fish compatable with platys

[OrionGirl]

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]

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...)

 

[caz]

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]

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!

 

[caz]

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]

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.