Should I Get Platys?

[fish.mw.breeder]

Okay... I have 2 tanks. One is a 20 gallon, the other one is a 10 gallon. So far in the 20 gallon, I have guppies, catfish cories, a pleco, and yellow chinese algae eaters. I am thinking of putting adult Platys in there too, but I am still on the fence about it... The 10 gallon tank will be for raising fry. I am worried about diseases such as Ich invading my tank & the insides of my guppies. I love some of the colors of the Platys, so that is what put me in this particular situation. Anyways... I take out half of my water every week and replace it with clean water. And I clean my filter out every 3 weeks. Please note that I have a reusable filter cartridge so it doesn't do anything to my breeding of fish. So, is there anything else I need to know or do about having Platys in my tank & breeding?

Thanks! Please reply!!!

 

[Caprichoso]

Platy are very easy to care for and will breed quite readily. If you want to harvest the fry, you will need to put some old aquarium netting around the filter intake tube so they don't get sucked in and possibly killed by the filter. You can also buy a sponge that fits over too, or make your own. I find the old netting works better, just make sure the holes are small enough so that a fry can't pass through. Put some moss and plants in the tank so the fry can hide too. Make sure you only clean your filter by rinsing it in tank water.

 

[fish.mw.breeder]

Thanks! Also, do they harm any guppies?

 

[fluttermoth]

No, platies and guppies make pretty good tank mates.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Platys are great. I have a 40gallon tank that is mainly platys and swordtails. watch the guppies though. mind thought they were in the mafia and actually attacked my sword tails and platys. That doesn't happen often. That was the first time I had ever seen aggressive guppies. I had to rehome them

 

[@ombomb]

So far in the 20 gallon, I have guppies, catfish cories, a pleco, and yellow chinese algae eaters.

you need to be thinking about which fish you are taking out (definitely start with the CAEs), not what you are putting in

what species of plec is it? almost all of them get way too big for a 20g