Do Platy Fish Give Live Birth?

If you're interested in spawning platy fish, then knowledge about their reproductive habits can go a long way. Platy fish, along with a handful of other types of aquarium fish, are classified as livebearers. This means they don't lay eggs, but rather welcome live offspring into the world. Platy fish are Mexican natives.

  1. Basic Details

    • Platy fish often reside in community freshwater tanks, as they possess mostly mild temperaments and are, for the most part, peaceful around fellow fish. They do occasionally pester those with especially lengthy fins, however. Platy fish are typically highly robust and sturdy. A couple different species of platy fish -- southern (Xiphophorus maculatus) and variable (Xiphophorus variatus) -- exist. Male platy fish are usually a little smaller than female specimens. These fish thrive in water temperatures in the range of 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Livebearers

    • Since they're livebearers, platy fish don't lay eggs. The females keep eggs internally and then release them as wee creatures, or fry, that are entirely capable of swimming on their own. The little guys simply don't exit their mothers' bodies until they are totally developed. Platy fish, like livebearing fish in general, reproduce handily in community settings. However, other fish in the aquariums may quickly consume their fry. Some people opt to rear platy fish fry in different tanks, while others opt for isolating net breeders instead.

    Pregnancy

    • It's often extremely easy to tell whether or not a female platy fish is pregnant. To make this determination, look near a female specimen's vent region. The presence of a sizable blotch there generally signifies that she's pregnant and not too far away from giving birth to her live youngsters, so take note. This also applies to female swordtail fish.

    Fellow Livebearers

    • Platy fish aren't the only livebearers of the fish realm. Swordtails, mollies, Endler's livebearers and guppies are all part of this category, too. None of these guys deposit eggs. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some common examples of egg layers include cichlids, gouramis, bettas and tetras -- and these are just the beginning. Egg-laying fish do not reproduce with the same near effortlessness as their livebearing counterparts.