You can find a large aquarium tank online or at your local pet store. Make sure the tank you get has a secure lid on it since platy fish can jump. [2] X Research source An overcrowded tank can make your fish stressed and more prone to fighting.
To clean your aquarium gravel, rinse it in a sieve over a bucket until the water straining through the sieve runs clear. You can find aquarium gravel online or at your local pet store.
Try to use live aquarium plants to replicate the platy fishes’ natural environment. Include floating plants in the tank, which make great hiding places for young fry. [4] X Research source You can purchase plastic aquarium shelters, like small plastic caves or hollowed-out logs, online or at your local pet store.
You can purchase an air-powered sponge filter at your local pet store, or you can order one online.
You can purchase both submersible and hang-on aquarium water heaters online or at your local pet store. Keep in mind that the larger your aquarium, the stronger of a heater you’ll need. [6] X Research source For a 29 US gal (110 L) aquarium, you’ll need a heater that’s between 75 and 200 watts. The colder the room that your aquarium is in, the more watts you’ll need. If you’re worried about the water in the tank being too hot, you can buy an aquarium chiller to lower the water temperature.
For example, if you’re using a 29 US gal (110 L) tank, you would introduce 10-14 platy fish into the tank at first. Then, after around 6 weeks, you could add more fish to the tank since the water would be safe enough at that point. Adding too many platy fish before the tank has cycled can put stress on the fishes’ bodies and potentially cause them to die.
Determine the sex of your platy fish when you’re buying them and before adding them to your tank since it will be easier than doing it after they’re all swimming around in the aquarium together.
You can find commercial fish food for your platy fish online or at your local pet store.
For meat-based foods, try live or frozen brine shrimp, tubifex, or blood worms. For vegetables, try zucchini, broccoli florets, or cauliflower. Just make sure you use organic vegetables and wash them thoroughly before adding them to the tank. [11] X Research source
For example, in the morning, you could feed your platy fish as much commercial fish food (and a little meat and vegetables) as they can eat within 3 minutes. Then, you could feed them the same amount again at lunch and again at dinner.
For example, if you have a 29 US gal (110 L) tank, you would replace a little more than 7 gallons (26 L) of water every 2-4 weeks. Keep in mind that the more platy fish you have, the more often you should change out the water. If you have a lot of fish for the size of your aquarium, you may want to replace the water every 2 weeks, whereas if you don’t have that many platy fish in your tank, you can probably get away with replacing the water once a month.
If your platy fish don’t seem to be breeding, make sure you have both male and female fish in the tank. Also, make sure your fish are healthy and that you’re feeding and caring for them properly since unhealthy platy fish might not breed.
If you’re not keeping track of when your female platy fish get pregnant, it can be hard to estimate when they’re going to give birth. However, it will always be within 30 days of when you notice they’re pregnant. Don’t worry about doing anything special for your pregnant platy fish during their pregnancy or when they give birth. As long as you’re feeding and caring for them properly, the pregnancy should go smoothly.
You can move the mother to a separate tank before it gives birth, or you can separate the fry after. To move the fry, use a fishing net to scoop them out of the tank and transfer them to a new one. Depending on where the fry are hiding, you may need to scoop up a shelter or floating plant in order to catch them.
Feed the fry in small amounts several times a day like you do with your adult platy fish.
Consider selling your platy fish fry and turning it into a small side business. Or, you can give them to friends who are also aquarium enthusiasts.
