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
- 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
Keep a group in 60 liters or larger at 20 to 26 C, pH 7.2 to 8.2, in medium hard to hard water. Feed vegetable flake and algae foods plus frozen daphnia and brine shrimp. Peaceful and better suited to a quiet hard water community or species tank than a hot, crowded one. Keep several females per male.
In the wild
A small wild platy with a short spike extension on the lower tail of the male, hinting at the swordtails it is related to. The body is silvery to yellow with fine spotting and often a touch of blue. Keep a group in a planted tank with hard water and moderate flow, and avoid keeping it too warm. It grazes algae and takes most small foods.
Good to know
Xiphophorus xiphidium sits between the platies and swordtails, with males growing a short lower tail spike rather than a full sword. Adults stay small at around 4 to 5 cm. It carries the same color pattern genes that make its relatives useful in scientific studies of pigment and melanoma.
Did you know
The short tail spike of the male spiketail platy shows how platies and swordtails grade into one another within the genus Xiphophorus.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
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.
Gold rabbit snail
Tylomelania gemmifera
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Assam banded loach
Neonoemacheilus assamensis
Freshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
Fanning characin
Pyrrhulina rachoviana
Freshwater2 in (5 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
Mayan tetra
Hyphessobrycon compressus
Freshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
White spotted rabbit snail
Tylomelania towutica
Freshwater4.3 in (11 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)
Oil catfish
Duringlanis perugiae
Freshwater2.4 in (6 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)75–82°F (24–28°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.
How big does a Spiketail platy get?
An adult Spiketail platy reaches about 2 in (5 cm).
Related species
2.8 in (7 cm)15 gal (55 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)Southern platy
Xiphophorus maculatus
2.8 in (7 cm) · 15 gal (55 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)24 gal (90 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)Green swordtail
Xiphophorus hellerii
5.9 in (15 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)