NEWS113
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Manymany colorful Platys
Platiesproduce liveyoung that look just like theirparentsexcept for
their tiny size. Platyparentsdon't lookafter theiroffspringandwill
eveneat them if theyarehungry. Thevastmajorityof fishes layeggs,
but therearealsofishes thatproduce liveyoung. These include lotsof
sharksandmarine rays, for example, and theplatiesand their relatives
in theaquarium. The family towhichplatiesbelong is called the
livebearing toothcarps, andaquaristsoftencall them just livebearers.
Aswell as theplaties theyalso include theguppies, themollies, the
swordtails, and lotsof other less commonplace species. Inplatiesand
their relatives theeggsdevelop in thebellyof themother.When she
lays theeggs theyburst immediatelyand the fryhatch. Fromour
viewpoint it looksas if fully-formedfishesarebeingborn.
Breedingplaties is lotsof fun. But it isalsoperfectlynormal formostof the fry tobe
eaten. This isagood thing, asotherwise therewouldeventuallybe justplatiesand
nootherfishes in theworld. Youcanbreedplatiesof justonecoloror amixture. In
thecaseof amixture, i.e. youhavemalesand femalesof assortedcolors in the
aquarium, younever knowquitewhat color theyoungwill be. This canbevery
exciting! Sometimesyoucan tell from the frywhichmalea female likesbest. There
isno real pairbond inplaties, andanymalemaymatewithany female, but the
ultimatechoice isalwayswith the female. And theyfind somemales cooler than
others...
Live young
The arrow indicates the ”penis” of
the Platymale. The correct term for
this is gonopodium.
Surprise!
Maleplatieshaveakindofpeniswithwhich they fertilize the females. Youcanalwayseasily recognize the
malesby this. If youwant tobreedplaties then it isbest tobuy10 specimens. It isn't all that importanthow
manymalesandhowmany femalesyouhave, butnaturallybothmalesand femalesneed tobepresent.
Wellmaintainedplaty femalesproduceyoungevery6-7weeks.Usually thereare15-20, butwith large, old
females therecanbeasmanyas80ormoreyoung. The femalesproduce their youngatnight, usuallyafter a
water change. Platies likewater changesa lot. In thewild they live in swampswhere thewater isoftendirty.
When it rains thefishes feel better. In theaquarium they think it is rainingwhenyoudoawater change.
Males and females
Platiescanbe found in literallyeveryaquariumstore, and theyare
available inmanydifferent colors. Platiesoriginallycame from
Mexico, buthavebeenbred in theaquarium forahundredyears.
Theplaties inaquariumstoresbelong to twodifferent species.
One issometimescalled theMaculatusPlaty (Xiphophorus
maculatus) and theother theVariatusPlaty (X. variatus)but
nowadayshardlyanyoneactuallyuses thesenames. Plus the
majorityofpeoplecan't tell the twospeciesapartatall. There
areeightadditionalplatyspecies in thewild, but theyare
onlyvery, very rarelykept in theaquarium.
maculatus
variatus
