dwarf platys

D

dabaers

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Aug 27, 2006
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Does anyone have dwarf platys?
I am absolutely in love with them as tankmates for my gups.
They stay about 1inch, but add some different types of movement/activity to the tank.
Here is the hitch, I have only ever heard of, or seen 1 color (even after a search online) it's sunset coral.
Really pretty and brightens up a female tank quite nicely and they don't mate with gups. I keep them in groups of 2 or 3 males and they play and enjoy each other.
But I'd love to find some other colors. Anyone seen any? or know of any?

Kath
 
Please take a look at this link http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10181

If your "dwarf" platy looks like the orange fish pictured there. It is a baby Sunburst Platy. I've bred Sunburst Platies on and off for several years, and trust me, that's what it is! Petsmart in particular has been trying to pass regular platies off as "dwarf" platies lately - I've seen them in the tanks there. If you buy into it and put them in an inappropriately sized tank, they will stunt and stay small and die young from the stunting. These fish really should be getting up to 2 inches for males, bit larger for females.
 
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*nod* that's what I thought at first myself actually as I have had regular platys before.
But these guys are 6 months old , in 20GL tanks and still 1inch. So not in a tank too small for them and are fed well etc.
If they were treated inhumanely to stunt them at a young age, they will breed large platys as their genetic makeup hasnt changed.
If they are bred down, smaller and smaller over generations, then they will breed true small/dwarf variety.
I haven't looked for a female and really don't want 100 fry to find out :) Already had that "oops" with guppies and now have MTS :)
After doing some research apparently these are something new, not stunted.
But I will take your warning as I look for others. As Im sure many would see the "new" thing and want to sell young juveniles as "Dwarf" for a buck.
Here is another thread I found that shows platy juvenile and a dwarf platy that looks very much like mine. Two different things. Although the colors are shades darker or lighter these are the only color I've seen.
http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10181

Kath
 
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Yep, I have one of those dwarf sunset coral platies as well- yes, from the evil Petsmart. Mine has been in a 29 gal. for nearly 4 months now, and he's still pretty small, less than 1 inch. Very active and one of my favorite fish. He follows around the balloon mollies. He seems pretty hardy too, as we had some tank trouble a couple of months ago and he had no problems. I went to get him a buddy and I brought home a female that I think was pregnant, and she died a day or so after I discovered a singly fry, so I think it was hers. Anyway, the little baby is doing well and growing fast, but the weird thing is that he has a black body and orange face, so if it was hers it gives some evidence to the other person's post I guess. He's cute so I don't care what he his! I'll probably be getting some more of the dwarfs soon!
 
I don't know, I suppose time will tell of they are dwarves. I have sunburst platies that are 9 months old and only 1 inch at the moment. They are still growing and I expect them to mature into regular adult size. Platies that are not interbred with swordtails for color variation don't get large as quickly as those that are. In my experience, it can be anywhere between 6 months to a year before sex can be determined and nearly another year to reach full adult size. They are able to produce young starting at that 6 month mark and up, or whenever the males develop the gonopodium.
 
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Platies are slow growers after they hit an inch or so, at least IME. It could easily take a year or so to reach full size on regular flake food.
 
It takes 6 mos for a platy to develop a gonopodium?? and 2 years for full size? wow.
Other livebearers can have gonopodium appear at 3 weeks to 8 weeks that is fully functional.
And mine are all males and have fully formed gonopodium so they are apparently much older if that is true.
But we'll see, I have no idea how old they were when I bought them, but my regular platys are twice their size so I know what they will look like if they grow.

Kath
 
I have one of the Dwarf Sunet Corals from Petsmart. It is probably my favorite fish, and I've had it the longest actually (she survived my early days when I didn't know what I was doing). I'd say she is about 1.5 inches, and is extremely fat. She is always the first to the food (I guess because she has been around longest and sees it first), and eats quite a bit. I have reduced feeding for all of my fish based mainly on her rotundness. The others get algae wafers on occassion which she doesn't touch, so everyone gets enough.
 
have you ever wondered how labeling them "dwarf" makes any difference in the sales or price? does it make people more willing to buy them or something?
 
There is a variety of platy out there known as the Sunset Coral Platy or just the Coral Platy that is basically the same color but has somewhat different eyes and body shape (only seen them in pictures, so this might not be 100% accurate). My guess is that the breeders they get the fish from came up with this more attractive (in my opinion) varietal, and the dwarf name was just stuck on there because there was nothing else to call them or the average adult size of the varietal is smaller than the normal.
 
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