Platies are excellent fish for beginners, but finding the right tank mates for them can be a little tricky.
Luckily, mollies and platies can live happily together in the same tank because these fish are peaceful and will get along together.
Platy fish are actually sociable and like to live with a group of their own kind. However, they don’t mind living with other species as long as you set up an aquarium that supports both breeds.
Can Mollies and Platies Live Together?
Mollies and platies are excellent companions because they’re not aggressive. This means that putting various fish that belong to both species won’t lead to any fights in the fish tank.
Both fish species also have the same water and tank requirements, so you won’t struggle to meet their needs in a single tank. However, you need to make sure that there’s enough space for all the fish to roam the tank and live happily.
The most important thing is to make sure that you’re not overcrowding your tank. A single platy or molly fish needs between two and three gallons of water to exist comfortably. As long as you make sure that the fish tank is big enough for your fish, you can add more mollies and platies to the same aquarium.
Can Mollies and Platies Breed?
Some aquarium enthusiasts and hobbyists are interested in crossbreeding, which is allowing two fish from two different breeds to mate and produce a hybrid fish. Some people believe that this doesn’t happen in nature. Others believe that this is how different species evolve.
Since there’s no sure way to find out how various breeds have originated, you can’t assume that crossbreeding is an unnatural process. However, there are several debates that this shouldn’t be forced in a tank, and the offspring will be unnatural.
So, as someone who’s keeping a molly and a platy fish in the same tank, you might think that they could breed together. Crossbreeding might happen in nature within different species of the same breed.
However, mollies and platies belong to two different families, and they’re unable to mate with each other. Even if this happens, the resulting offspring will have unstable genes, and the fish will be sick and die soon.
As a result, you shouldn’t worry about mollies and platies mating together, even if you’re keeping them in the same fish tank.
In some cases, after you put a molly and platy fish in the same tank, you see that there’s a small baby fish in the tank. This happens because mollies and platies are livebearers that give birth to fully-grown fish in the tank.
So, if one of your fish was impregnated before you put it in the tank, it might seem that it was bred by the other fish. Moreover, platies can give birth to multiple fish several times after mating with one male.
This doesn’t mean that mollies and platies are incapable of cross-breeding. Mollies belong to the Poecilia family like guppies, so might breed with them when they’re kept in the same tank. Platies belong to the Xiphophorus family like swordtails, so crossbreeding might occur if you keep any of these species together.
What are the Best Tank Mates for Platies?
Because platies are tropical peaceful fish, you need to find other tank mates that have the same requirements to guarantee the happiness of all members of your aquarium community. Here are some of the best animals to put in your fish tank with your platy fish.
Guppy
Guppy fish are peaceful like platies and they prefer living in a planted aquarium like them. Moreover, they’re omnivorous, so you can use the same type of fish food for both species. They have brighter colors but they’re usually smaller than platies.
Endler
Endlers aren’t only compatible with platies but they’re also compatible with guppies. As a matter of fact, they might even cross-breed with guppies.
These fish are peaceful and love to live in schools, so you should keep several members in the tank. Moreover, they’re not as picky as other fish types, so you can offer them the food you offer to your platies.
Swordtails
Swordtails might be a little challenging to keep in a tank because their temperament can be peaceful or aggressive, depending on the individuals. They’re suitable for novice aquarium owners just like platies because they’re easy to keep and maintain.
These fish can breed with platies, but to reduce aggression, you should limit the number of male swordtails in the tank. Male swordtails are likely to be more aggressive towards males of the same species.
At the same time, you need to pay attention to the tank’s plants as these are likely to reduce the risk of aggression in community.
Neon Tetras
Adding neon tetras will add a pop of color to your fish tank. They have beautiful transparent bodies with some extra metallic patches that make them delightful to look at.
These fish aren’t aggressive but they can be feisty, especially because they need to be kept in groups of at least 15 members. This is why neon tetras will be an excellent addition if you have a big fish tank because they need a lot of space.
Betta Fish
Adding betta fish to a tank of platies can be a hit or miss. Unlike the generally peaceful platies, betta fish can be highly territorial, so they might get a little aggressive, especially towards the males of their own species.
Still, they can make good tank mates for your platies, as long as you keep the fish in a big tank that supports the existence of all fish. You should also pay attention to the fish to remove the aggressive ones in case of fin biting.
Wrap Up
Mollies and platies can live peacefully in the same fish tank because they have the same tank requirements. Both species won’t attack each other, so they can make great tank mates. Nevertheless, these fish won’t mate with each other, so you shouldn’t worry about crossbreeding.