Just about everyone knows about and has probably had a Platy at one point in their life.
They are tiny tropical fish that are peaceful and easy to care for.
Plus, with all the dazzling colors they can be found in, what’s not to love?
One of the few questions you may be wondering about is if Platies school or not.
Should you get one or two?
Do you need enough to form a school?
Are they more comfortable together or alone?
Don’t worry about having to search far and wide for the answer.
We’ve got it right here.
Are Platies Schooling Fish?
No, but they should still be kept in a small group.
Though they are technically not considered schooling fish, they are happier when kept with a few of their own kind.
Schooling fish all move together in the same direction at the same speed.
You are not likely to catch your platies doing this.
They are closer to shoaling fish, which are known to hang out around each other in loose groups.
What Is a Platy?
Platies are freshwater fish that have a lifespan of about three years when all their living requirements are met.
They are very active live breeders, having as many as 50 fry at a time, and share many similarities with Mollies and Guppies.
In the wild, Platies can be found in southern Mexico and on the eastern coast of Central America.
They grow up to 2.8 inches and have made wonderful additions to community tanks for years.
Their natural habitat consists of warm, slow-moving water such as canals, warm springs, and ditches.
In the wild, their colors are a lot less vibrant due to not being bred by humans to achieve brighter, vivid colors.
Domesticated Platies can be found in several colors, including white, yellow, red, orange, blue, and rainbow.
They can also be found with a ton of different patterns.
These are sometimes called painted Platies!
Platies are tiny fish which have short, round bodies, and they appear as two main types.
There Are Other Types of Platies?
You may be wondering if there are different types of Platies, and whether they all enjoy being kept in groups.
The answer is yes, there are a few different types of Platies!
There are Southern Platies, and there are Variable Platies.
The first, the Southern Platy, is very common.
These tiny fish are native to North and Central America, Northern Belize, Mexico, and Veracruz.
Yes, Southern Platies are much happier living in a little shoal.
The second type, the Variable Platy, can be found in Southern Tamaulipas, Northeastern Mexico, and Northern Veracruz.
Like all other Platies, they enjoy living in small groups.
However, these distinctions don’t really mean much nowadays, as the two types have been so interbred that it’s become quite difficult to distinguish the two.
Other Common Platy Behaviors
Since they love to swim in small groups despite the fact that they are not technically schooling fish, what other common behaviors will they exhibit?
Here are a few things you might see your Platies doing that is perfectly normal and are not cause for concern.
Platies are peaceful fish and can be seen coexisting without a problem with a variety of other species.
They can also be easy targets for more aggressive species, however.
They are not shy in the slightest, and they are very active in almost everything they do.
From swimming to breeding, platies are rarely without an activity.
You may also see them jumping, too.
This doesn’t mean that they are unhappy or feeling afraid.
Pretty much all Platies have a tendency to jump, and they should be kept in a tank with a cover on it because of that.
Another common behavior you will see, in male Platies especially, is fighting.
Males will fight amongst each other, even if there is a large number of females in their tank.
Fights that may break out usually don’t end in serious injuries and are not a cause for alarm.
Breeding in Your Platy Group
You may be wondering if having a group of Platies will have a negative or a positive effect on the breeding scene in your tank.
It honestly depends on a few factors.
It can depend on how many females are in your tank and how large your group is.
The larger the group, and the more females there are, the more likely you are to have new fry in your tank every few months.
Platies don’t need the temperature or lighting adjusted.
If they are all mature, all you have to do is leave them to it.
The real challenge is figuring out how to make them stop.
Spotting a pregnant Platy isn’t hard.
Just keep an eye out for an extended belly and a dark spot around the female’s anal fin.
The difficult thing to spot are the actual fry themselves, which are the size of half of a grain of rice and translucent.
Since Platies are live breeders, they won’t lay any eggs.
You will pretty much always have fry swimming around, which is just fine for them as long as your tank has heavy vegetation.
A lot of plants will give them the best chance at surviving to adulthood if you don’t plan on moving the parents out of the tank.
If you do happen to move your adult Platies and leave the fry with a tank to themselves, don’t worry about them becoming lonely or unhappy.
They should be just fine as long as they have each other.
The Best Tankmates
Just because Platies commonly school doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have other tankmates.
Alongside other Platy, they should be housed with other, non-aggressive species.
A few good species to add to your community tank include Corydoras, Danios, peaceful Barbs, Mollies, Swordtails, Tetras, Gouramis, a large majority of snails, most freshwater shrimp, Characins, and Swordtails.
On the other end of the scale, a few species you should avoid housing your Platies with include Goldfish, most Barbs, Bettas, Arowanas, Cichlids, and Cherry Shrimp.
You should also avoid housing them with fin-nippers as well.
Other than those mentioned above, your Platies should get along just fine with just about any fish in their tank.
As long as you have a tank large enough for your Platies and their pals, things should go swimmingly.
How to Keep Platies Happy
There are a few different ways to keep your platies at their best—and quite a few easy ways to keep them happy.
First, they should be kept in groups of five or more.
They are extremely social, and happier that way.
You should also keep two females for every male since Platies breed so much.
The females need breaks and having either more females than males or no males at all will give them the best lives possible.
You can tell the males from the females easily, with the females being significantly larger with muted colors and rounder abdomens.
Since Platies are omnivorous fish, they should have a nice, balanced diet that is heavier in vegetables and greens than it is meat.
That’s not to say that they don’t enjoy bloodworms as a treat every once in a while!
Just make sure the meat and protein you feed them doesn’t dominate their diet.
Tank Requirements
To keep your platies at their best, you should also give them a proper tank.
The required size of the tank will change depending on the number of fish.
Just remember that, in this case, bigger is always better.
For a group of five, we recommend a tank no smaller than 10 gallons.
You should always opt for a tank that will give them the most room possible for swimming and exploring.
The proper temperature for your tank may change from Platy to Platy, but they do share preferences when it comes to water pH and hardness.
The best pH is between 6.8 and 8.0, and the ideal hardness is anywhere between 10 and 28 dGH.
While they are very hardy, about 25 percent of their tank’s water should be changed every two weeks to keep it clean and at its best.
Since all Platies are tropical fish which can be found in warmer environments, it’s safe to assume that they all prefer warmer waters.
It’s better to keep them in a tank with a heater that stays around 70 to 80 degrees.
As for the rest of the tank, they will be much better off in a tank that closely resembles their natural habitat.
It should be full of plenty of plants and a gravel substrate.
Different Platies prefer different plants, but a few safe plants which might set you on the right path are Java Moss, Hornwort, and Duckweed.
Other than that, they are not hard to care for, and they are great for beginners.
If you’re new to caring for fish and their aquariums, a small group of Platies is the perfect place to start.
Other Ways to Care for Your Platies
Finally, how can you do everything you can to care for these friendly little fish?
Since they are so easy to care for, there isn’t a whole lot you need to look out for outside of common issues and diseases which can be found in many other fish.
One is Ich, which is a parasite that can affect the fins, gills, and body.
These white spots can cause respiratory issues and infections in your fish, and it’s very important to treat it quickly.
Another potential issue is fin rot, a bacterial infection that will affect the fin or tail.
The best thing to do to is to try and feed them a proper diet and make sure the tank’s water quality is at its best.
It’s also a good idea to reduce stress as much as you can, and be sure to quarantine any sick fish until they are well again.
Consider Yourself Schooled
Now you know that Platies are schooling fish, and you know exactly how to keep them happy and feeling safe.
Just try not to overcrowd your community with Platies, and keep an eye out for fry!
A large group is great, but overcrowding is never good.
No matter how many Platies you keep in your tank, we hope that they all enjoy each other’s company, and they live long, happy lives in their little community.
Best of luck caring for your little shoal of Platies.
We’re sure you’re doing a great job, and your fish are in good hands.
How many Platies do you have in your school?
What other fish do you have in your community tank?
Do you have any tips or advice about caring for Platies?
Tell us in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
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