I still don't think I know what is wrong with my fish, only that its sick. It is hiding in one of the plants at the bottom of the tank and hasn't been eating since yesterday. It has been swimming around but at times almost seems like it cannot move forward and moves backward. I've been watching it today and its developing a white "stain" around its gills, its not raised and it doesn't look like Ick either.
<Could just be "bummed out">
We have a 55 gallon tank which has been running around a week. We have 2 blue dwarf Gouramis, 2 red fire Gouramis, 2 Mickey Mouse platys, 2 phantom tetras and a 7 inch Pleco. They all came from two separate 10 gallon tanks which we have been running for about 2 months. We transferred all the ornaments, some gravel and have one of the filters running in the new tank because I thought that the bio filter might help the tank cycle quicker.
<Good thinking>
We have a large filter running that also came with the tank. The water temp is 80 degrees.
Any suggestions will be helpful.
Thanks.
Alison


Platies losing color
Hi, just have a quick question for you.
I have a 20 gallon aquarium with 3 red wag platies, 4 zebra danios, and 5 albino Corydoras. Lately I've been noticing one of my female platies, losing her color on the bottom of her belly, also she sometimes flicks herself against rocks as if she is trying to scratch herself. I've check for signs of the protozoan Ick, there are no signs of that in my tank. I change at least 50% of the water in the tank weekly.
<Impressive!>
The water changes seem to help, so I'm assuming it has to do with the water quality and the ammonia and nitrite levels. Is there anything else I could do to make her more, I guess comfortable?
<Platies like alkaline water with some salt, at least one tablespoon per 5 gallons. Please see here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/poeciliids.htm, for additional information and follow onto the blue linked FAQ files.>
Also will her color come back?
<If the cause, whatever that is, is corrected.>
Thank you for your time, Cara
<You are quite welcome. -Steven Pro>

Aggressive Red Mickey Mouse Platy
Hi there! This is my first try with tropical fish. I bought a Red Mickey Mouse Platy, a Marble Molly and a Glass fish. After 3 days, the molly died (it didn't appear to be eating anything). I went back to the pet store and was told both the mollies and platys need to school (why couldn't they have told me that when I bought them, after I told them I was a novice?). So, I bought another 2 platys. The two (I think they are the males) began chasing and victimizing the female.
<Better to have just one male, and two or more females. The males have a gonopodium, a modified anal fin (up under the belly) that is pointed looking, serves as an intromittent organ. Trade one of the males in for another female>
She started hiding to try to get away from them. She died yesterday. Today, one of the platys appears to be doing the same thing to the other one. My question is, WHAT is going on? I thought they were supposed to be a peaceful fish . I don't know if I have an overly aggressive male. I don't know what to do with them. Should I take out the aggressive one?

Will he start attacking the Glass Fish? What kinds of fish can I put in my 10 gallon aquarium that will survive my nasty Platy? If you could give me any advice I would deeply appreciate it.
Thank you. Laura
<Please read through the freshwater livestock coverage here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm
I would try some of the smaller Danios, Rasboras, Barbs. Bob Fenner>

Platy Poop
<Morning! Ryan with you>
I have a group of about 15 baby Platies in a separate tank. Although I
have heard that it is best not to overfeed your fish, I still think that
I feed them considerably well. However, I have noticed that several of
them often have neon green turds, which is the color of my aquarium
rocks. Can you tell me why they are eating the paint off of the gravel in
addition to their food, and is it harmful? They seem perfectly fine to
me, but somehow it doesn't seem right.
<I don't think they're intentionally eating the paint, they're probably nibbling algae from the rocks, and getting it inadvertently. This can't be healthy, and could cause some serious internal problems with your Platies. Or, they could be fine- But I would play it safe- get a substrate that's more natural. Gravel or small stones will be aesthetically pleasing and provide a natural setting for your fish. Good luck! Ryan>
Thanks, Natasha

Aggressive Red Mickey Mouse Platy
Dear Crew,
<Hi! Ananda here tonight...>
I am new to the aquarium hobby and have purchased a 20 gallon tank start up kit from the local pet store. I have an assortment of platies in this tank that include a neon orange Mickey mouse platy, a sunset wag platy, a blue Mickey mouse platy ( all platies listed before hand are females) and a male red Mickey mouse platy. I have had all these platies for about two months now and have had two sets of fry, from the neon Mickey mouse and the sunset wag, and am working on the next set. They all got along together in the beginning and now, after the sunset wag dropped her fry, the male red Mickey mouse platy will chase her all around the tank nipping at her tail.
<"Flirting", tough-fish style, possibly. Male livebearers have two things on their little fishy minds: food and making more livebearers.>
She hides in the plants that I have in the tank and clamps her fins close to her body all the time. She has also lost a lot of weight and almost looks sick.
<Stress from being chased.>
The male platy will leave all the other platies alone. Is there something about having a wag platy in with a male Mickey mouse platy that is wrong? I thought that platies were supposed to get along with each other.
<Generally, yes. It sounds like this fish has more of a one-track mind than most.>
Please help!!! Jim Hooper
<The next time one of your females drops a bunch of fry, you might isolate her for a few days so she can recover her strength away from the Mickey Monster Mouse platy. Then when she goes back into the main tank, isolate the male in question and rearrange the tank so he won't feel quite so territorial about everything. --Ananda>

Hiding Platy
Hi there,
<Hi! Ananda here today...>
I have three platies. I'm not sure exactly what they're called, but they're gold with red fins and black edges on the upper and lower parts of the tail (comets?).
<I've heard that color morph called a "gold wag" platy... not that I can fathom how they come up with "wag" as a descriptor!!>
Two are male and one is female.
<Um. You want to reverse that ratio... pair o' females per male is the usual.>
The female has been hiding for about three days. I know she's alive, but she rarely comes out even to eat. I don't think she's pregnant or sick. Her belly is not "bloated" and she doesn't appear to have velvet or ich...From researching other questions posted on your website, it appears she may be stressed from being chased.
<Yup, that's the most likely possibility... most fish have about three thoughts in their head when it comes to other fish: "Can it eat me?", "Can I eat it?", and "Can I mate with it?" But when it comes to male livebearers, I think the order is reversed!>
Is there anything I can do for her? Should I buy one or two more females?
<A pair of females, IF you have the tank space... how big is the tank, and what else is in the tank?>
I am a novice at this hobby, so I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thank you!
<You're quite welcome, and do check out the freshwater forums on the WetWeb chat forums: http://wetwebfotos.com/talk ... Ananda>

Hiding Platy
Hi Ananda,
<The insomniac is back...>
Thank you very much! I bought four more platies yesterday (3 female, 1 male). I now have 4 females and 2 males. The hiding female came out within minutes after her new friends were added to the tank. Nobody appears to be stressed now!
<Glad to hear it. Next time you get fish, though, do please consider quarantining the new arrivals for at least two or three weeks first, to make sure they won't bring any nasties to your tank....I shall cross my fingers that your new platies are healthy.>
Thank you so much for your help.
<You're quite welcome. --Ananda>

Re: Hiding Platy
Hi again!
<Hi! Ananda back at it again...>
Like I said, I am a novice!
<As we all have been, and sometimes still are!>
I've been told to do the following to prepare them for my tank...Let me know if I shouldn't do this. So, far we've had pretty good luck. Out of 32 fish, 4 have passed. At that time, the PH was very low, temperature was only about 72, and the ammonia was high. That was about a month ago...The conditions have improved since then. Now, the PH is about 6.9, temperature is 80 and ammonia is undetectable...
<That pH is a little lower than I'd like for livebearers, but they should be okay... just make sure it stays steady.>
Anyway, this is what we were told -
-Put the plastic bag in our tank for about 15 minutes to allow the temperature to adjust
-Then, put the fish in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of water from our tank every 15 minutes for an hour
<So far so good... I tend to add more water a little more frequently if I know the store's water parameters are a close match to my own.>
-Then, add the fish to our tank

We're not able to quarantine them for 2 or 3 weeks right now, because we don't have another tank. We will consider getting one though. Especially because we just had an ICK incident with one of our Sailfin mollies. She's okay now. But it would have been better to put her in a hospital tank. Lesson learned!
<A quarantine tank doesn't need to be a tank, per se...many people have successfully used Rubbermaid or Sterilite containers.>
Thanks again...I'll stop bothering you now!
<Come bother us on the freshwater forums of the WetWeb chat forums! http://wetwebfotos.com/talk >
You've been very helpful!!
<Thanks, and you're welcome! --Ananda>

Platy problem?
I have just brought 4 platys for my new fish tank consisting of 2 males and 2 females, but what's really puzzling me is that they keep swimming along the top of the surface. They occasionally swim near to the bottom and then go back up to the surface again. What am I doing wrong? Please help me!
<You mentioned that it's a new tank - has it cycled yet? How big is the tank? Have you tested for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? If you don't have test kits, your local fish store should be willing to test a sample of your water for you. Did you use a dechlorinator for the water? Please read the following article, hopefully you'll learn a lot of things to help you: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwtips4beginners.htm Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Aggressive male Platies. Please help!
In my 10 gal tank, I have 4 male Platies, 2 female Platies, 2 male guppies, 1 blue Gouramis, 1 glass catfish. I don't want to get a bigger tank and I can't take the male Platies back to the store any more.
<they won't even take donated fish? Most love free fish, though some don't take peoples fish cause they are afraid of poor health conditions.>
But my 4 male Platies are Very aggressive towards each other and everyone else!
<they are aggressive due to the small space, and the fact that there are less females than males. it's better to have more females then males in a tank. At least 2 females per male is how it should be.>
Can I take out 2 Platies to go in my gold fish tank which can go to 60 degrees at night? will he live.
<Check the water parameters, so the fish will not go into some sort of pH shock from going to a warm tropical tank to a coldwater tank with typically higher waste output fish like goldfish. You will have to adjust the fish slowly to cooler tank if you do decide to move them.
I would suggest placing them in bags and slowly drip the new goldfish tank water into the bag allowing them to adjust to the tank. Give it like 20-30 minutes of dripping the water in to the bag before releasing them. Now remember these fish aren't found in these conditions in nature, so this mix really shouldn't be... But, these fish will survive in this tank. I suggest that you start looking around for new homes for these fish. Either give them to other fish people, or set up another tank down the road. It's really not best to have fish in conditions that is not specifically designed for them.>
I also have a 5 inch shubunkin in the goldfish tank. My male Platies are about 1.5 inches including the tails.
<They shouldn't bother each other. Just make sure that you keep up on water changes, and the filtration is going okay. Good luck. -Magnus>

Platy sex change
Hello, We have a ten gallon freshwater tank with over 30 fish, ranging in age of 5 months - 5 days, black mollies and sunset platys, and only one of our fish is store bought, due to reproduction and dying out. I noticed something very strange with one of our 2-month old female platys. She was the biggest, most beautiful female platy in the tank, and she has a very pretty light golden orange coloring. Something very very strange happened: over the past week, I've noticed that she has acquired the anal fin, gonopodium, that is characteristic of MALES!! How strange is that?! What is going on? And I do know that before, she did not have the male sex organ. She always a female until recently. Also, her coloring is more similar to that of the other 2-month old females than the coloring of the males. The males have yellow heads and they become orange, then red further down to the tail. This fish has nothing of the sort. Have you any idea of what is going on? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
~Confused aquarium keeper
<<Dear Confused; Hello. Chances are that you bought this platy at a young age, and she has finally matured sexually. In other words, she didn't change, she was probably a "he" from the beginning. It's hard to say without seeing the fish beforehand. It could be you didn't notice the gonopodium. At any rate, I have heard tales of people's swordtails and platies changing their sex, I would again put that down to juvenile fish becoming sexually mature. Keep in min