Sunset variatus run yellow through the front of the body into orange or red across the tail, strongest on males. The line is often carried as a hi-fin, where the male's dorsal is stretched into a sail. Both forms sell under the same Sunset name, so check whether the listing photo shows the tall fin. Some sellers list the fish as Xiphophorus maculatus even when the stock is variatus.
In the wild
Sunset is a trade name for a color selection rather than one documented strain. It has been applied to both variatus and maculatus platies, and no originating breeder or year is recorded for the name itself. Goliad Farms in Texas describes its own Sunset stock as fish that came up without the tuxedo band in its Redtail Black Variatus line, which traces back to tuxedo variatus bought from a Florida farm in 2003.
Good to know
The sunset gradient is a selected color trait rather than a single named gene. A spawn covers everything from pale yellow to deep orange-red, and breeders hold back the best. Males color up far harder than females, so a mixed group looks less uniform than the shop photo. The platy species cross readily and commercial hi-fin stock is often sold as hybrid, which is part of why labels vary.
Did you know
The same fish is sold under two scientific names. Sunset variatus listings carry Xiphophorus variatus at one shop and Xiphophorus maculatus at the next. The two species cross freely on farms, so some of that stock genuinely is a mix.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Sunset 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.
2.8 in (7 cm)15 gal (55 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
4.1 in (10.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)24 gal (90 L)68–81°F (20–27°C)
5.9 in (15 cm)24 gal (90 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)