Assorted Variatus Platy 3.5cm

Assorted Variatus Platy

The greatest thing with fish, like Platies is that there always seems to be a new colour variation coming out. This is simply because they are so easy to breed, and aquarists can easily experiment with colour genetics and produce new and unique colour strains never seen before. It's almost exciting to see what new colour strain is available but sometimes it is difficult to choose which colour to keep. That's where the assorted option is great due to the mix of colours available.

The beauty of variatus is their specked colours, they come in an assortment of shades generally varying in red, white, orange, blue, green, and black. The gradient of similarly coloured scales along with the random speckling of black, orange, and dark green really breaks things up nicely. This all then leads to the bright orange tail which provides great contrast. Unlike other livebearers such as guppies where the males tend to be far more colourful than females, Platies share their fantastic colour in both males and females. Because of this, it makes them extremely desirable in a display-style aquarium.

Platies are great because they only get to around 6-7 cm from head to tail. They are also super peaceful fish meaning they can be kept with other aquarium fish but also in large shoals of other coloured platies making a phenomenal rainbow platy aquarium. Breeding them is also a breeze, there isn't really much interference required to get these fish to breed because it's bound to happen. Males can be distinguished by their gonoponium which is like a pointed ventral fin. The wild habitat of the natural platy is widespread from Central America to Mexico.

Tank Recommendations for your Assorted Variatus Platy
Being a very small and easy to care for fish the variatus platy can be kept in nano aquariums with the minimum being a 60-litre system. Platies would do perfectly fine in either a tall or long tank which makes them super versatile.

A sand or gravel substrate would be fine for these fish as well along with a lot of plant growth which not only makes them contrast really well but also makes for handy locations where fry can grow out. Platies however are considered to be hard water fish meaning they prefer the water to have an elevated PH and are not like a tetra. This higher PH of 7 - 8 can be achieved with a PH buffer or African cichlid lake conditioning salts.

Suitable Tank Buddies
The variatus platy is a very peaceful aquarium fish. They are great with a wide range of nano aquarium fish however because of their bright and flashy fins, certain fin-nipping species would be avoided. The other factor is that platies are fish that need higher PH so keeping them with South American tetras may not be very suitable as these prefer lower PH.

Usually Compatible
Pseudomogil species such as fork-tail rainbows, blue eyes, ricefish, and nano aquarium fish can tolerate hard water conditions.

Sometimes Compatible
Medium-growing or possibly fin-nipping species. Bettas should also be avoided because of their similar flashy nature to platies which could lead to aggression from the bettas end.

Rarely Compatible
Large and aggressive species that would prey on the guppies such as Oscars, or jaguar cichlids.

Feeding your Assorted Variatus Platy
The variatus platy is very easy to feed once it is settled into the aquarium. The ideal diet would be good quality floating food, supplemented with frozen bloodworms or black worms or even live foods like baby brine shrimp or microworms. Feeding any foods with natural colour enhancers would also be great as this will enhance the brightness.