Why Type Of Platy Is This?

[xamy_valox]

Hi I was looking at getting a few platys for my new tank, and was wondering what type this is?

http/www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/hkbiodiversity/myfindings/images/Jasonwong0708_platyfish01.jpg

I think it looks amazing!

Thanks, Amy.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Its a particularly pretty Calico platy .

 

[xamy_valox]

Its a particularly pretty Calico platy .

Ah wonderful! Thanks =]
How do you know? Like what is it about it that makes it a calico platy? Its colours or its markings?
Amy xx

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Its a particularly pretty Calico platy .

Ah wonderful! Thanks =]
How do you know? Like what is it about it that makes it a calico platy? Its colours or its markings?
Amy xx

Calico literally translates as multicoloured or mottled- when it comes to cats & goldfish it usually means 3 colours.

Platys come in a wide range of calico colours/patternings. Calico is a type of colouring/patterning on fish rather than a specific type of fish. Calico platys come in a wide range of colours though they the one thing they all have in common is the distinctive black speckled calico patterning- this can either be very light or very heavy etc. Here are some example of calico platy's ;

High fin long tailed calico platy;

You can also get some very interesting colour crossbreeds when you mix calico platys with other colour variety platys. For example this one's parents were most likely a calico platy & a Mickey Mouse platy;

These ones most likely have Calico gene's in them but possibly also Painted Platy gene's too and who knows what else;

Swordtails also come in Calico form too ;

These Swordtails were highly likely a cross between calico swordtails & Koi Swordtails (Koi is another colour/pattern type selectively bred in Swordtails);

Koi Swordtails (typical female below);

Another female Koi Swordtail;

Very unusual high fin Koi Swordtail male;

If you are interested i can post some more pic's illustrating other livebearer colour/pattern varieties .

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Here are some other colour pattern varieties of Platys & Swordtails;

Red Velvet (or Albino Red) Swordtails;

Now there is a pattern variation called Tuxedo (it is also sometimes called Painted too) both present in Platys & Swordtails- some Tuxedo Platys;

Tuxedo Swordtails;

(^ Correct me if i'm wrong but if the black mark connects to the fishes tail then it is a tuxedo while if its centered on the fishes body is a painted?)

Moving on, Wild type or Green Swordtails- the original colouration;

One of the most common pattern varieties of platys is the trusty Mickey Mouse Platy (so called because of the mickey mouse head shaped silhouette on its tail) ;

There is also the Wag type variety (black tail being the emphasis, but often has black dorsal fin too);

There is also the Twinbar pattern variety too which is distinguised by two black bars on the platys tail;

(^ This cream colour is one of the most popular twinbar body colours)
But they also come in other colours too ;

 

[OldMan47]

It is an aquarium strain of platy. The names given to each of the aquarium strains depend to a large degree on the local market and what the suppliers decide to call a color variation.
For Tokis-Phoenix, the last "Rare" koi sword is not at all rare. What happens is that the genetics that are responsible for koi swords are consistently expressed. A "koi" includes at least 3 phenotypes. Only one of those three is called koi. The other variations of white and red coloring each have their own name. If I breed koi swords, I must sort my fish fry to match the names so that I can sell each under its own name. About 1/2 will be the red/white/red pattern while the remainder will either be reversed white/red white or bicolor like your example with a front of one color and a back of the other. As soon as someone breeds those fish they will again get all 3 results. Unfortuantely for the koi breeders, there is no way to ensure that one or another of the patterns results from breeding. That means that they lose a large percentage of each generation to fish that are not "koi". Since each color variation now has its own name, the koi genetics produces 3 different results for the breeder and he/she must sort fish into those color variation names.