Adding baby platy to tank
12/2/07
I have a 10 gallon tank in my classroom with one male and one female red wag
platy. I thought I had all females when I bought them from the fish store
because the sales clerk told me they only had females, but evidently she was
wrong. After looking at pictures on the internet later, I realized the smaller
one was most likely a male. Anyway, while doing a water change a couple months
ago, I found one fry. The fry stayed in a breeder net (box-shaped) within the 10
gallon tank for awhile but then I set up an Eclipse 3 gallon aquarium for
him/her so he'd have more room. Now he's almost 2 cm long now. I want to put
him/her in my 10 gallon tank with the other 2 platys now so I can keep the 3
gallon tank for any new fry I may find.? Will the other two platys pick on
him/her since he would be the stranger in their territory??? Is there some
particular way I should add him to the tank so he would not be picked on by the
grown platys??
Thanks!
Carolyn
<Carolyn, Platies are essentially schooling fish and the more the merrier. The
only possible problems come from males, which will sometimes chase one another.
If there are a surfeit of males, the males may also harass the females in the
anxiousness to mate. That's why experienced Platy keepers always recommend
keeping two females for every one male -- it's the only way to ensure peace, in
small tanks especially! In fact, in small tanks, I'd always recommend keeping
just female Platys, since they're no less attractive than the males. In any
case, Platies are easy to sex: Only females have triangular anal fins; males
have rod-shaped intromittent organs called gonopodia. If your store clerk can't
tell the difference, he/she must have very poor eyesight! One good idea with
Platy tanks (and livebearer tanks in general) is to use lots of real/plastic
plants, especially ones that float at the surface. Not only to they provide
hiding places for the fry, they also allow picked-upon fish to get out of the
line of fire when they want to. Cheers, Neale.>
Stocking first tank with platys
9/3/07
<<Greetings. Tom with you.>>
I'm new to this. I have set up a 10 gallon aquarium in my classroom and, after
reading a bunch of stuff on the internet, I think platys would be good fish for
me.
<<Quite possibly.>>
I do not want fish fry, though, as I think I will be challenged enough just
trying keep my aquarium in good condition without worrying about raising babies
and what to do with them.
<<You can always let Nature take its course but I understand your
reservations.>>
So, I either need to get all male or all female platys.
<<And hope the females, if these are purchased, haven’t mated before you get
them. ;) >>
I was thinking all male would be the best choice since there is the possibility
that a female could be pregnant when I got her or that a immature female might
be misidentified as a male.
<<Exactly.>>
However, I want my fish to get along with each other. Will I have aggression
problems by having all males?
<<Potentially, yes. Even without females to vie for, your males will likely
attempt to establish a “pecking order” among themselves. Given the temperaments
of these fish, however, I shouldn’t think this would pose too great a problem.>>
Also, what would be the best plan for stocking my tank? Should I get 3 platys to
begin with and, after the tank has cycled for a while, then get 2 more?
<<First, don’t add any fish until the tank has completely cycled. In a classroom
setting, this is a wonderful opportunity to educate your students on the proper
way to establish an aquarium. No need to turn this into a course in Science but
the question will almost certainly arise as to why the tank has no fish in it.
You might take a look at these articles:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfiltration.htm
When you’re ready to add your fish, it would be best to add the five at the same
time. Though not noted for being territorial in the same fashion that some other
species are (Cichlids, for example), adding all of them together will start all
on a level playing field, so to speak. Another means of alleviating possible
aggression.>>
Is a total of 5 platys too much for a 10 gallon tank?
<<No. You might even consider adding a few of the Corydoras species – belonging
to the Catfish family – as these fish, along with being a particular favorite of
mine, are non-stop scavengers and will aid in cleaning up uneaten food. They’ll
need their own diet, of course, but will continue to scour the bottom of the
tank nevertheless.>>
Thanks!
<<Good luck with your venture. Tom>>
Re: Stocking first tank with platys
9/3/07
<<Hello again, Carolyn.>>
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly!
<<Happy to do so.>>
I can't wait for my tank to cycle so I can finally add some fish!
<<I understand completely.>>
About adding the Corys, what would be a good number to get for a 10 gallon tank
if I do have 5-6 Platys?
<<Since the Corys will inhabit the bottom of the tank, for the most part, and
not really compete with the Platys for food at mid-level, you could easily add
five or six. One admonition? Hold off for a couple of weeks before adding the
Corys after the Platys have been introduced. Two reasons for this. First, you
don’t want to overload the bio-colonies by adding too many fish at one time.
Second, you’re not set up for quarantine and a couple of weeks will give you
time to make sure the Platys are in good health. (Corys are “scaleless” fish and
would require a different treatment regimen should something unforeseen
arise.)>>
If I get more than one, should it be a combination of male and female?
<<Corys are very social toward each other – the more, the merrier in the case of
these fish - so getting males and females strictly for “companionship” isn’t
truly necessary. Likely that you’d wind up with some combination of male(s) and
female(s) anyway.>>
I don't want to overcrowd my tank with fish.
<<You won’t be overcrowding, Carolyn. Keeping up on regular water changes (50%
or better each week) and maintaining your filter properly will easily handle the
numbers of fish you’ll have. The Platys and Corys are both smaller species of
fish that you should have little, if any, difficulty keeping well in your
10-gallon tank.>>
Carolyn
<<Tom>>
Re: Stocking first tank with platys (follow-up)
– 09/05/07
<<Sorry for being a little tardy,
Carolyn. Holiday’s over and it’s back to the day job!>>
Thanks so much!
<<You’re quite welcome.>>
I meant to ask you what to add first but forgot so I'm glad you put that info in
there!
<<By way of explanation on this – and for the future – Platys are much easier to
detect problems with than the Corys would be. I’ve kept Corys for years with
varying degrees of success (some varieties are simply hardier than others) and
rarely have I been able to successfully treat one with an illness. They simply
don’t “display” illnesses the way other species of fish do. A Platy laying on
the bottom of the tank is a sure sign of trouble. For a Cory, this is totally
normal. They don’t tend to “clamp” their fins in the more obvious manner of
other species which makes early detection of health issues problematic. The
upshot here is that I’d rather see you add the Platys first to “get your
bearings” and add the Corys afterward. They’re extremely social among themselves
and oblivious to most anything/everything else in the tank (other than what they
can scavenge). Aside from poor water conditions/quality, there’s not much to
stress these little guys and gals.>>
Carolyn
<<Tom>>
Platy m/f ratio 5/10/07
Over the course of adding fish a few at a time to my tank, I decided to get
some platies. At the time of purchasing the platies, I read that you should have
at least 2 females for each male, so my intent was to buy 2 or 3 females and one
male. However, the guy at the fish store said he couldn't find any male platies
in the tank, so I just got 3 females to start with, with the plan of getting a
male later.
So, today I went back to get the platy and some other fish, and after having the
sexing of platies explained to me and arriving back home and examining my fish,
I am fairly sure that 2 of the 3 "females" I bought previously are actually
males!
<Mmm, yes... happens... can/do change sex... where there is a need, opportunity>
So now I have 3 males and 1 female... I know this is not optimal, but I'm afraid
that if I buy the 5 additional females needed to get the ratio right, my tank
will be overcrowded. Current inhabitants are: 4 dwarf gouramis, 2 African dwarf
frogs, 4 platies, and 4 black-/white skirt tetras in a 20-gallon tank (not
planning to add anything else other than possibly platies).
Should I get some more females, and if so how many?
<I would just stick with what you have here>
Should I try to get the fish store to take back some of the males they sold me
(it's not like I have proof of what they told me about the sexes)? What is
likely to happen if I leave the current platy sex ratio?
Thanks in advance for any advice,
Suzanne
<Likely all will be fine here with the "batch" you have, the setting... I would
leave this mix of platies as is for now. Bob Fenner>
Platy question 2/9/06
I recently bought a 5 gallon aquarium (I've had aquariums most of my life,
but I had to move and had to leave my old one behind.) I have 2 platies to start
with, and as it turns out they are both males. One is a Mickey mouse platy and
the other is red tail sunset platy. The red tail sunset has taken to picking on
the Mickey mouse platy. The Mickey mouse platy doesn't seem to care, he just
swims off, and he gets plenty of food. I'd like to stop the red tail sunset
from chasing him, so I'm going to buy more platies...however, I don't want
babies.
If I buy a few more males, will that disperse the territorial behavior that I
think I'm witnessing?
<Quite possibly, yes>
Will they all decided to just live peacefully or will they all pick on one
another?
<At some point in crowding, the tension should be diffuse>
I'm willing to buy a few females, but I really don't want a bunch of fry to deal
with. I know that the platies are cannibalistic and will eat their fry, so I
guess I could just let "nature take its course," but obviously that seems
rough. What would you recommend, that I buy more males or some females?
<Up to you>
Also, should I be using an air pump for a 5 gallon tank? They seem to be
doing okay without one, but I do have one I could use.
Thank you so much,
Lindsey
<Well, do need aeration, circulation from some source... Bob Fenner>
Platies, all male stocking? - 2/4/2006
Hello...I'm a new at this...I have a new 15 gal tank that is ready for
adding more fish....I like platies for their ease of care and color....I am
not interested in breeding....Can I put just males because they are smaller and
brighter color or am I messing with mama nature by not having the
recommended male and two females....
<Can just have all males>
I realize this question is a bit basic but like they say "No question is too
stupid to ask"....Thank you for your consideration....Bill B.
<Mmm, nope... All earnest questions are welcome... discourtesy is not. Cheers,
Bob Fenner>
Red Mickey mouse platy
I just purchased a red Mickey mouse platy, and I have a 3 gal. aquarium. I
was wondering how many platies can I have in my 3 gal. aquarium.
<<Basic rule of thumb for freshwater is 1 inch of fish per 1-1.5 gallons
of water. The 1 inch should be based on the adult size of the fish, not
necessarily on the size it is when you buy it. This rule changes depending on
the nature of your fish but will work as-is for Platies. Platies reach an adult
size of approx 2 inches, so going with that, I would put no more than 2 in your
3g tank. You may want to also make sure that you get two of the same sex as
Platies do tend to breed quite easily and while the parents will eat most of the
babies it's still possible for your tank to get overrun. Ronni>>
New tank and platy choices
Hello,
I recently got my daughter a tank (Eclipse 12 system) for her 11th birthday (Aug. 18)- added water and Cycle and let run for 4 days. Her Aunt then got her fish (wrong kinds for a beginner tank- 3 hatchet fish, 3 cardinal tetras, an
Oto and a frog). Well, 2 days ago the last tetra died. I did a 90% wc, re-filled and added Bio-Spira yesterday. Today I got her 2 platies (turns out one male and one female). My question is: should I get another 1-2 FEMALE platies- and if so, how to hand the fry that I am sure will eventually show up? I have some live grass and java moss in the tank, so I guess the fry will have some places to hide, but I do not have any other tanks at this time. Also, how do you get a "nursery tank" set up and cycled with out any fish in it constantly? Sorry for the long post- but don't want to got through any more "funerals"! (I do
w/c about 1x week and do test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates about 1-3 times a week).
< Another female will take some of the stress off of the single female by the male. If you want to save the fry then you need to set up another tank. The fry from the platies are going to be small and either
eaten by other fish or sucked up into the eclipse's powerful filter intake. If you see the female is pregnant from the large size then you can always put he in a breeder net device designed to
separate the mother from the fry. They can then go into another tank until they are large enough not to be eaten by the adults. In a new tank with the fry you can do small water changes to keep the ammonia in check. Add some gravel from the main tank to get things going.-Chuck>
Marcell (Alaska)
