When you set up a freshwater aquarium, you need to make sure that any livestock you put in there is going to be happy and easily able to thrive. While a lot of people focus on the tank conditions, diet, and other factors, often, the idea of whether fish need companionship is overlooked.
Platies are common freshwater fish and are easily kept in a home aquarium. However, there is some confusion over whether they need to be kept in a school or will be happy alone.
Platies are not classed as schooling fish but many aquarists have noticed that they do seem to thrive when kept in a small group. That said, it is important to make sure that they are kept in a healthy male to female ratio to prevent the males from trying to breed all the time.
While platies are one of the easier freshwater fish to take care of, there are some important aspects that need to be kept in mind when bringing home these lovely little fish.
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An Introduction To The Platy
Platies are the ideal option for people who are just starting out with a freshwater aquarium. They are very easy to care for and due to their placid nature, they won’t cause too many problems with other members of the tank community. However, it is important to point out that the males will become aggressive if they need to fight for the right to breed or territory. What’s more, if there are more males than females, things can get a little ugly.
In the main, however, these fish will exist happily in the middle water and they love to hide and swim around plants and tank decor. So make sure that you have plenty of this to keep them happy.
Platies come in several varieties and there are some that will do very well in an outdoor garden pond, provided that the weather is warm enough. However, most people keep them in an indoor aquarium thanks to their interesting colors and peaceful attitude.
In the wild, platies can be found in Mexico and along the East coast of Central America. One of the rarest types is the swordtail platy which is highly sought after by hobby aquarists. Most varieties will grow to be around three inches when they reach adulthood so, in the scheme of things, are decent-sized fish.
How Many Platies Should I Keep Together?
Platies can be kept in a tank with other fish but can also be kept in a single species tank, if you really like these fish and want to concentrate on them alone.
Many people would agree that the platy is not what one would consider to be a schooling fish since a school is typically a larger group of fish. However, they are very happy being kept in small groups and a lot of aquatic shops will sell them in small groups rather than as single fish.
Generally speaking, anything between three and five platies will work well. If they are kept in much larger groups, this can be stressful for them; after all, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing!
Moreover, if you are going to keep platies in a group, it is essential that you ensure a healthy ratio of males to females. These are very active fish that will quickly begin to breed especially if the male has dominance over a single female. For this reason, it is advisable to keep these fish in groups where there is one male for every two females.
With all of that in mind, you should remember that the platies might not spend all of their time together. Unlike true schooling fish, the platy is quite happy to explore on its own and will generally come back together with its group when it is feeding time.
What Other Tank Mates Can Platies Have?
Platies will get on with a wide variety of other tank mates and this is one of the reasons that they do so well in home aquariums.
It is a good idea to keep them with other fish that are a similar size and some of the most common tank mates are the rainbowfish, smaller tetras, and bristlenose plecos. What’s more, they will quite happily cohabit with invertebrates such as snails.
Many people like the idea of having a betta in their tank but worry about them becoming aggressive. The good news is that, provided they have enough room to have their own territory, these fish can live well with platies.
Conclusion
The platy is one of the most popular go-to fish for beginner fish keepers. But even for more experienced aquarists, these fish provide hours of pleasure owing to them being so placid and beautiful. What’s more, they come in a range of varieties so you’re sure to find a color and species that you love.
Platies are not schooling fish and will often explore the tank on their own. However, they do tend to do very well when they are kept in small groups of between three and five. It is important for tank owners to only have one male for every two females otherwise there may be problems with stress and overbreeding.
Whether you want to keep a group of platies on their own or blend them with a community of other fish, they make excellent additions to a freshwater tank.
