Varitus Platy

[Lauren]

Hiya,

I've not long had my tank, I have three varitus Platy at the moment; One yellow and red, one balck and red and one yellow and black.

The Yellow and red one seems a bit fiesty and always chases the red and black(Who since we had him seemed a bit down), the Y&R seems too push him and butt him quite a bit, Are they playing? or is he just an agressive little fella?!!

L xox

Dumb question but do fish play with one another?! My barbs seem to play with each other alot but Im unsure whether they're palying or pestering each other (Same with platy!)

 

[lilfishie]

hi Lauren, what size tank do you have? do you know what sex your 3 platies are

 

[Louiseness]

Forgive me if I'm wrong and they really are all males but it sounds like the red & black is a female. If he is a she she'll seem 'down' because she's probably worn out from all the chasing and mating behaviour the other two (most likely males) are doing.

 

[Lauren]

I Have a 24 Litre tank (5 gallons). No I dont know the sex of the Platy, I did wonder that as R&B platy is looking a bit "fat"!! Is it as quick and easy as that?!

I'm going to keep an eye on them.

Thanks xx

 

[Louiseness]

I Have a 24 Litre tank (5 gallons). No I dont know the sex of the Platy, I did wonder that as R&B platy is looking a bit "fat"!! Is it as quick and easy as that?!

I'm going to keep an eye on them.

Thanks xx

There is an illustration HERE which shows you the difference in the fins between males and females. Chances are, if the red & black is generally bigger and fatter she's a female, but you can definitely tell by the pointed anal fin/gonopodium that males have, it's quite easy.

If she turns out to be a girl I;d consider getting a couple more girls to ease the stress on her, as the boys can harass them to death

 

[Lauren]

Thanks, this has been really helpful and the link with the platy information is great!! I'm going to "Sex" my fish later and think of getting another female if that is the case!!

Thanks again xx

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi Lauren, welcome to the forum.

I'd just like to add that it might not be a good idea to get another female; it might be btter to take one of the males back to the shop and even better to return the female and have a male only group.

I say this, becuase if your tank is only five gallons, and you have three platies and some barbs (do you know what species they are btw?) you're very likely overstocked already, and with female livebearers having the potential to have 30 or 40 babies every month, the situation is only going to get worse.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

 

[Lauren]

When I went back to the pet shop I asked explained the situation to the lady and she agreed, it sounded like a female. I then asked her if she could give me another female Platy but she said she couldn't tell them appart!!!! So I explained that the females tend to be bigger fatter, and different fins. She eneded up giving me a huge one!!!

I put her/him in and the problem has stopped for now!

Yes they are rosy barbs.

I am going to get a larger tank I just got this one for now.

Thank you for your help xx

 

[fluttermoth]

You need a bigger tank ASAP if you have rosy barbs; they cna easily reach 4 or 5 inches long in a year...

 

[Jenste]

sorry for being the bearer of bad news but as others have said, your tank is incredibly over stocked and ill suited for the fish you have.

You need to seriously upgrade - - what size tank are you planning on getting and how soon?

For the sake of the fish, I suggest returning or rehoming the barbs at the very least. Preferably all the fish until you get a proper sized tank or stock for the size you currently have.

A few rules of successful fish keeping - - 1) research 2) stock for the tank you currently have, not the tank you plan on getting 3) research!

 

[Lauren]

Hiya, pets at home and Cadbury (where I got my tank and fish) give a guide to the fish on the back of the tank and we have stuck to that? and they know what tank we have and how many fish we have and have not said anything?!

What tank size would you suggest I get?
xxx

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm afraid the shops are not the best source of advice. They either don't know but pretend they do, or don't tell you the truth to make a sale. I would want a four foot minimum for rosy barbs.

 

[SunsetPlatyGeek]

Plus you said you just started your tank so I would suggest not having so many fish at the start, the ammonia levels will be way too high.

 

[Mowbz]

Plus you said you just started your tank so I would suggest not having so many fish at the start, the ammonia levels will be way too high.

We would hope the tank is cycled, thus the above wouldnt be an much of an issue considering the number of fish...

 

[Lauren]

Yes it is cycled x