Dwarf Platies

[Somethings Fishy Here]

Hey everybody, I picked up some dwarf platies about 2 months ago, and was never able to find much info about them on the internet other than that they are a relatively new strain of platies and also a rumor that they are for the most part sterile coming only from bigger platies bred for giving birth to the smaller dwarf platies. Does anyone know if this is true or furthermore does anyone have any general information at all about these fish? Thanks!

 

[helterskelter]

Their are wild dawrf platies.

Xiphophorus couchianus is a tiny platy only getting to an inch in good sized females.
But the wild fish have very little colour compaired to shop fish.

If you got coloured platies (cultavated strain) then it not true, u have just got some poorly raised fish that where not feed correctly and over crowered.


This would also explain why they may be more difficualt to breed.

Helter

 

[jaimeg]

I am in no way an expert...but I have a pregnant platy that I purchased as a "dwarf platy" right now. No fry yet (well, maybe one, but I'm not sure it came from the pregnant platy or some eggs in the tank). But I am pretty certain she's pregnant. The male is just under and inch and the other female is about and inch, the pregnant one is about 1.5 inches. Their label at the store said they'd get to 1.5 inches in length.

 

[helterskelter]

well if u could get a pic it would be intresting to have a look.

 

[jaimeg]

Ok, I do now have one fry and it is bright orange, so I know it is a platy. I can't remember the name of the platy that were sold to me as dwarf, but it was "sunset coral" or something like that. I was just at my local pet shop and the guy there just told me I'd have 100's of fry if I protected them in a breeder...is that true of platy???

Anyway, if I truly was sold a dwarf platy...then they are certainly not sterile! Good luck

Oh yeah, I forgot to add, the pet shop said they were dwarf but not as vibrant in color as the larger ones.

 

[helterskelter]

sounds like it could be a cross between a wild dawrf platy then.

 

[Somethings Fishy Here]

I have the exact same ones as you do, they were called sunset coral dwarf platies, and also helter skelter, the fish are in good health so I'm assuming they're probably just crossbred with wild dwarf platies as said earlier in the thread though I unfortnately am not surprised that some breeders would congest and underfeed fish and try to sell them as a smaller version.

 

[lljdma06]

I have the exact same ones as you do, they were called sunset coral dwarf platies, and also helter skelter, the fish are in good health so I'm assuming they're probably just crossbred with wild dwarf platies as said earlier in the thread though I unfortnately am not surprised that some breeders would congest and underfeed fish and try to sell them as a smaller version.

I also have the so-called "dwarf" platy, except mine is called a Sunburst. Sunburst, sunset coral, same difference. Mine are also doing well, and two of my females are pregnant. Charming little fish. Could be either a mix of two species, a deliberate attempt to stunt fish (which would be aweful, but not surprising as others have pointed out), or more likely, over time somebody just bred the strain down in size. You take your smaller male, mate it with your smallest female, and eventually you get a smaller strain that breeds true. They've been doing it to dogs for centuries. Why not fish? I can only speculate, however.

 

[fishdawg]

I have the exact same ones as you do, they were called sunset coral dwarf platies, and also helter skelter, the fish are in good health so I'm assuming they're probably just crossbred with wild dwarf platies as said earlier in the thread though I unfortnately am not surprised that some breeders would congest and underfeed fish and try to sell them as a smaller version.

i have 1 also, i bought it about a month ago and its now 1.5 inches. mines a dworf sunset mikey mouse platie. it succesfuly bred with my "regular" platie. and produced a normal "regular" platie.