Posted: 2007.01.04(Thu)19:16 Post subject: SwordTails and Platies compatibility
Hey guys, I'm just lettign everyone know I'm new to this site, I never really liked fish as pets becuz I never actually had one, and thought a dog was way cooler, but now I kinda like pet fish,
My dad jus got me a MiniBow 5 gallon aquarium, and I didn't really cycle the water, bad I know, but after that night they seem to be doing fine, I have 2 swordtails and 2 Platies in the tank, I was wondering if their good tankmates, it said they were, but today I found a swordtail like ramming into a Platie like 6 times, I was like WTF, so r they compatible? I don't know what to do if they arent, and can sum1 please tell me what other fish are compatible with 2 platies and 2 swordtails, and remember I only have a 5 gallno tank, I was thinking a catfish? _________________ -Joey, aka, AsianSensation, you know it
The will actually interbreed, so I doubt it's a species compatabilty problem. Do you know what sex these fish are?
Sorry to have to type the rest, but I have to. I hope it doesn't put you off fish keeping, I am only typing it because I care about fish.
Your fish are in danger. They are releasing Ammonia into the water. This is toxic to the fish until bacteria build up in the tank/filter, and eat this toxic chemical. This is the cycling bit. It can take several weeks to cycle a tank with fish, and during that time the fish often die.
A tank of 5 gallons is actually harder to cycle, and run than a larger one, the chemicals, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate etc, build up far faster (Less water).
Unfortunatly it is also too small for Platties and Swordtails, Swordtails can (Or should if they don't die, or become stunted) reach 4 inches long, Platties are a bit smaller, but not by much.
Even if the Swordtails and platties could live in a tank that size, with four fish of the sizes they become, you are already overstocked. Add to this, they are both Livebearer species, who will be adding more fish soon (They breed like rabbits).
To keep your fish alive, you will need to do daily 20% water changes, to lower the Ammonia and Nitrite levels. But this is only a short term solution, because of the overstocking and wrong species for a tank of this size.
I would print this reply out, and show it to your parents, try and talk them into either, buying you a larger tank (20 gallons would be ideal) or returning the fish to the shop, doing a fishless cycle, and getting the one of the few species of fish who could live long term in such a small tank.
Sorry to be blunt with you, but it's the only way to stop you seeing your fish die or suffer.
aww man dude, I kinda researched about cycling, but my dad told me to get the fish with the tank, I don't know if I can get a bigger tank right now, I spent like 70 bucks hooking up that 5 gallon, jeesh, espensive and I don't even have a job...
I jus changed the water like u sed, and I think I have 2 male swords because don't they have the long tail??
I had rabbits before, and they breed mad crazy, I think I have all male tho _________________ -Joey, aka, AsianSensation, you know it
hey btw thankls for your reply, its really helpful becuz I know not a lot, but I don't think I can return the fish, my dad will be pissed, and can u explain cycling again, after I read like 3 articles I dotn get it with the ammonia and nitrite and nitrate _________________ -Joey, aka, AsianSensation, you know it
Hi PreppyStudMuffin!
First off, please don't take this the wrong way, but not only is this an international board (which is why speaking in clear English will get you far- many of our members are not native English speakers and hence may not be able to answer your posts because they do not understand it) but also a family environment- you will need to take your WTF's elsewhere.
Proper knowledge of the nitrogen cycle is imperative to success. In addition to reading articles in the gallery, you can also run a board search to look for times when other people have had the same question, and, this is a shameless self-plug, but the Aquahobby Webcomic has done several episodes relating to the cycle that you may find easier to "get" than a bland written description. If you click on the banner in my signature it will take you there!
Good Luck!
Liszie _________________
Oh okay, I will definitely check your site out. And sorry for my WTF's, I'm 15, so I'm still maturing from cussing too much.
Yeah, I thought I knew everything to start a new aquarium, but obviously I don't and I feel really stupid. The tank is for my 9 year old little brother, and I'm supposed to change the water and keep the tank clean which is hard, but kind of fun to do, but not after Soccer practice, it gets exhausting
Man I wish I had a bigger tank, I just don't have the money, haha _________________ -Joey, aka, AsianSensation, you know it
Haha, no problem. We have a lot of young members here, although they seem to be quite proficient in proper English. (which means we old people have no reason to start up our cane waving and "young folks these days!!", which is nice...)
I completely understand fishkeeping on a budget. In fact, the next episode for the webcomic will be about fishkeeping without breaking the bank! Depending on how old your tank is, you might actually be able to trade it in- generally bowfront tanks are more expensive, you might be able to get a fair sized glass aquarium for the same price. You could also check in your local paper's classifieds or, if you live in a big enough town, an aquarium society might be able to hook you up with a bigger tank for less money.
Good luck!
Liszie _________________
Hi there, welcome to the hobby! There could be several reasons as to the aggresiveness of your fish... as mentioned in detail above by Bob and Liszie, your fish could be stressed because of the uncycled tank. If they are all males (you mentioned that the swordtails are definitely males), they could be aggresive simply because they're are no female fish... I am not sure if platies/swordtails get that aggressive for this reason, so it may just be stress. _________________ "color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammer, the soul is the piano with the strings" - - wassily kandinsky
It just occured to me- are you absolutely sure you have two platies and two swordtails? Platies and swordtails are taxinomically incredibly similar. In fact, they are often crossbred for new colour combinations, and as a result many that you will find in your LFS are really hybrids of the two. Platies and female swordtails are difficult to distinguish, and if your LFS people aren't keeping a close eye, it's very possible that they got a shipment of female swordtails marked platies and didn't bother to question.
I don't know a lot about livebearers, but is it possible that you have two males and two females and what you think is aggression is actually mating rituals? If this is the case, you may soon have babies on your hands, although I doubt they would attempt to spawn in a cycling tank... Even if the platies are platies, if they are females the males may still try to mate with them. This would especially be a problem if one platy is male and one is female, because then there are three males to one female. Uh oh.
In any case, the tank is pretty crowded. Fish that might not necessarily have problems with each other can be pretty upset when stuck in a tiny tank.
Think of it this way- what if you were forced to live in a tiny room with three strangers? At first, maybe you'd get along, but over time you'd probably get on eachothers' nerves. Think Lord of the Flies in a fish tank. This problem might then be compounded by the fact that males may be competing for females...
Just a thought...
Liszie _________________
I have 2 male swords because don't they have the long tail??
Sexing Livebearers is easy.
All male Livebearers have a modified fin, called the genopodium. If you wait for the fish to stop moving forwards the females fin will look normal, the males will still look like a stick.
Excuse the poor drawing:
The one on the top is a female, the one on the bottom is a male.
This modified fin is used to transfer sperm from the male to the female.
In the case of Swordtails, it is the male who has the Sword.
It can take some fish many months to show the the male parts, so with young Swordtails, they often look like all females.
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