Platy (30-40mm)

🧬 Overview

• Origin: Mexico & Central America

• Type: Livebearer (gives birth to free-swimming fry)

• Size: 5–7 cm (2–2.5 in)

• Lifespan: 2–4 years

• Temperament: Peaceful, active

• Care Level: Very easy (great for beginners)

💧 Water Parameters

• Temperature: 20–26°C

• pH: 7.0–8.2 (prefer slightly alkaline)

• Hardness: Moderate to hard water preferred

• Tank size: 60L+ for a small group

• Salinity: Freshwater (can tolerate mild brackish, but not required)

They actually do better in harder water than very soft acidic setups.

🎨 Colors & Varieties

Selective breeding has produced tons of strains:

• Red, orange, yellow, blue, tuxedo, wagtail

• Mickey Mouse platy

• Sunburst

• Hi-fin varieties

🐠 Behavior & Compatibility

• Very peaceful community fish

• Best kept in groups

• Keep 1 male : 2–3 females to reduce harassment

• Good tank mates:

  • Guppies

  • Mollies

  • Corydoras

  • Small tetras

  • Rasboras

Avoid aggressive or fin-nipping species.

👶 Breeding

One of the easiest fish to breed:

• Females give birth every ~4 weeks

• 20–80 fry per drop

• Fry are fully formed and swim immediately

• Adults may eat fry, so dense plants help survival

Populations can explode quickly if males and females are mixed.

🍽 Diet

• Omnivore

• Flake, pellets, frozen foods

• Appreciate some vegetable matter (spirulina, blanched spinach)