Average Adult Fish Size: 5CM

Place of Origin: Central America

Typical Tank setup: Platy’s are a very popular aquarium fish, and don’t require anything special. A peaceful community aquarium with at least 2 females should be kept to each male, so they aren’t continually harassed. Also for the same reason, a tank housing both male and female Platy’s would ideally contain plants so the females can get out of the way of the male.

Recommended Minimum Aquarium Capacity:  5 gallon / 20 litre

Compatibility: Peaceful community tank mates like Molly’s, Guppies and Tetra’s.

Temperature: 18 – 26 Deg C / 65 – 78 Deg F

Water chemistry: pH 7.0 – 8.0

Feeding: Platy’s should be fed once or twice a day. It is very important not to over-feed your Platy. All food should be consumed after just a few minutes. If not, you are feeding your Platy to much food in one serving. You can buy flake food specially made for tropical fish, such as the Platy in your fish store. A flake food diet is a good base for the Platy, but should ideally be supplemented with live food. Your Platy will survive on flake food alone, but the live food makes the Molly more well-nourished and healthier. Live or frozen Brine Shrimp is a popular Platy fish food since Brine Shrimp is very easy to produce at home. Bloodworms, Micro Worms, Fruit Flies, Mosquito larvae, Daphnia and chopped up Earthworms are other examples of suitable food for your Platy.

Sexing: The female is usually bigger than a male of the same age.  The male Platy also has a modified anal fin called a gonopodium.