Platy mix - Xiphophorus maculatus

The colorful platy mix is a great change in the aquarium and a real eye-catcher. Scientifically Platys are also called Xiphophorus maculatus and belong to the group of mirror carps. They are generally very popular aquarium fish, which almost everyone has already kept in the aquarium. Especially with its striking bright body color this very easy to keep fish becomes an eye-catcher in the community aquarium and is also great for beginners.

Our Platy Mix is shipped mixed-sex .

The Platy also belongs to the viviparous toothcarps and originates from rather weakly flowing waters and river tributaries, where it seeks shelter especially in the weedy bank vegetation. Platies are quite closely related to the Xiphophorus variatus so it is better not to keep them together, because they can produce hybrids. However, you can keep other livebearers like Guppies or Mollies together with them.

You can distinguish the sexes by their anal fin, which looks more like a sail in the females, which also grow to almost 6 cm. In the aquarium, they reproduce quickly without further intervention, so you can soon enjoy the first offspring. Also the young animals feed independently, with freshly hatched Artemia nauplii or also dust food, like for example our YoungFeed they can be raised very well. Similar to guppies, the female can store the sperm for a while after mating and fertilize herself several times. For this reason it can happen that even in a pure female group young fish appear from time to time. Platies can easily release up to 100 young per litter.

Because Platies are very sociable, you should keep them in a group, otherwise they will take care of themselves quite fast, you can allow them 10 buddies. The aquarium for your darlings should have an edge length of at least 60 cm, gladly also more. A dense planting serves as a retreat for the animals, also young fish like to hide here from voracious mouths. The water should be medium hard to hard and have a temperature between 18 and 28 °C.

In a community aquarium with other peaceful fishes the Platy is in good hands. Corydoras are also suitable, Tetras, Danios, Loricariid catfish but also bigger shrimps like the Amano shrimp or Fan shrimp. With well reproducing dwarf shrimp species like Neocaridina the Platy also gets along well, even if it occasionally feeds a careless young animal - for this reason a good planting is advantageous.

The omnivore can be fed in the aquarium super with usual granulated food, dry food and flake food for omnivorous ornamental fish. Different kinds of live and frozen food like Tubifex, various  Mosquito larvaebut also Daphniagrindalworms or Artemia round off its menu. Since platies also tug at algae, you can spoil them now and then with soaked zucchini chips, pumpkin chips and algae leaves.

Our food recommendation: The fragrant NatureHolic Guppyfeed  has been tailored to the needs of guppies and other viviparous fish in the aquarium. In addition to high-quality animal ingredients, it also contains vegetable components that benefit guppies & co. The soft granules protect the sensitive mouth of the viviparous from injuries caused by hard food grains and provide the fish with a natural feeding experience.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: When keeping invertebrates we recommend the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.