Platies

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Platies are part of the Poecilidae family which means they are part of the group of livebearers. Xiphophorus maculatus and Xiphophorus variatus are the two different platy species from which all platy variations are bred for aquarium purposes. Platies are very similar to swordtails, so much that they are even able to mate with one another and produce fertile young. This is one of the reasons why there are so many different variations of platy fish available. There are over 325,000 known varieties of platy fish. The different varieties of platies display diverse coloration and patterns, and some even have fins of different shapes and sizes. This is a great fish for beginning aquarists because of their ease of keeping and breeding. They get along well with other species in community aquariums.

Platies are originally from the freshwaters of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. They are now bred commercially in Florida and from areas around the Pacific Rim. Although platies are highly adaptable fish, they prefer medium to hard water that is slightly alkaline. The optimum temperature for raising platies is between 70-77ºF in a well planted and brightly lit aquarium. They need clean, fresh water, especially when breeding as is common with most other fish. Their diet should consist of plenty of veggies although protein should be provided as well. Platies do not require all that much space when you have just a few but it is probably best to keep them in a tank that is larger than necessary, at least 10 gallons. The reason for this is their highly reproductive nature. It will not take long for them to multiply and they live an average life span of 2-3 years.

In the wild, platies are found in shallow, lowland rivers in areas with a slight current. As is true with most livebearers, the varieties found in the wild tend to be plainer than those bred in captivity. Wild caught platies are usually grey with black speckles and clear fins. Selective breeding is necessary in order to obtain the different color, pattern and fin variations.

Sexing of platies are very easy and fairly straight forward, as is with all other livebearers. Male platies possess a modified anal fin referred to as the gonopodium. The gonopodium is used to inseminate the female while mating. Female platies are generally slightly larger than the males reaching approximately 2.5 inches whereas the males usually reach about 1.5 inches.

Breeding platies is one of the easiest things for an aquarist to do. Add one male, one female and some water to an aquarium and in a matter of weeks you could have little platy babies swimming around. That is just the gist of it, there is a little more to it than just that. Platies should have a well planted tank for breeding and living. Once the female is inseminated by the male and becomes pregnant she will be able to store the sperm in her body allowing her to have several broods without having to mate again. Before she gets too close to the end of her pregnancy she should be moved to a tank of her own. This tank should be set up with plenty of plants for the babies to hide in.

Platies are not notably great parents. They have the tendency to ignore their babies or worse yet, look at their newborns as food. In order to help the babies survive you must place the mother in a densely planted tank before she gives birth. The babies will instinctively hide among the plants to seek coverage. The new babies are independent swimmers as soon as they are released from the mother’s womb. They are able to fend for themselves as long as food is available. They will require a well balanced diet of lots of protein and some veggies to ensure proper development. If you give them high quality foods they will yield brighter, more radiant colors.

If not carefully bred, platies can loose their brilliant coloration over several generations. In order to produce the best results, selective breeding needs to be carefully controlled. In doing so, the finest specimens are bred in order to keep the color and fin variations that are desirable. Young virgin females are separated from males before they reach sexual maturity in order to keep them pure for breeding with carefully selected mature males.

X. maculatus and X. variatus will cross breed with one another quite easily. Usually, when this happens, the resulting species is renamed; however, in this case the resulting platy is named according to which ever variation they more closely resemble. The X. variatus lack the sail fin or fancy tails but have a slimmer, longer physique. There are other species of platy known, but they are not sold for retail aquarium purposes.

Popular variations of X. variatus:

• Golden platy variatus
• High-fin golden parrot platy variatus
• Green platy variatus
• Calico platy variatus
• Blue tuxedo platy variatus

Popular variations of X. maculatus:

• Blue wag-tail high-fin platy
• Black platy
• Blue platy
• Pintail red wag-tail platy
• Salt and pepper platy
• Sunset marigold platy
• Red-wag high-fin platy
• Blue coral platy

Pictures

Xiphophorus maculatus
Thanks a lot to halkor for pictures.



Xiphophorus variatus

Sources

• Aquarium Fishes of the World by Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod, Dr. Warren E. Burgess,
  Neal Pronek, Glen S. Axelrod and David Boruchowitz
• Focus on Freshwater Fish by Geoff Rogers and Nick Fletcher
• Aquarium Fish by Ulrich Schliewen
• Eyewitness Handbooks Aquarium Fish by Dick Mills
• Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish by David Alderton

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Platies

has been viewed times since June 30, 2009.