Sunburst Platys

dee523

Registered Member
Oct 15, 2005
1
0
0
About a couple of months ago I got 3 sunburst platy's and added them to my 10 gallon tank that already had some 5 neons. Until about a week ago the 3 of them swam all over the tank and seemed to be getting along just fine. I believe there are 2 males and 1 female. The one I believe to be female is smaller than the other 2 and her tail is not nearly as bright. Anyway, over the course of the last week I've noticed that the bigger of the 2 males seems to be standing guard over the female, who is hanging out in a little cave-like thing in the tank. Whenever the other male comes anywhere near the cave the bigger mail agressivly chases him away and kind of nips at his tail. I've also noticed that if the female leaves the cave for any reason other than when I feed them the larger male seems to kind of force her to go back in. Are they mateing? Do Platy's lay eggs or do they just give birth like Guppies? I just want to know if there is anything special I should or should not be doing. Any feedback will be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
The gender ratio for live bearers is best kept at 2 females to every 1 male. The aggression you're observing is the exact reason why.

Plus, males have a tendency to constantly pester the females, which can stress them out, unless there are other females around, which will distribute the males attention.

I would suggest getting 3 more female platies for your 10g. That would look nice with the neons.

HTH
 
I agree. You can tell for sure if the smaller one is female by looking at the anal fin. If it is rounder than the other two it is a female. The males anal fin is pointy. Platies are livebearers like guppies but they will eat their own babies. Platies will/should have babies about every three months, so if adding 3 more females be prepared for lots of fry!
 
AquariaCentral.com