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Above: This picture shows a wonderful young male premium quality Tiger Ruby Mickey Mouse Platy, swimming behind a plant in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture.
Comments: These are Premium Platies, and we never see premium fish like these in the live fish stores or in the online stores that we visit.
Premium fish are more colorful, more energetic, and have a glossy metallic sheen.
Click here to learn more about Premium Pet Fish.
Origin: Platies are one of the most colorful and most popular aquarium fish.
Their ancestors originally lived in southern Mexico and the east coast of Central America, but Platys are now found in aquariums throughout most of the world.
There are many color varieties for sale in this store.
Maximum Size: In aquariums Platys can grow to be about 2.5" long, including their tails.
Behaviors: Most Platys are very active swimmers, and chase each other, but are rarely too aggressive.
Female Platys release live baby fish about once a month when kept in good water and fed lots of premium food.
Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include Corydoras Catfish, Danios, Small Barbs, Rainbowfish, Plecostomus Catfish, Swordtails, Mollies, Honey Gouramis, and other small fish.
Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.
Temperature: Platys can live pretty well from about 70 to 84 degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable from about 78 degrees F.
Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.
Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and Premium Pellet food when larger.
Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.
Water Conditions: Platys seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. Probably a pH of about 7 with moderate hardness is best.
Most water in the US has a higher pH and is harder but seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.
Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.
Aquarium Size: It is probably best to house these fish in at least a 10-gallon tank, and bigger is better.
Keep at most one Platy per gallon, when they're small. Larger Platys need up to 2.5-gallons per Platy.
Decor: Platys do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.
Click here for more about aquarium gravel.
Live plants are beautiful, improve the water quality, and are enjoyed by Platys and baby Platys.
Water Sprite and Java Ferns are very good plants for Platys. Non-toxic driftwood is also very good.
Click here for more about aquarium plants.
Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. A Penguin 100B Filter in an aquarium with 10 to 20-gallons of water is ideal, and a Penguin 200B Filter is the right size for a 20 to 30-gallon aquarium.
Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.
The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.
Life Span: Platys live for a few years. In the meantime the next generation of Platys have usually been born.
Gender: It's easy to tell the males from the females even at a very young age.
Females are slightly less colorful, plumper, and have a dark spot on the rear of their abdomens.
Breeding: You do not need a male! Even a very small young female is pregnant, and will release babies in a few months, provided the the water is good, and she is fed plenty of premium fish food flakes.
A female Platy will release live babies and not lay eggs like many other fish species. The babies start eating bits of food shortly after being released.
In her abdomen the female usually has many more fertile eggs. that will soon become live babies and then be released about a month after the previous bunch was released.
This process can continue for about 5-months without a male anywhere in the aquarium.
Click here for a lot more about breeding various tropical fish in aquariums.
Popularity: For a long-long time Platys have been one of the most popular aquarium fish.
Names: The scientific names for Platys are Xiphophorus maculatus and Xiphophorus variatus, which are two closely related species that have probably hybridized to produce most aquarium Platys.
Variations: There are many-many color varieties that will interbreed to produce even more color varieties.
There are also variations with longer top fins that are called HiFin Platys.
Click here for a lot more information about keeping and caring for Platys, including a picture gallery.
We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.
All of our fish are Premium Quality Fish from the best suppliers in the world. Our fish have better health, more energy and brighter colors, as you can see in our pictures on this website.
We have 380-aquariums with lots-and-lots of popular aquarium fish plus lots-and-lots of rare fish!
We consider ourselves to be the link between the world's best sources of fish and the world's best customers. We love our work, and we are very responsible about caring for our fish and then shipping them carefully.
We also offer lots and lots of information about keeping and caring for pet fish, all from the knowledge of the Bailey Brothers, who have a combined total of 100+ years of experience as breeders, wholesalers, and retailers of pet fish!
Our fish and our customers are treated with the best of care, and we work energetically everyday to make sure every customer enjoys their new fishy friends.
When you purchase pet fish from us, you know you're receiving premium quality fish and premium quality service.
"Received my fish last night and was so pleased! They all arrived alive and appeared to be healthy.
"Once in the tank, they became very active and are now thriving in their new home.
"Beautiful fish, I asked for color and aquariumfish delivered. Processing and shipping was extremely quick."
Nevin and DrTom, the Bailey Brothers
This website is owned and operated by the Bailey Brothers, DrTom and Nevin, who've been together in the fish business for more than 50-years.
The Product Manager has been with the company for more than 35-years.
So we feel very confident that this is the fishiest crew anywhere.