Feeding and Nutrition :: Feeder platties

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Stopped by Aquarium Services today just to see what was new and found a floor tank that was labelled as 'feeder guppies'. I had been wanting to eventually get some for Spike's new tank, but noticed that about half of the 'guppies' were orange. I'd never seen orange guppies before so I was really curious.

Spike's new tank is in the 'new tank cycle' process and I figured that the feeders would help that along anyways, so I decided to just get a dozen. Well, when she handed me the bag I finally had a chance to have a good look at them and realized that the orange fish were actually platties. One of them is half orange and half black, almost so that it looks like a molly more than a platy.

When I got home I noticed that 4 of the feeders (3 platties, 1 female guppy) were much bigger than I first thought so I decided to put them in my existing tropical fish tank. The rest are now living happily in Spike's new tank (at least until Spike gets in there ).

So I did a little research and didn't find anything that would concern me about feeding Spike platties instead of, or as well as, guppies, but I was just wondering if anyone else here has had experience with feeder platties and what your experiences/thoughts were.

[mat012]

Oh - that sounds awful. I am really growing to like my platties. I have them in the tank with Tuck. He ignores them. He will try to eat the mollies if they get sick (which is far to common with these guys - no more mollies!!!) but so far has never really bothered a platy.

At the face of it it doesnt seem that they would be any more or less harmful than the guppies - just more expensive. They dont have hard or sharp fins nor are they a particularly fatty fish. Mine dont seem to have any weaknesses - by that I mean that they are really hardy and dont seem too disease prone. Unlike the mollies which seem to be plagued with problems. I worry about them giving Tuck a parasite or bacterial infection. But these things dont seem to be an issue with platies.

Hope someone else has some info. Since they are in my tank with the Turt, I am interested as well. I am sure one day he will grow a taste for platy.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Cost wasn't an issue in this case. They were selling 24 for $3.99 and agreed to sell me 12 for $2.

Hopefully there are some other people that have had experience with feeder platties as well.

In regards to your mollies, it sounds like a classic case of insufficient salt in the water. I used to breed mollies at one time and had great success with them. They not only like brackish water, but it is essential to help them ward off disease which they catch easily from other species of fish if the environment isn't tailored specifically to their needs.

They are sold as community fish, but unfortunately that usually means they are living in water that is not best suited to their needs. In the right conditions they are very hardy and beautiful fish. I particularily loved the half orange/half black and chocolate coloured mollies.

[mat012]

Yes that is exactly what it is with my mollies. The salt and temp. Plus I have a pretty aggressive male that seems to pick on one female at a time. This has weakened them and created opportunities for Tuck as well.

I have one though that has developed an eye problem (infection that was treated though his eye is still permanently effected) and another that developed that classic curved spine. A researcher at the vet school is testing her for TB or other bacteria. Another with a fungus - on and on. I have about four left and one is showing signs of the shimmies. So I expect him to go soon. I love em but they have been a hassle. If I get them again it will be in a dedicated tank. I love the black ones!

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Shimmies are bad news. Makes me shiver just thinking about it.

Many tropical fish (with th exception of angels) can tolerate and even benefit from aquarium salt added to their tank water, so you might want to consider adding some for the mollies benefit without actually going to the extent of making it 'brackish'.

Hmmm...still surprised that no one else has anything to say about feeder platties...

[mat012]

I try to keep a bit of salt in the water - the ration that the box suggests. It has helped. I have also read that it can help control tank parasites in general. The other fish dont mind as you said. My shimmy sufferer is still hangin in there, so maybe there is hope.

On the platies, one of my females came from the store pregnant. OPPS! She had one batch of fry of which there are 3 surviving, a second with 4 and now I just saw another 4 fry. I am going to have to start selling feeder platies if Tuck doesnt start to eat them!!

[untsmurf]

If you don't want to keep the fry, you can get a small tank and a goldfish and put the fry in there. The goldfish will eat them all.

[meltedspork]

I have never heard of feeder platys before! You got a good deal on them, that's for sure. Normally they can cost $2.00 per fish.

I don't think they would be much worse than a guppie or minnow. They are a bit more fatty but not nearly as much as a goldfish.

I will say, they are fun fish to have as pets. When I had mine, they reproduced like crazy and I always had cute little baby platys.