Keeping and Breeding Platys

Platys are very social fish and like to live in shoals. They do not typically swim together like other Barbs, Tetras and other fish that live in shoals. However they do hang out in groups and are more active when they are kept in groups. When keeping them in an aquarium the best option is to keep 4 or more of them. Keeping 6 in a 10 gal. tank is fine and keeping more than 6 in a larger tank is even better. To divide up the attention of the male Platys the group should consist of 3 or 4 females for every male.

Optimal water conditions for a Platy is a temperature of about 80 F. pH values between 7.5-8.2 and hardness of about 15-30 dGH. However Platys are fairly hardy and can tolerate variations in those numbers.

Keeping the water clean by doing regular partial water changes and keeping a group of 6 or more Platys will help to keep your Platys healthy and happy.

A Platy is a live bearing fish which means that a female Platy will give birth to live fry. The gestation period is normally between 4 to 5 weeks. After gestation a female platy can give birth to as many as 50 fry.

There isn't a whole lot required to breed Platys. They are very prolific breeders and usually all that is needed is a male and a female. If the tank maintenance is kept up then a pair of Platys will regularly spawn many times, producing many broods of Platy fry. The fry should be fed crushed flake food and baby brine shrimp.

Platys are like most live bearing fish and are notorious for trying to eat their babies after they are born. To prevent this the aquarium owner should take steps to separate the fry from the mother. Options for separating the fry are either using a commercial breeding trap or providing plants as hiding places for the fry after they are born.

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It is in their nature as live bearing fish to eat the fry after the mother gives birth. This is true for all live bearing fish. As a Platy owner and breeder, it is necessary that certain steps are taken to protect the fry from the mother after they are born. The options for doing this are to either use a commercial breeding trap or provide plenty of plants for hiding places in the aquarium.

There are several different styles of commercial breeding traps available today. Each one is designed to separate the fry from the mother when they are born. Usually it is done by providing a small space for the fry to pass through away from the mother into a separate area of the breeding trap. Breeding traps can be very effective at protecting the fry but they also tend to place a lot of stress on the mother.

Using plants that provide hiding places in the aquarium is a good alternative to a breeding trap. This method will keep stress on the mother to a minimal amount. Some fry might not make it to a hiding place but the strong ones will survive.