Above: In this picture is a nice young premium quality Red Tail Black Variatus Platy, swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture.

This is an incredibly colorful fish with red on its tail, yellow on the dorsal fin, black on the body with turquoise highlights, and orange on the face and throat. A living kaleidoscope.

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 throughout most of the world.

There are many color varieties for sale in this store.

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 more 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.