Guppy harassing platy

[doink]

I wasn't planning on getting a new fish, but my LFS had a Mickey Mouse Platy in and couldn't resist. Currently, I have a peaceful and active 29 gallon community set up (7 rasboras, 6 panda corys, 1 bolivian ram, 1 honey gourami, 1 juvenile guppy that was accidentally included in the bag by the LFS). The owner said that platy and guppy may crossbreed but said they should otherwise get alone. Since the platy joined the tank, the juvenile guppy has been constantly chasing the platy around. I'm assuming he's trying to mate, and this may be typical livebearer behavior...but it looks like harrassment??? Can the female get harrassed to death by this behavior? Should I get another female to help her out? Or will the novelty of the platy wear off? I didnt' expect the small guppy to be so aggro already!

[Fish Folk]

He may chase, but fry will not come from them. She may be fertilized by a prior Platy tank-mate (females can carry milt a long while) and could drop fry delayed by months. But, Poecilia and Xiphophorus do not cross. Bear in mind that Mollies are in the same family and _can_ cross with Guppies. “Muppies” or “Gollies” the sterile hybrids are sometimes called. 

[doink]

Ya...I read they won't breed which is good...more concerned about the female platy getting stressed...

Getting any female will probably help mitigate the attention, but I'm not wanting any fry. If I get female platys that...if they are pregnant will fry survive without my intervention? The owner said they would likely get eaten up

[Fish Folk]

On 12/30/2023 at 3:12 PM, doink said:

Ya...I read they won't breed which is good...more concerned about the female platy getting stressed...

Getting any female will probably help mitigate the attention, but I'm not wanting any fry. If I get female platys that...if they are pregnant will fry survive without my intervention? The owner said they would likely get eaten up

Fry would struggle to make it with predatory species in the community tank.

[doink]

I'm still a bit nervous about multiple females possibly being pregnant and then introducing fry to the tank. I could try to return the female platy and replace her with a male platy or two. Would multiple male livebearers (2 male platys, 1 male guppy) get aggressive in a 29 gal tank? There is a good amount of space in the tank right now. I prefer the look of platys over guppies, but I'm also somewhat attached to the male guppy (he was accidentally included in my tank as a small fry). Getting him some friends may be nice, but he also seemed pretty happy before on his own with the other fish (he'll kinda school with the rasboras and is bold otherwise swimming with the ram and gourami). 

Thank you for your advice!

[mynameisnobody]

When dealing with male livebearers, keep in mind that the only things on their mind is food, poop, and reproduction. If you don’t get it some companions, it will deal with its needs how it sees fit. Welcome to livebearers. 

[Lonkley]

You can reduce the temperature. My guppies relaxed when I dropped to 75