By Clint Norwood


 
Species/genus: Xiphophorus maculatus and Xiphophorus variatus

 
Origin:   Mexico
 
Temp:  72 - 82°F (22 - 28°C)
 
pH: 7.5      dH:    Medium to Hard
 
Temperament:   Friendly and easy going
 
Adult Size:   Up to 2 in   (5 cm)

 
Minimum Tank Size:  5 Gallons
10 Gallon or larger is much better
 
Feeding:  - eats all standard aquarium foods, likes to have some vegtable matter in thier diet
 
Breeding:  - A livebearer, very easy to spawn, not an aggressive fry eater
 
Comments:

A beautiful fish. Easy to keep and spawn. Very undemanding. Comes in a multitude of colors. Highly regarded by all aquarists.
It's name, Platy, is pronounced plat - ee, not play - tee. All my life I've been saying it wrong, I still think play-tee sounds better.