Connor Elliott Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 So as of now I have three platys all males and the three all in a constant tango and picking and flaring at one another and I’m not really sure what to do about the situation. My oldest platy going on 3-4 years is dealing with a swim bladder problem that I’m treating right now (first time this fish has ever shown symptoms of sickness) And I’m treating for that, anyway I’m not sure what to do about all the hostility I was maybe thinking of returning my two other males and get 4-5 females instead? what do you guys think? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayturs Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 Can you give some details about your setup? How many gallons? Is it planted, does he have plenty of places to hide or ways to break line of sight from the other males? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 8:58 PM, Connor Elliott said: So as of now I have three platys all males and the three all in a constant tango and picking and flaring at one another and I’m not really sure what to do about the situation. My oldest platy going on 3-4 years is dealing with a swim bladder problem that I’m treating right now (first time this fish has ever shown symptoms of sickness) And I’m treating for that, anyway I’m not sure what to do about all the hostility I was maybe thinking of returning my two other males and get 4-5 females instead? what do you guys think? What size aquarium do you have your platys in? How well planted is your tank? Do you feel like you keep up on maintenance? (water changes, filter cleaning, etc) I like it when my fish "make more." It might be interesting to get a couple pairs, and let them multiply. Perhaps you can sell off or give away your extras to a LFS whenever you're overloaded. We kept a colony thriving in a planted 10 gal with regular maintenance... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Abe Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 (edited) I have three male platys as well...they are young and are currently in a 20 long (planted) with zebra danio and a breeding pair of Apisto C. Honestly, the setup hasn't been ideal and just lately I have noticed them harassing each other and now one platy now has a gash on his fin, ugh. And I was worried about the Apisto lol - he has been a real gentleman about everything. Platys not so much. Have also been thinking of returning them but I feel bad. Also not sure I can after a month. I wonder what people do when you try fish and they just don't mesh. I would separate them but I just don't have a setup that can take another fish, either cause I have an aggressive centerpiece fish that won't appreciate company or the tank is full. Edited July 6, 2022 by Jen Abe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Elliott Posted July 6, 2022 Author Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 7:10 PM, Fish Folk said: What size aquarium do you have your platys in? How well planted is your tank? Do you feel like you keep up on maintenance? (water changes, filter cleaning, etc) I like it when my fish "make more." It might be interesting to get a couple pairs, and let them multiply. Perhaps you can sell off or give away your extras to a LFS whenever you're overloaded. We kept a colony thriving in a planted 10 gal with regular maintenance... I have my Platy‘s in a 20 gallon but have less than have sealed off with a piece of plexiglass for my Betta I’ve noticed over time he got more hostile towards tank mates so I made it my call I would like to separate him I have plenty of hiding and plants IMO (I’ll send photos) and I’ve been keeping up with maintenance Ammonia O Nitrite O Nitrates 20-40 range I’d like to think because of Easy Green but if I have to be completely honest for a very long time I did neglect my tank very badly which definitely put the fish under a lot of stress but since about a couple weeks ago I’ve really cleaned things up and I’ve been trying to stay on the up and up for myself and for my fish. On 7/5/2022 at 7:08 PM, Tayturs said: Can you give some details about your setup? How many gallons? Is it planted, does he have plenty of places to hide or ways to break line of sight from the other males? I have my Platy‘s in a 20 gallon but have less than have sealed off with a piece of plexiglass for my Betta I’ve noticed over time he got more hostile towards tank mates so I made it my call I would like to separate him I have plenty of hiding and plants IMO (I’ll send photos) and I’ve been keeping up with maintenance Ammonia O Nitrite O Nitrates 20-40 range I’d like to think because of Easy Green but if I have to be completely honest for a very long time I did neglect my tank very badly which definitely put the fish under a lot of stress but since about a couple weeks ago I’ve really cleaned things up and I’ve been trying to stay on the up and up for myself and for my fish. On 7/5/2022 at 7:08 PM, Tayturs said: Can you give some details about your setup? How many gallons? Is it planted, does he have plenty of places to hide or ways to break line of sight from the other males? On 7/5/2022 at 7:10 PM, Fish Folk said: What size aquarium do you have your platys in? How well planted is your tank? Do you feel like you keep up on maintenance? (water changes, filter cleaning, etc) I like it when my fish "make more." It might be interesting to get a couple pairs, and let them multiply. Perhaps you can sell off or give away your extras to a LFS whenever you're overloaded. We kept a colony thriving in a planted 10 gal with regular maintenance... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMartins Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 I’ve had Platies for a while and in my experience I have learned that the best way to deal with aggression amongst them is to add more Platies to your tank. In the past even the females were aggressive to one another when it was just 3 females. If you add more there might be some aggression in the beginning but they work out the hierarchy and things usually settle down. Males will still be somewhat aggressive towards each no matter what but given the numbers in my tank it’s not constantly Thunder dome. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Elliott Posted July 6, 2022 Author Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 7:45 PM, TMartins said: I’ve had Platies for a while and in my experience I have learned that the best way to deal with aggression amongst them is to add more Platies to your tank. In the past even the females were aggressive to one another when it was just 3 females. If you add more there might be some aggression in the beginning but they work out the hierarchy and things usually settle down. Males will still be somewhat aggressive towards each no matter what but given the numbers in my tank it’s not constantly Thunder dome. Given the picture above I keep my 3 platys and Bristle nose on the (right) side of the tank how many do you think I could add? Male or Females? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 10:13 PM, Connor Elliott said: Given the picture above I keep my 3 platys and Bristle nose on the (right) side of the tank how many do you think I could add? Male or Females? 12-20 easily if you water change regularly. I’d just put in 3x females to keep the males occupied. You’ll have 30+ in no time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwallace Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 I would add 5 females and let the fun begin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Elliott Posted July 6, 2022 Author Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 3:37 AM, Fish Folk said: 12-20 easily if you water change regularly. I’d just put in 3x females to keep the males occupied. You’ll have 30+ in no time! Thanks so much for the help I have been water Changing every Saturday in your experience do you think this is sufficient? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 9:45 PM, TMartins said: I’ve had Platies for a while and in my experience I have learned that the best way to deal with aggression amongst them is to add more Platies to your tank. In the past even the females were aggressive to one another when it was just 3 females. If you add more there might be some aggression in the beginning but they work out the hierarchy and things usually settle down. Males will still be somewhat aggressive towards each no matter what but given the numbers in my tank it’s not constantly Thunder dome. I agree with this completely. More fish lessens aggression and spreads it out. If anything, overcrowding a tank lessens aggression to the point where it becomes a nonissue. You see it all the time in African cichlids and it works in other species also. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 (edited) On 7/6/2022 at 8:56 AM, Connor Elliott said: Thanks so much for the help I have been water Changing every Saturday in your experience do you think this is sufficient? Absolutely. I’ve kept a colony of ridiculous numbers in a 10 gal. before. 75+ Platys. I do not recommend this! But it can be done. Edited July 6, 2022 by Fish Folk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwallace Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 7:56 AM, Connor Elliott said: Thanks so much for the help I have been water Changing every Saturday in your experience do you think this is sufficient? More than sufficient. In heavily planted tanks I do every 2 weeks or even monthly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 I have a 20 gallon tank (first picture) that is full of female guppies and male platies, a female molly, and five white clouds (when the white clouds are not in the summer tub pond). The male platies do not harass each other or anyone else. I have another 20 gallon tank that started with 3 female platies, male guppies, male mollies. The female platies do not harass each other or anyone else. However, I did put a male in with them several months ago for a few days and now I have fry arrive virtually every week. Every. Week. (Second picture) My advice would be to add more male platies, and/or some other friendly fish that won't produce a bejillion babies. Unless you want a bejillion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Elliott Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 8:54 PM, PineSong said: I have a 20 gallon tank (first picture) that is full of female guppies and male platies, a female molly, and five white clouds (when the white clouds are not in the summer tub pond). The male platies do not harass each other or anyone else. I have another 20 gallon tank that started with 3 female platies, male guppies, male mollies. The female platies do not harass each other or anyone else. However, I did put a male in with them several months ago for a few days and now I have fry arrive virtually every week. Every. Week. (Second picture) My advice would be to add more male platies, and/or some other friendly fish that won't produce a bejillion babies. Unless you want a bejillion! I mean to be honest I think I would like to have fry just to try it out as an experiment and for fun 🤷♂️Something I have noticed though is when the lights are out and especially during night there is pretty much absolute content is this a good sign? Of at least healthy fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Elliott Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share Posted July 8, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 7:53 AM, Fish Folk said: Absolutely. I’ve kept a colony of ridiculous numbers in a 10 gal. before. 75+ Platys. I do not recommend this! But it can be done. Something I have noticed though is when the lights are out and especially during night the fish are very content is this a good sign? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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