Mixed Platy Breeding? [Archive]

s72450

07-12-2009, 08:43 PM

Today I went with my sister-in-law to get some fish for her tank. She has only had a betta in the past but he passed away so she wanted something totally different and loves the platies we have in a tank at work. PetCo is having a 4 for $4 sale on assorted platies and mollies and although I wasn't going to get anything, I fell prey to buying two twinbar platies and two blue platies. I've had twinbars before and really enjoyed them, but never the blues, I always thought they didn't look that great in the tank, but once they were home with me and colored up some more I've found them really beautiful.

Now since I've only had one set of platies before and never mixed, I question the breeding habits. The two twinbar are females and then there is one blue female and one male. Will they inter-breed? If so, what is the result?

troy

07-12-2009, 08:47 PM

Yes they will. They're still the same species.

s72450

07-12-2009, 08:52 PM

Any idea what they will look like?

Jaster

07-12-2009, 09:52 PM

not really but I'm willing to bet they would look pretty nice.

s72450

07-12-2009, 10:02 PM

I've loved the twinbar platies in the past, but the blues really are beautiful. They colored up so nicely in my tank. I'm thinking of going back and getting a few more females while the sale is still going on.

troy

07-13-2009, 02:52 AM

I think they will look mostly like one of the parents instead of a mix of the two. When I bred a 'red' guppy with a 'blue' guppy all the offspring ended up mostly red.

s72450

07-13-2009, 11:57 AM

Thanks! I honestly have no idea if they will breed or not. I had five twinbar platies for close to six months and only saw one offspring from them. I had three females and two males and the tank was heavily planted so chances are that I would have seen some other fry beyond the one.

The four fish are in my 55 gallon right now, but I plan on moving them into a 20 long heavily planted tank when I get the time to start it.

Kaz

07-13-2009, 12:53 PM

Whenever somebody has a good time with one platy (red wag) and a bad one with another (mickey mouse) it's just the individual platy and not that colouration.

Wetpets

07-13-2009, 03:26 PM

You can expect about a 50% strong gene / 25% mixed and not too pretty and 25% surprise. Ie: breeding a blue MM with a red wag (which I have just done - not on purpose) gave me three grey/brownish looking carbunckles! lol, 4 reds and around 10 Blue MM look-alikes.

Good luck.

Edit: Oh, Blue MM was the female.

troy

07-13-2009, 06:08 PM

Thanks! I honestly have no idea if they will breed or not. I had five twinbar platies for close to six months and only saw one offspring from them. I had three females and two males and the tank was heavily planted so chances are that I would have seen some other fry beyond the one.

The four fish are in my 55 gallon right now, but I plan on moving them into a 20 long heavily planted tank when I get the time to start it.
I've only gotten one baby from all the platys I've had too.

s72450

07-13-2009, 10:18 PM

Baby platys are the cutest though. "Squirt" didn't live very long due to an ice storm that knocked out my power for two weeks, but I really enjoyed the time I had with him. He was so much fun to watch.

KINGMED

07-14-2009, 04:49 AM

I've got a 10 gallon that has 3 female blue platy's in it and I probably have a dozen or so babies hiding in the java moss. They are quit cute if that's the word for it, I guess they are like other live bearers that they will have up to 2-4 batches without being with a male.