Aggressive Male Platy Advice Required

[Sweet~Dreams]

We have a had a male platy for nearly three months. A few days ago he start becoming aggressive towards a male half-breed swordtail/platy. There were three livebearers in the tank - the male platy, a male guppy, and the male half-breed swordtail/platy. The platy chases the half-breed around the tank. The tank is 50 gallons.

Last night we moved a second male platy into the tank. The original male platy is now chasing the new male around in addition to chasing the half-breed.

Nothing in the tank changed to instigate the aggression. It occurred shortly after feeding the tank dinner.

Is there anything that people would recommend to calm the aggressive male platy down? We were thinking about putting a few more male platys into the tank in the hope that they would calm him down. Everyone is still eating, and none of the other fish in the tank have become involved (corys, loaches, and a pleco). The guppy has no issues as well.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Male platies can be a bit funny with each other. Adding more may well help, but there is no absolute guarantee; sometimes, they do seem to take against one particular individual. Still, you could try it. Adding lots of females would possibly help- but you would end up with unwanted consequences

 

[vidiots]

Hybrids often have defects. Many fish will pick on other fish that they see as sick or defective.