Southern platy

Xiphophorus maculatus

FreshwaterFish

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
Origin: Mexico, Central America
Family: Poeciliidae

Overview

Platies are peaceful, social fish that do well in a small group in a tank of around 55 liters. Keep more females than males to ease pressure on the females. They sit in the middle of the tank and mix easily with other calm community fish. Feed a varied diet of flakes with some algae or veg content, plus occasional frozen treats. They are an easy, beginner-friendly fish that breeds readily.

In the wild

Southern platies come from warm, slow waters in Mexico and Central America, including weedy ditches, ponds, and stream margins. That background makes them hardy and forgiving. A planted tank with some open swimming space, neutral to slightly alkaline water, and a temperature in the low to mid-20s C is plenty. They tolerate harder water well, with pH from about 6.8 to 8.

Good to know

Xiphophorus maculatus is a livebearer in the family Poeciliidae, related to swordtails. Adults stay small at around 7 cm, with females a bit larger than males. They bear live young rather than laying eggs, and females can store sperm to produce several broods from one mating. Most of the bright color forms in the hobby come from selective breeding rather than the wild fish.

Did you know

Platies and swordtails are the same genus and interbreed freely, which is how the hobby produces so many hybrid color and fin varieties. They have also been a long-standing model animal in cancer research because certain crosses develop melanoma.