Platies are easy
One of my first sights of a proper aquarium was back in the mid-sixties in the biology department at high school in Nairobi, Kenya. This was a heavily planted three-foot aquarium well stocked with just red platies. I can still see that beautiful aquarium in my mind’s eye and can recall how striking the red fish looked amongst the dense green vegetation. In those days my own fish keeping exploits were in their infancy and stretched to wild caught guppies maintained in a gallon glass jar. I recall looking forward to the day when I could have proper aquariums of my own.
Platies at one time had their own genus, Platypoecilus, but have since been moved to the genus Xiphophorous, which also encompasses all the swordtail species. The platy genus are dominated by many varieties belonging to X maculatus and X variatus. Other wild species include X couchiarius, X xiphidium, X evelynae and X gordoni to name some. X maculatus was described by Gunther in 1866. Wild populations of X maculatus are wide spread and range from Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, where they are found in ponds and puddles and small streams.
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Wild male populations have varying amount of black coloration, but
there are some orange and red populations in Belize and Mexico. X variatus
described by Meek in 1904 is also found in Mexico. The body coloration is variable with some
varieties having a ground colour of albino, gold or red. Variatus is a larger species with males
reaching a size of upto 5 cm and females upto 6 cm while maculatus males only
reach about 3.5 cm and females upto 4.5 cm.
Most cultivated fancy platies are hybrids of X maculatus, X variatus and X helleri. That having been said, most of the platies on the market are either maculatus type or variatus type, each resembling the wild fish in size and shape although they will be carrying a few genes from the other species. Hence maculatus types are smaller than variatus types. Some cultivated fancy maculatus types include the red platy that I first came across in Africa, red wagtail, red tuxedo, gold platies and even blue platies to name but a few.
Variatus types as their names suggests, have a greater range of colour and include sunset variatus, marigold variatus, red tail black-spotted variatus, many so called Hawaiian variatus types and blue variatus to name a few. Several hi-fin types have been developed as well as platies with black markings in the tail and penducle, such as comet, wagtail and Mickey mouse. I have just given you a flavour of what is out there and leave you to make your own choices depending on what is available in your locality and what takes your fancy.
Aquarium Set Up
Although there are many aquarists dedicated to and specialising in platies, these fish make good community fish. A community tank should be at least three-foot long, giving one the scope of keeping a variety of fish. A well-planted tank demands a gravel depth of at least three to four inches, although today plastic plants look realistic and are effective in adding colour and offering cover and protection to the fish. Filtration can be under-gravel based if plastic plants are used or if the plants (Java fern, Anubias species) are bogwood based and above gravel layer. Alternately, internal or external canister filtration also does a good job of maintaining water quality.
Although there are many aquarists dedicated to and specialising in platies, these fish make good community fish. A community tank should be at least three-foot long, giving one the scope of keeping a variety of fish. A well-planted tank demands a gravel depth of at least three to four inches, although today plastic plants look realistic and are effective in adding colour and offering cover and protection to the fish. Filtration can be under-gravel based if plastic plants are used or if the plants (Java fern, Anubias species) are bogwood based and above gravel layer. Alternately, internal or external canister filtration also does a good job of maintaining water quality.
Talking about water, in the wild platies come from hard water habitats. Generally though, most aquarists are resigned to using the water that comes from the taps. Fortunately, platies are hardy fish and adapt to most middle of the road water, provided it is clean and well aerated, with partial bi-weekly water changes to maintain its condition. Although in the wild variatus are found in water ranging in temperatures from 180 to 300C, maculatus prefers higher temperatures, with 250 to 280C being suitable for the aquarium.
Platies are not fussy eaters and do well on a good quality flake such a TetraMin as the staple diet. Platies do however appreciate live food such a daphnia, mosquito larvae and white worm, which can be fed once a week. Alternatively, some frozen foods can be added to the diet.
Breeding
Most community tank hobbyist are not interested in breeding fish and get all their pleasure in the hobby from having a good looking aquarium. In spite of this, platies will breed in the community set-up and in a well-planted aquarium some fry might even survive. Platies are livebearers with the female carrying the developing young within her belly and releasing them when fully developed, some four weeks later.
Most community tank hobbyist are not interested in breeding fish and get all their pleasure in the hobby from having a good looking aquarium. In spite of this, platies will breed in the community set-up and in a well-planted aquarium some fry might even survive. Platies are livebearers with the female carrying the developing young within her belly and releasing them when fully developed, some four weeks later.
Male fish as they approach sexual maturity, undergo a change in their anal fin where the rays grow longer to eventually form the gonopodium. This modified fin is used by the male to inseminate females with their sperm. Sperm can be stored by the female to fertilise successive batches of embryos. Twenty-eight days or so, after fertilisation, a female depending on her size, releases 10 to 100 fry.
The fry are fully formed and need to fend for themselves immediately, which includes avoiding being eaten by the next passing fish. In order to raise a good number of fry, the female should be removed to a separate well-planted aquarium about a week before she is due to release the fry. Immediately after the fry are dropped the female should be removed. Several different breeding traps are also available and can be successfully used to save fry. Platy fry eat almost anything offered including flake foods. If not crowded, the fry will grow quickly and start showing sexual maturity in as little as three months of age.
Conclusions
Childhood experiences often leave lasting impressions on us. Many of us would have come into fish keeping via the platy or perhaps another live bearing small fish. In adulthood we might decide to revisit our first aquarium and keep the platy again. Platies are hardy live bearers well suited to life in a planted community aquarium and are therefore a very popular freshwater tropical. Although for some the platy might just be a beginner’s fish, for many they are not. A lot of dedication and complex genetics goes into fixing colours and particular characteristics into the fancy platy. A platy can therefore be a fish for all aquarist – simple or complicated, depending on one’s own interests.
Childhood experiences often leave lasting impressions on us. Many of us would have come into fish keeping via the platy or perhaps another live bearing small fish. In adulthood we might decide to revisit our first aquarium and keep the platy again. Platies are hardy live bearers well suited to life in a planted community aquarium and are therefore a very popular freshwater tropical. Although for some the platy might just be a beginner’s fish, for many they are not. A lot of dedication and complex genetics goes into fixing colours and particular characteristics into the fancy platy. A platy can therefore be a fish for all aquarist – simple or complicated, depending on one’s own interests.