PLATY-how can you tell their sex

[lucid_boy]

hello
I recently purchased 5 sunburst platies the other day.
(the kind that are orange in front and red in back)
well it started out at 4 but the next day I went to the LFS and noticed that there was only 1 other platy like the kind I had, so I took him home cause I figured he should be with his little fish family...
anyway, back to the question, now that I have 5 sunburst platies I wanted to know is it easy to tell the difference of the males vs females?
also what is the best ratio for males and females when it comes to these fish?
again, thanks for the input,
allan

ps. they are the 1st residents in my new 55gal!

[Swayde]

Look at their anal fin..that's the one on the bottom close to the beginning of their tail....a fan shaped one is female and the males is thin and pointy (called a gonopodium). Also, females tend to be bigger than males. It's best to have more females than males....but be prepared for LOTS of babies if you do have some males and females in one tank.

[lucid_boy]

isn't that kinda like the (molly or guppy) ?

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Yes, Platies are livebearers like Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails, Endlers, and Anableps.

Like many other fish...having more females helps spread around the males advances to prevent over stressing the females. There are situations where this isn't such a huge a deal like species that form bonded pairs, schooling fish, etc.

[lucid_boy]

cool, so since i have 5 platies of the sunburst variety now, would it be ok to put a different platy in there? and can males and females of different color patterns procreate? (eg; a male sunburst and a blue female) or does it have to be the exact species?

[rich311k]

They will not care. The male platies will chase female mollys too and vice versa.

[lucid_boy]

so platies and mollies can make babies?!?
is that what your telling me?

[rich311k]

Yes. thats how a lot of the current color strains were developed.

[ct-death]

Yup, yup

[lucid_boy]

so, all livebearers can mix together then?

[Lupin]

so, all livebearers can mix together then?
Not advisable if you wish to keep the generations pure. You cannot mix swordtails and platies and you can't do with Endlers and guppies either.

I've posted these pics in a few threads if I can remember it right.
Male
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/Blue_076/untitled.jpg

Female
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/Blue_076/untitled2.jpg

[lucid_boy]

thank you very much, comparing my fish to these pic's
I have either 1 Male with 4 Females, or 2 Males with 3 Females...
and one more thing the gonopodium of the male platy has a definite cylindrical shape to it right?
it is attached to the anal fin, or it is the anal fin?
thanks again.

[hitman12131976]

Yes it looks cylindrical (sorta) and I would say that it is its anal fin.

[lucid_boy]

ok, I am pretty sure that I have 2 males, and 3 females
(the two I think are the males also are quite aggressive about chasing the other platies around.
what are things that platies like as far as habitat, long flowing plants, caves, dark/bright, I do not really know that much about them and the details I wanted to know are not online anywhere I can find?
(I have a cave that is higher up in the tank and they will go in there sometimes)

[Master212]

plants in the back should provide excellent protection, and maybe a log either drift wood or fake wood you can buy at the lfs