When looking into the proper required care for platy fish, you must be aware of all common housing and husbandry of the aquatic species. We will inform you of the proper care requirements of the platy fish and also teach you how to keep up on all conditioning levels of the water in your aquarium to keep your fish alive.
- Platy Fish General Facts
The platy fish is a creature which has easy care requirements; it is a small breed of fish and the female will grow to be larger than the male of the species. Platys eat live and dried food such as common flake fish food, live and dried brine shrimp, blood worms, and even the occasional snail. Some will eat small aquarium frogs so it is inadvisable to keep small frogs as pets in an aquarium with platy fish. Platy fish are a fresh water species, meaning they should never be homed in or with saltwater species. - Platy Fish Breeding
Platy fish are a common and easy species to breed, the fish is very low in price and commonly housed in small numbers to entire schools of fish. Being the platy gives live birth and breeds frequently you should refrain from purchasing the platy in numbers if you do not wish to have multiplying numbers of fish. Large numbers of platy fish and breeding schools should not be housed in small aquariums. The fish will need a tank range from 50 gallons to 100 gallons.If you are keeping platys in small numbers in between 1 and 4 a 10 to 40 gallon tank will suffice. But remember that smaller tanks need more frequent water tending, treatment, and changing due to waste buildup from leftover fish food, waste, and oils from the fish.
If you have more than 1 fish it is a good idea to keep two females per every male. This prevents stress on the females of the species from male breeding behavior which can be quite often.
- Water Conditioning and Levels
The platy fish requires tank temperatures of in between 65 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The expected lifespan of a platy is 2 to 3 years under good care conditions.When keeping any type of aquarium, expect to need to purchase water conditioning supplements to put in a new tank and let this settle for at least 12 to 24 hours before introducing fish.
When bringing home a new fish to either an old or new tank the fish should not be removed from their bags and placed in the tanks right away. The fish should be placed floating on the top of the fish tank, half submerged in the water so the water temperature change between the bag water and the tank water will not put your fish into shock. This should continue for 2 hours before placing a new fish into a tank.
To keep track of water levels to prevent toxic growth you will need to purchase products which can be dipped into the water and measure the levels of the water’s current condition. If the condition is less then optimal to fatal you will need to change the water or supplement it with level changing conditioning supplements.
All aquariums should use a tank filter which is designed for the specific tank size. This prevents the likeliness of the water becoming of an unlivable state to your fish.