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Variety of Southern platy

Mickey Mouse platy

Xiphophorus maculatus

One of 4 varieties of Xiphophorus maculatus · See all varieties →

Also known as White Mickey Mouse Platy, Sunburst Mickey Mouse Platy, Gold Mickey Mouse Platy, Blue Mickey Mouse Platy

FreshwaterFish

Mickey Mouse platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)

Varieties · Xiphophorus maculatus

See all 4 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–79°F
20–26°C
pH
6.8–8.0
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
15 gal
55 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Very common
Family
Poeciliidae

Overview

The name describes a mark, not a color, so shops sell it on gold, white, blue and sunburst bodies. Mixed tanks often ship as Assorted Mickey Mouse, meaning you pick the pattern and the supplier picks the color. Grading comes down to the three spots. A clean round pair over a solid third mark reads as the pattern, and smudged spots are common in bulk stock.

In the wild

Breeders fixed the marking on domesticated platy stock, and no named originator is on record. The pattern element itself is not an invention. Wild southern platies are polymorphic for tail base markings, and Xiphophorus genetics names the forms crescent, moon, moon complete, comet, one spot and twin spot, with some fish carrying no spot at all. Trade platies carry blood from more than one Xiphophorus species, so the fish under the mark is a hybrid.

Good to know

Breeders call the complete marking moon complete, and Xiphophorus genetics uses the same term for it. It sits on the caudal peduncle, the narrow stalk in front of the tail, and the dark melanin-based marks travel independently of body color, which is why the same pattern rides on gold, blue and white fish. The caudal spot patterns are inherited as autosomal traits, so fry from a mixed pairing often split into marked and unmarked siblings.

Did you know

The species answers to an older common name, the moonfish. Xiphophorus genetics kept the same vocabulary, naming the tail base markings crescent, moon and moon complete. The Mickey Mouse fish is the moon complete form, selected until the crescent and its two small spots turn up together every time.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Mickey Mouse platy is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is a Mickey Mouse platy a different species from the Southern platy?

No. A Mickey Mouse platy is a variety of the Southern platy, Xiphophorus maculatus, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does a Mickey Mouse platy need?

A Mickey Mouse platy needs at least 15 gal (55 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

How big does a Mickey Mouse platy get?

An adult Mickey Mouse platy reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

Related species