Platy

[DUSTIN323]

Common Name - Platy
Scientific Name - Xiphophorus maculatus
Family - Poeciliidae
Order - Atheriniformes
Sub-Order - Cyprinodontoide
Category - Livebearer
Origin - Central America
Natural Habitat - Swamps, rivers, & streams
Salinity - Freshwater
PH - 7.0-8.5
Temperature - 64-79 F. (18-26 C.)
Hardness - 10 dh - 27 dh
Diet - Omnivore: flakes, algae, vegitation, brine shrimp, tubifex, bloodworms, etc.
Region of Tank - All levels (mostly middle)
Activity - Diurnal
Max. Size - 2-2.5 in. (5-6.35 cm)
Minimum tank size - 10 gallons (40 litres)
Lifespan - 2-5 years
Mouth - Upturned
Tail - Convex
Sexing - Male's anal fin (gonopodium) is pointed while female's anal fins are fanned out. Females are also larger than males.
Breeding - Platies breed in most aquarium setups with no effort. They can start breeding at three months. There should be a ratio of at least 1 male/2 females in an aquarium. Parents will often eat their fry, so if you are wanting to keep all the fry the pregnant female should be placed in another tank with sponge filter or in a breeding trap. To help insure the survival of the fry, java moss and other plants will help in the main tank or in the separate tank as the mother can sometimes turn cannibalistic to her own fry. Gestation period is usually 28 days but could be from 20 to 40 days. Fry can be fed crushed flakes, baby-brine-shrimp, or any commercial fry foods. The platy can also cross-breed with a swordtail creating the variatus platy (Xiphophorous variatus).
Colors/Varieties - Many different colors & varieties available. Colors include: black, orange, red, blue, yellow, & gold. Varieties include: moon, wagtail, tuxedo, twin-bar, mickey mouse, top-sail, hi-fin, sunset, yellow tail, red tail, comet, mirror, half-moon, bleeding heart, etc.
Temperment - Very peaceful, great community fish.
Comments - The platy is a great fish to keep whether you are a beginner or expert. It is also a great fish (like all livebearers) to start breeding. They are great in a community type setup with just about any other peaceful community fish. Their needs are minimum even when trying to breed. With the many varieties available today there is a type that is sure to interest anyone. All of the different varieties will breed with each other as well with swordtails. Platies can often be mistaken as a female swordtail; the main difference is the platy is smaller. If a trio or more is kept in a tank there will most likely be fry that grow to adults, even with no special care given to the fry. From my own experience I encourage anyone wanting a community fish, a fish to breed, or just a tank with a few fish to get platies.
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[IMG][/IMG]
NEED PHOTOS PLEASE PM ME IF I COULD USE SOME OF YOURS I WILL TAKE SOME OF MINE TODAY BUT I ONLY HAVE TWIN BARS AND I WOULD LIKE TO PUT PICS OF OTHER VARIETIES. THANKS DUSTIN

[Lydia]

Looks pretty good! I edited it for spelling/grammar and also changed the color of the text (it's supposed to be blue I think) so you can copy/paste it with your picture and any other ones you get if you want to...

Common Name - Platy
Scientific Name - Xiphophorus maculatus
Family - Poeciliidae
Order - Atheriniformes
Sub-Order - Cyprinodontoide
Category - Livebearer
Origin - Central America
Natural Habitat - Swamps, rivers, & streams
Salinity - Freshwater
PH - 7.0-8.5
Temperature - 64-79 F. (18-26 C.)
Hardness - 10 dh - 27 dh
Diet - Omnivore: flakes, algae, vegitation, brine shrimp, tubifex, bloodworms, etc.
Region of Tank - All levels (mostly middle)
Activity - Diurnal
Max. Size - 2-2.5 in. (5-6.35 cm)
Minimum tank size - 10 gallons (40 litres)
Lifespan - 2-5 years
Mouth - Upturned
Tail - Convex
Sexing - Male's anal fin (gonopodium) is pointed while female's anal fins are fanned out. Females are also larger than males.
Breeding - Platies breed in most aquarium setups with no effort. They can start breeding at three months. There should be a ratio of at least 1 male/2 females in an aquarium. Parents will often eat their fry, so if you are wanting to keep all the fry the pregnant female should be placed in another tank with sponge filter or in a breeding trap. To help insure the survival of the fry, java moss and other plants will help in the main tank or in the separate tank as the mother can sometimes turn cannibalistic to her own fry. Gestation period is usually 28 days but could be from 20 to 40 days. Fry can be fed crushed flakes, baby-brine-shrimp, or any commercial fry foods. The platy can also cross-breed with a swordtail creating the variatus platy (Xiphophorous variatus).
Colors/Varieties - Many different colors & varieties available. Colors include: black, orange, red, blue, yellow, & gold. Varieties include: moon, wagtail, tuxedo, twin-bar, mickey mouse, top-sail, hi-fin, sunset, yellow tail, red tail, comet, mirror, half-moon, bleeding heart, etc.
Temperment - Very peaceful, great community fish.
Comments - The platy is a great fish to keep whether you are a beginner or expert. It is also a great fish (like all livebearers) to start breeding. They are great in a community type setup with just about any other peaceful community fish. Their needs are minimum even when trying to breed. With the many varieties available today there is a type that is sure to interest anyone. All of the different varieties will breed with each other as well with swordtails. Platies can often be mistaken as a female swordtail; the main difference is the platy is smaller. If a trio or more is kept in a tank there will most likely be fry that grow to adults, even with no special care given to the fry. From my own experience I encourage anyone wanting a community fish, a fish to breed, or just a tank with a few fish to get platies.

[Lexus]

Note: Dwarf Balloon Platys are sterile