Are My Platys Male Or Female?

[LadyRiv]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and also to fish tanks. I have a 65ltr tank which i got about a month ago with 4 platys and 4 danios. When I bought the platys I asked how you can see if male or female and have been advised that there is no visible difference between sexes. The 4 platys were all fine till yesterday but now one platy seems to chase another platy constantly but is fine with the other 2. I read that you can determine the sex of the fish looking at the anal fins and that sometimes male platys chase each other and fight. To me, the fins all look the same and only that one platy (with the different tail) is chasing another platy. I added sone pictures and hope someone might be able to tell me if they are male/female. Also, are the platys all the same type or different as one platy has a different shaped tail. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

that's the "trouble maker"

that's the one getting chased, could not take a better pic as it is hiding in the leaves

those 2 platys are always close to each other since yesterday

 

[fluttermoth]

Terrible info from your shop! Platys (and all livebearers) are easy to sex.

Have a close look at the anal fin; males have it modified to form a 'gonopodium', which is a rod-like structure. Females will have a normal looking fin shape.

It's a bit hard to tell but in the last pic, the one in front, with the 'odd' shaped tail, is a male (possibly a platy/swordtail hybrid; though platys do come with a variety of tail shapes) and the other one looks like a pregnant female.

There is a sticky in the 'common livebearers' forum with some diagrams if you need more help

Oh! Forgot to say; Welcome to the forum

 

[VaegaVic]

Hi there,
Firstly, just to echo, you've been given awful advice, they are normally quite easy to sex.
Secondly, you have variatus platies, or atleast forms of (just in case you were wondering)
Thirdly, from what I can see in the pictures, they look all male.