Theplatymaster Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 (edited) Ive been meaning to start this for while. Ive seen the groups that @Beardedbillygoat1975has on rainbowfish and corydoras, and more recently @The endler guy for clown plecos, so this is for platies, which hence my username i am a big fan of. So come here, talk about platies, and post pictures! here is my tank with what i call a "swarm" of platies (20+). @MattyM@PineSong Edited February 10 by Theplatymaster 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 I love my platies, however it bums me out that they are by far the most genetically weak fish I have. I’ve gotten them from great sources, but 1 particular batch that got mixed in was questionable. As you know, if you have 1 weak fish with livebearers then they’re all weak. It’s a shame because they are one of my faves along with shellies, Goldie’s, and rainbows. In the next couple of months, I plan on starting a breeding project to try to get some beautiful and bulletproof platies. I’m probably going to dedicate a 110 gallon stock tank for the project. By the way, neon white platies are pretty incredible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 I started in this hobby with Platies and they taught me a lot. I have since moved on from them for the most part, but they’re super rad fish 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 (edited) I love the colours of wild variatus platys such as xiphophorus variatus puente escalanar and Rio nautla some species have marked sexual morphism such as xiphophorus variatus La Laguna Edited February 11 by Colu 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 On 2/10/2023 at 4:50 PM, mynameisnobody said: love my platies, however it bums me out that they are by far the most genetically weak fish I have weak, my platies are bulletproof? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 @Theplatymaster I actually had some beautiful platies and then I went and ruined it by dropping in some more that didn’t look as stellar. They were quarantined so I thought time would brighten them up. So far I’ve lost half my population since adding these fish. I figured from now on I will only keep wild type platies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 @mynameisnobody my platies are just standard stock from my LFS, nothing speacial. I started with a trio (1m2f) then got another, and havent bought platies since, ive turned 6into what now seems like 60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 @Theplatymaster how long have you had your colony? I’ve had mine for about 6 years. I started with a dozen and probably had 10,000 at one point in a 300 gallon stock tank. After a while, I began seeing more and more deformities. Culling became much more common. In an effort to expand the blood line a bit, I tossed in a dozen platies. That is when the issues began. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 @mynameisnobody im rather new to this hobby, ive had my colony with the first fish for about a year. I havent seen any deformities, and im hoping not to. Ive started taking large amounts of platies to the LFS every 4-5months now that i have so many, and i just keep a trio (1m2f) of my favorites, my fish are definitely inbreeding, but ive seen no problems, and cant really prevent it, so i will just keep doing what im doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 @Theplatymaster sounds good. Eventually, you’ll have to think about expanding the blood line. I’ve heard @Cory numerous times talk about the horrible genetics of platies. Hence the search for his perfect orange platy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 @mynameisnobodythat is useful information. Thanks! there are a few color strains of platy ive had my eyes on for a while. Bleeding Heart Platies, Blue Platies, and a few others i dont know the name of. I could get a trio of one of each and add them to my tank to expand my bloodline. Right now im not getting any new fish though. My QT tank is occupied with my platy breeding project. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 @Theplatymaster I kind of love how much you love platies. I do know that there is an aquabid user out of Hawaii that has some pretty superior platies. His username starts with an M and ends with an A, I believe. I had a small side colony from him for a while and they were gorgeous, but sadly a power outage ended that project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 (edited) @mynameisnobody ive been told about this seller before, however its SO much easier to get the standard stuff from my LFS and they need the business anyway. (Aquabid seller you mentioned is Mobetta someone mentioned them to me before) Also yes, i am OBSESSED with these fish, hence my username. I mean listen. 1.Small 2.Colorful 3.Relatively peacefull, males chase each other around thats the extent of the agression 4.Will Nibble at hair algaes 5.Easy to Breed 6.Cheap 7. (My favorite part) PERSONABLE. you cant see it till you have a large group, but their group interactions are fascinating! Edited February 12 by Theplatymaster 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 @Theplatymaster I’m with you buddy, I concur completely. Yes it is Mobetta. I totally understand supporting the LFS. However if you ever want to treat yourself to something you’ll probably never see in a LFS, treat yourself to 6 of whichever platies he has. Shipping is about $20 so with gas prices you may not be as much in the red. If not, just enjoy what you got. I find it quite admirable at your level of interest in this species as I thought I was the only one. They’re pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 (edited) On 2/11/2023 at 8:30 PM, mynameisnobody said: Shipping is about $20 so with gas prices i dont think you understand. Im very fortunate. My LFS is a 10-15minute walk from my house, i will walk fish home as long as the weather is nice enough. Yeah this is the perfect site to find other people obsessed with very common fish. If you have any feedback on my platy breeding project, id be happy to hear it ) Edited February 12 by Theplatymaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 On 2/11/2023 at 8:07 PM, mynameisnobody said: Hence the search for his perfect orange platy. you want orange platies?: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I do love platies and when I decided to get back into planted tanks, platies were the first fish I shopped for. My plan was not to breed, so I bought a few males--I had one sunburst, one koi, one hifin red, etc. because local stores didn't have enough of one kind for me to make a whole group. Then I saw these ladies at the local Feeder Supply and my plans changed: Unfortunately, the male that came with them did not survive quarantine, but of course the gals were already pregnant. None of the babies were as purple-blue as the moms but many were blue. I bred them back and the babies that came next were more intense blue but with a more distinct tux pattern--or orange tux! I ordered some Green Lantern platies from Aquabid to try to get back to the color intensity of the original moms, but it did not work. Offspring just got blacker, but are still pretty and the males are very sporty looking due to the intense coloration of their metallic "stripe" of color at the top. This spring, I am planning to put a single pair of my prettiest blue juvenile platies together so I can be sure to have some more, as I am down to fewer than 10 between two tanks. Might even give them a tub pond for the summer. @mynameisnobody, I would have loved to see your thousands of platies in a stock tank pond--I bet it was a real treat! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 On 2/12/2023 at 8:53 AM, Theplatymaster said: you want orange platies?: I’m pretty sure anyone can find an orange platy. That wasn’t what I was saying. On the livestream, Cory has said that he once had a particular orange platy that he hasn’t been able to find again. It’s his holy grail of platies if you will. @PineSong It was a sight, and I regret not documenting it. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 On 2/12/2023 at 9:21 AM, mynameisnobody said: On the livestream, Cory has said that he once had a particular orange platy that he hasn’t been able to find again. ah yes, hawaiin variatus platy or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I saw the title of this topic and thought: “What are the chances that @Theplatymaster didn’t start this?” 🤣🤣🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 (edited) @TheSwissAquaristwhich is why you'll never see it coming when i start the err.. Non Platy Obsessers group. (????????????) or the Platy Haters Group (again ?????????????) Edited February 12 by Theplatymaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Platys are great fish. I've found them to be excellent tank mates for fish that are a bit skittish. The platys seem to share some of their confidence! I had a really amazing color combination emerge from my platy group that I tried to select for in breeding. Maybe one or two fish from a drop would turn out looking how I wanted and I eventually ran out of time and tanks trying to work on it. But while it lasted they were awesome 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 @MAC, those are good looking fish. I originally wasn't a fan of the dark sides on mine but when they got that green sparkle on top of the black, my opinion changed. It's one of my favorite looks now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 more platy pictures: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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