View Full Version : fish compatable with platys
i have four platys, some small cory cats, and wish to move them to a 55 gallon tank but im curious as to what i can put with them. i would like a good variety so any opinions would be awesome. thanks
VoodooChild
04-07-2003, 8:36 AM
Just about any fish from the "community" section is fine. That'll be most kinds of tetras (stay away from Buenos Aires), other platies, swordtails, guppies, barbs other than tigers, other cories, rainbows...that probably covers all of the main groups, oh, and danios. Just about anything from these will be just fine. Any LFS employee with any aquatic experience at all should be able to help you out more once you're there. Have fun!
Caz, to Aquaria Central, home of the most livebearers on the internet:)
Voodoo's answer was good. Any community fish will do, it more depends on what you are looking to accomplish as far as colors, activity levels, etc. I love checker barbs -- active, hardy, easy to sex (for some reason that's important to me) (the males have reddish dorsal fins with a black leading edge).
Val
my girlfriend really wants a beta in the tank. i have read that they can be put in a community tank well one anyways, but i have also heard that they need bottled water. any input on this would be extermely helpful
OrionGirl
04-07-2003, 3:31 PM
As long as you don't add any fin nippers, a male betta will do fine in a community tank. They don't have any needs other than those common to all fish--clean water, stable parameters, regular feeding. I have one in my community tank, and while the one of the dwarf puffers is an turd and nips sometimes, he is doing fine.
thank you so much guys for helping me. i have a few more quick questions.
1. ram cichlids. i hear they are peacefull and a good community fish tank although they can be a little tough to keep.
2. bala sharks. i hear they are peacefull as well as red fins.
3. gouramis. i have read different things on these guys some say they are peacefull, others say they arent, but say that the dwarfs are.
thanx again guys. i am setting up the 55 gallon tomarrow and will hope to be adding fish to it in a week or so. probably the day after i get it set up i will through 2 or 3 black mollies in there to help with the bacteria. does this sound adequate? also, should i add aquarium salt? and anymore ideas for fish if anyone has a favorite that they think are cool. any input would be awesome. thanx
OrionGirl
04-07-2003, 5:58 PM
Instead, I would setup the 55, and then cycle it fishlessly (there are several threads here outlining the process, with links for specifics). This will prevent your fish from being exposed to toxic levels of ammonia and nitrite. You can use some gravel and filter media from your existing tank to speed up the process.
For other fish selections: there are rams that are hardy, and ones that aren't. I think the Bolivians are considered hardy, and the German ones more sensitive. They are a lovely addition, and can be good community fish.
Gouramies--it depends on the fish. I have color morph three spots (sold as gold and platinum) that are shy and quiet. I had blue dwarves that were little buggers, and ones that were very mellow. It just depends on the fish.
I would avoid the balas. They get very large, need to be in a school, and tend to be very skittish, ramming into the glass when startled. Not a good choice for a 55.
thanx Orion girl. what is your favorite community fish? i want some exotic fish for myself. something that is pretty, and fun. i have only previously owned oscars( i dont think the platys would like them ) but i like the whole cichlid family. any suggestions anyone?
Iced Galaxy
04-07-2003, 7:57 PM
maybe some kind of loach?
pinballqueen
04-07-2003, 8:54 PM
Having dealt almost exclusively with exotics, I can tell you that there are very few that will suit your tank. Most exotics are large or expensive or mean or a combination of the three.
Although, a mormyrid, such as a baby-whale or an elephant nose might do well for you. They are a little sensitive and sometimes are picky about their food, but they would do well with a tank of platies and cory cats. Just don't put them with anything that would compete with them for food, such as a pleco or a large cat. They do have special diet requirements, as they usually don't eat flake food and prefer live worms of varying sorts. They're a great conversation piece, tho.
Just a suggestion!
OrionGirl
04-08-2003, 8:46 AM
Spiny eels would work, and while not rare, are interesting characters.
There are several exotic plecos that would stay small enough--but they tend to be shy, so it won't be a show piece fish.
I really like the african butterfly fish, but they will pose a threat (ie, they will eat them!) to any fry or very small fish. They lurk at the surface, so some floating plants are needed, as well as a tightly covered tank--these guys are tremendous jumpers.
Take a day to visit all the fish stores, and write down the fish that interest you. Then we can help you pick from the list. The shape and colors that I like might not be attractive to you.
pinballqueen
04-08-2003, 8:20 PM
I was going to suggest a butterfly fish! I wasn't sure if they would be all that suitable, because I was unsure about their full size potential....
And yes, they can jump! My LFS stopped carrying them because he would get back a shriveled-up specimen at least once a month from customers that were lazy about shutting their tank lids... (I found it kind of fascinating that they are in the same general family as arrowanas.... amazing, the variety that nature has given us...)
how small of fish would the butterfly fish eat? i have a breeding net so i can raise the platys, but its not big, ive never breed platys so im not sure how big they are when they are born, or how fast they grow. im not too conserned with the butterly fish eating a few, but i would like to raise a few platys to keep in the tank perminately. thanx alot.
OrionGirl
04-09-2003, 8:29 AM
An adult butterfly is about 4-5 inches, and can eat a fish up to about 1.5 inches. Mine never went after the mid-water fish, but anything that hung around the surface, such as fry tend to do, is fair game. They are a wonderful fish, IMO, but can escape a tank that isn't completely covered. I will be adding one to my 55 when I set it up, since I will have a canopy that covers the entire tank. Right now, I have a glass lid with cutouts for the HOB filter, leaving a gap less than 1 inch wide and about 5 inches long. The fish still managed to jump. Make sure to provide a still area in the surface and some floating plants for the fish to hide in.
Butterflies are actually studied a lot. They have a very complex eye, since they hunt insects that are above the surfave, much like aros. Butterflies are a bit easier to maintain in a tank than an aro!
i just bought a live plant for my tank, some sort ofjungle veil, and it had some baby snails on it. i know that snails can be a problem, or they can be good. should i take them out of the tank while there are only a few? or would the be benifitial?
pinballqueen
04-10-2003, 3:37 PM
Unless you want a tank that is absolutely full of snails, get rid of them now. You're probably too late to completely eliminate them.
In the future, to prevent it from happening again, quarantine your plants, and pick any snails off of them. Just put the plants in a tub of tankwater for a day or two to examine them, and get rid of any of the "spit" that contains snail larvae (or eggs, or whatever they are), as well as any adult specimens.
If you had something like puffers or bala sharks (both of which love to eat snails) I would say leave them. However, I've never seen a cory or a platy go after them.