Spiketail platy
Xiphophorus xiphidium
Also known as Swordtail platy, Spiketail platyfish
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 68–79°F
- 20–26°C
- pH
- 7.2–8.2
- Adult size
- 2 in
- 5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 16 gal
- 60 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Easy
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Poeciliidae
- Origin
- Endemic to the Rio Soto la Marina and Rio Purificacion basin in Tamaulipas, Mexico, in clear streams and pools.
Overview
The spiketail platy is a peaceful fish for the middle of a planted, hard-water tank. It is best with a little experience.
Did you know
The male spiketail platy's short tail spike shows how platies and swordtails grade into one another within the genus Xiphophorus.
Caring for the spiketail platy
Keep spiketail platies in a group, in a tank of 16 gal (60 L) or larger. A planted tank with moderate flow suits them.
Give them medium hard to hard water at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C) and a pH of 7.2 to 8.2. Avoid keeping them too warm. Feed vegetable flake and algae foods, plus frozen daphnia and brine shrimp. They graze algae and take most small foods.
Spiketail platies are peaceful. They suit a quiet hard-water community or a species tank better than a hot, crowded one. Keep several females per male.
Males grow a short spike on the lower edge of the tail rather than a full sword. Breeding spiketail platies is easy.
Good to know
The spiketail platy, Xiphophorus xiphidium, is a small wild platy. Its body is silvery to yellow, with fine spotting and often a touch of blue. It carries the same color pattern genes that make its relatives useful in scientific studies of pigment and melanoma.
In the wild
The spiketail platy is endemic to the Rio Soto la Marina and Rio Purificacion basin in Tamaulipas, Mexico. It lives in clear streams and pools.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The spiketail 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.
Neocaridina shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 5 gal (19 L)59–84°F (15–29°C)
Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
FreshwaterBrackish2.4 in (6 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Freshwater1.5 in (3.8 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)
Scarlet livebearer
Micropoecilia picta
FreshwaterBrackish1.6 in (4 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Gold rabbit snail
Tylomelania gemmifera
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Bristlenose pleco
Ancistrus sp.
Freshwater4.9 in (12.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a spiketail platy need?
A spiketail platy needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a spiketail platy need?
A spiketail platy is comfortable at 68–79°F (20–26°C) with a pH of 7.2–8.2.
What does a spiketail platy eat?
A spiketail platy eats vegetable flake and algae foods, plus frozen daphnia and brine shrimp. It grazes algae and takes most small foods.
How big does a spiketail platy get?
An adult spiketail platy reaches about 2 in (5 cm).
How can you tell a male spiketail platy from a female?
Males grow a short spike on the lower edge of the tail rather than a full sword.
Related species
2.8 in (7 cm)10 gal (38 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)Southern platy
Xiphophorus maculatus
2.8 in (7 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)15 gal (55 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)Variable platy
Xiphophorus variatus
2.8 in (7 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)
4.1 in (10.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Kallman's swordtail
Xiphophorus kallmani
4.1 in (10.5 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Pygmy swordtail
Xiphophorus pygmaeus
1.6 in (4 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)24 gal (90 L)68–81°F (20–27°C)Sheepshead swordtail
Xiphophorus birchmanni
2.8 in (7 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)
5.9 in (15 cm)20 gal (76 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)Green swordtail
Xiphophorus hellerii
5.9 in (15 cm) · 20 gal (76 L)