What part of the water column do platys use?

[Hobbit]

I’m thinking about starting a breeding setup for some platys. My thought is to divide up a 55 gallon tank using some pieces of sponge and make a fancy-shmancy airlift fry sorter to keep the babies separate from the parents.

However, that will leave the parents with more vertical space than horizontal space. (Maybe something like 14x13x20”) Will they use the vertical space at all? Or will the top and bottom be wasted space for them?

[Jungle Fan]

@HobbitPlatys are livebearers just like guppies, and just like them they will be all over your tank from top to bottom.

Here is a link with some info:

https://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Platy.htm

Hope this helps.

[demicent]

My Platys use every inch of the tank.  Late last winter I ordered 6 from an online seller.  They sent me one male and five pregnant females.  Soon after, I had countless fry.  My Platys eat fish food, bottom dweller food, algae, snail eggs, Wolffia,  the green beans I feed the snails, you name it.  But they ignore their fry.  Best wishes on your endeavor.

[Hobbit]

@demicent wow, that’s amazing! They sound like really fun fish.

[Fonske]

40 minutes ago, demicent said:

My Platys use every inch of the tank.

Mine too. Where they hang more depends mostly on the amount of tasty algae in this particular spot. 

[DSH OUTDOORS]

I had mine in my 3' tall hexagon 95 gallon and they used every inch of it. I just moved them to a 40 breeder but haven't been able to net the one fry that survived the menacing packs of cherry and Odessa barbs patrolling the tank.

[Dwayne Brown]

Platies use all areas of the tank but they predominantly stay in the middle and lower water column