Mollies Vs. Platies Vs. Swordtails

[MyraAlam]

Hi everyone!


I just wanted to hear everyone's opinions on which of these fish you think would be best in a community tank set-up. Also, I need to know which you think is the best in terms of color/variety. I LOVE color in my fish. I was all set on swordtails but some of those sailfin mollies look incredible. Thank you!

 

[BethK]

ohhh i saw some platinum male guppies today, amazing color

 

[Curiosity101]

What size tank are we talking about here? If you could post the dimensions that'd really help, cause sailfin mollys grow massive, as do quite a few male swordtails.

 

[mattlee]

it really depends on what you prefer...

platys are smaller than mollys and swordtails so you could maybe have a few more...

all 3 come in loads of colour forms so im sure you will find some that you like. i personally would go for swordtails as they look that bit different to the others. dont forget whatever you decide on unless you want loads of fry just get all males or females, although females may have been impregnated at the lfs sowith these theres still a chance of fry.... also all these fish will interbreed with each other

 

[PaBucsFan]

I am a fan of all three of these livebearers however I do favor swordtails because I like the sleekness of there bodies and I love watching them zip around my tanks. I have both mollies and swordtails. I have experimented with platies but did not have much luck with them. Its all about preference as Mattlee said each can come in a variety of colors and the females can definitely come from the LFS pregnant as I have had that with each of the mollies I have brought home.

 

[OldMan47]

I have all three in my tanks and have no real favorites among the pet shop varieties. When it comes to wild types, things are different. There I really like the monty and nezzy swordtails.

 

[Curiosity101]

The monty swordtails are nice , wild type my favourite is definitely the northern mountain swordtails (nezzy swordtails as oldman said). They're also smaller than your average swordtail too

 

[MyraAlam]

ohhh i saw some platinum male guppies today, amazing color

Guppies are certainly impressive in terms of color, but they're a bit too small for my taste. I love the sailfin mollies because of how big they get.

What size tank are we talking about here? If you could post the dimensions that'd really help, cause sailfin mollys grow massive, as do quite a few male swordtails.

I'm currently planning the stocklist for my 180 gallon community tank (not set up yet). The tank is 6' x 2' x 2'.

 

[MyraAlam]

it really depends on what you prefer...

platys are smaller than mollys and swordtails so you could maybe have a few more...

all 3 come in loads of colour forms so im sure you will find some that you like. i personally would go for swordtails as they look that bit different to the others. dont forget whatever you decide on unless you want loads of fry just get all males or females, although females may have been impregnated at the lfs sowith these theres still a chance of fry.... also all these fish will interbreed with each other

I'm a little biased towards the swordtails for that reason too...but then sailfin mollies come along and I forget about the swords entirely.

As for the fry problem, I doubt I could get away with keeping all males and having it peaceful 24/7, but then female swordtails don't look as great.

Although they're going to be kept in a community tank set up so I doubt I'd ever have a single fry live to adulthood. (Which is fine by me, not interested in breeding! Just love these fish for their color and temperament. ) As for interbreeding, I will only keep one type. Either all mollies or all platies or all swords.

I am a fan of all three of these livebearers however I do favor swordtails because I like the sleekness of there bodies and I love watching them zip around my tanks. I have both mollies and swordtails. I have experimented with platies but did not have much luck with them. Its all about preference as Mattlee said each can come in a variety of colors and the females can definitely come from the LFS pregnant as I have had that with each of the mollies I have brought home.

Thank you for your input! I've got it down to mollies vs. swordtails right now...but can't really seem to decide. I see one and forget about the other and the cycle continues.

I think there's more variety amongst swordtails rather than sailfin mollies, am I correct? If I did go for mollies, it'd be the sailfins. The males look fantastic.

 

[MyraAlam]

The monty swordtails are nice , wild type my favourite is definitely the northern mountain swordtails (nezzy swordtails as oldman said). They're also smaller than your average swordtail too

I've checked out the ones you and oldman mentioned, they definitely look great

 

[mizzflick98]

Well if you're looking for LOTS of color I recommend guppies. They're are also livebearers.

But I prefer platys because they stand out among my fish.

I have mollies and swordtails as well so it's your choice.

Good Luck with choosing your fish