Please help me ID this fish

Mizz_MayDK said:

I have 3 of these - they came with an aquarium I bought - but are they Platys ... and what kind?

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It’s gorgeous!

I have took some photos of my live bearers for comparison. The sold orange one at top of tank is a platy. The orange and black one is a female tuxedo sword tail. As you can see they are very similar.

Ichthys said:

They’re domestic Swordtails, which are hybrids (as are domestic platies).

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Here is one of my female swordtails - what I'm talkiing about is the area behind the anus is much longer on mine:

Playsander said:

I have took some photos of my live bearers for comparison. The sold orange one at top of tank is a platy. The orange and black one is a female tuxedo sword tail. As you can see they are very similar.

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That’s actually a very short-bodied Swordtail, which is why they look similar. A normal Swordtail would be longer.

Playsander said:

I have took some photos of my live bearers for comparison. The sold orange one at top of tank is a platy. The orange and black one is a female tuxedo sword tail. As you can see they are very similar.

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is that a big male guppy behind it? I have 7 guppy boys, no girls.

Ichthys said:

That’s actually a very short-bodied Swordtail, which is why they look similar. A normal Swordtail would be longer.

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Hey. Who said I was normal?

JennySolano said:

is that a big male guppy behind it? I have 7 guppy boys, no girls.

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Yes. I have 4 boys and 6 ladies. I will try to get photos of the lads.

Mine are difficult to photograph. Small & active.

Tried my best but I am not David B

Way better than mine! I was using my iPad & just today finally got around to charging the battery on my Digital Canon EOS. Thus far, the only fish I can halfway decently photograph is Tom, my 6 inch long fat catfish. Slow moving.

JennySolano said:

Way better than mine! I was using my iPad & just today finally got around to charging the battery on my Digital Canon EOS. Thus far, the only fish I can halfway decently photograph is Tom, my 6 inch long fat catfish. Slow moving.View attachment 145331

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Is that BNP ?

What’s BNP? I am new to the hobby.

is it not an orange sailfin molly female?

JennySolano said:

What’s BNP? I am new to the hobby.

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Bristle Nose Pleco....and no, it's not

anewbie said:

Are you sure; I keep a lot of swordtails and they don't quite look right; even if not quite mature. Perhaps they are some sort of hybrid ?

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Not all swordtails have a real long stretched body as an adult specimen. That's got to do with genetics. And don't forget when it's a swordtail fancy strain that might have platy influence in there (not all fancy swordtails have platy influence but most have, to repeat myself), that sometimes the platy influence can be stronger in one specimen in comparison to another specimen.

And not all domestic platies are hybrids. I really want to make that clear overhere. Most common fancy platies are derived from Xiphophorus maculatus. But X.maculatus is widely spread in Mexico. And there are populations that occur in Belize. But most likely are those feral strains (so, introduced by men). But also in other countries the X.maculatus has been released in the past and have formed new populations.
Research has concluded that all wild populations of the Xiphophorus maculatus are just one and the same species. But they are all considered being color morphs of the X.maculatus.
While a lot of fancy platies are hybrids, it has to be told that not all of the fancy platies are hybrids. For, those strains that are the result of a mix of different wild X.maculatus are not hybrids. But just crosses between color morphs, which makes them still a 100% X.maculatus. And with linebreeding certain traits can be more exposed (as in every kind of ovoviviparous livebearer species).