Identify the fish.

[Mrs.Adams91]

I bought two fish from my local shop keeper and she really couldn't give me any information on the fish other than when to feed them, the temp they like, etc. I have had them about 2.5 weeks and they seem really happy. Eating good, actually pretty plump (I am having to feed them less) the only issue I have is i am wondering if I should have gotten one more female cause the bigger one slightly picks on the smaller one. Anybody know about these mystery fish?

 

[Colin_T]

The 2 orange and black fish in the picture are platies. They are a livebearer that needs water with a pH above 7.0 and a GH (general hardness) above 200ppm.

The fish on the right is a female. Not sure about the one on the left. I need a side view of that fish to tell its sex.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

They are both females, I don't have a big enough set up to have a male and a female, especially if they are platies they mate like crazy.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

Thank you though, I thought so but I didn't see any in my research that looked exactly like the bigger one I have.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

Do two females typically get along, I feel like the bigger one kind of picks on the smaller one just a tiny bit.

 

[dmpfishlover]

They are both females, I don't have a big enough set up to have a male and a female, especially if they are platies they mate like crazy.

Keep in mind that if the females you bought where kept in a tank with males at the fish store they could already be pregnant and may have fry even though there are no males present in the tank currently. Because they are live bearers the fry develop within the female until they are a certain size and then the females give live birth. They don't deposit eggs and "spawn" like egg laying fish.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

Keep in mind that if the females you bought where kept in a tank with males at the fish store they could already be pregnant and may have fry even though there are no males present in the tank currently. Because they are live bearers the fry develop within the female until they are a certain size and then the females give live birth. They don't deposit eggs and "spawn" like egg laying fish.

Yea.... Like i said earlier both of them have really plumped up in the last two weeks and I am worried about that. At first, I thought maybe they just weren't happy where they were and weren't eating great, but I don't over feed them and they are both plump... What are my options if they are pregnant, I dont have enough room for babies.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You can give your babies to your LFS, if the females do give birth.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Well, lucky for you, Platys eat their own young (I know... kind of gross, but i is Nature). Many of the fry will probably get eaten. Some may survive if there are hiding places in the tank (plants, decor, etc..) and might get big enough to where they can't get eaten by the adults. I had Platys in the past, and I started out with like 3 or 4 and ended up with around 8 or 9 I think. Anyway, if they are pregnant, I would suggest you let Nature take its course and if you end up with too many fry, you could try to sell or give them to your LFS, or give them away to friends.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Well, lucky for you, Platys eat their own young (I know... kind of gross, but i is Nature). Many of the fry will probably get eaten. Some may survive if there are hiding places in the tank (plants, decor, etc..) and might get big enough to where they can't get eaten by the adults. I had Platys in the past, and I started out with like 3 or 4 and ended up with around 8 or 9 I think. Anyway, if they are pregnant, I would suggest you let Nature take its course and if you end up with too many fry, you could try to sell or give them to your LFS, or give them away to friends.

Good point. Mots of them will die.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Do two females typically get along, I feel like the bigger one kind of picks on the smaller one just a tiny bit.

When you have just two fish of any kind, sometimes there tends to be more aggression then when they are in a group of 3 or more... If the larger female becomes too aggressive towards the other female, you might want to consider getting another female or two? That might "offset" the aggression that one fish can have towards just one fish... this would take some pressure off of the other fish in your tank.... Just make sure they are also FEMALES. Do your Research on how to identify males from females!!! Unfortunately, most of the time, you can NOT rely on the sales staff in your LFS to identify the gender of fish. They are usually not trained and are usually inexperienced, so you have to rely on your own knowledge.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

Well, lucky for you, Platys eat their own young (I know... kind of gross, but i is Nature). Many of the fry will probably get eaten. Some may survive if there are hiding places in the tank (plants, decor, etc..) and might get big enough to where they can't get eaten by the adults. I had Platys in the past, and I started out with like 3 or 4 and ended up with around 8 or 9 I think. Anyway, if they are pregnant, I would suggest you let Nature take its course and if you end up with too many fry, you could try to sell or give them to your LFS, or give them away to friends.

Well that's terribly sad, but such is nature i suppose. I will just wait it out and see what happens.

What about them being mean to each other? If I was to get one more would that make it better? Worse? Should I even be concerned. I just kinda feel bad for the little girl she has plenty of room to get out the way and hide, but I don't feel like she should have to all the time.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Well that's terribly sad, but such is nature i suppose. I will just wait it out and see what happens.

What about them being mean to each other? If I was to get one more would that make it better? Worse? Should I even be concerned. I just kinda feel bad for the little girl she has plenty of room to get out the way and hide, but I don't feel like she should have to all the time.

We posted at the same time!! See my previous post.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

You can give your babies to your LFS, if the females do give birth.

I've never had a fish that will potentially have babies so I'm a little new to this and don't really even know to how to go about going to my LFS about giving fish away tbh.

 

[Mrs.Adams91]

When you have just two fish of any kind, sometimes there tends to be more aggression then when they are in a group of 3 or more... If the larger female becomes too aggressive towards the other female, you might want to consider getting another female or two? That might "offset" the aggression that one fish can have towards just one fish... this would take some pressure off of the other fish in your tank.... Just make sure they are also FEMALES. Do your Research on how to identify males from females!!! Unfortunately, most of the time, you can NOT rely on the sales staff in your LFS to identify the gender of fish. They are usually not trained and are usually inexperienced, so you have to rely on your own knowledge.

Ok, all wonderful advice, it's been a minute since I been back in the fish game.
I only have a 5.5 gallon and I already also have a plecostomus as well. I don't want to overwhelm my tank, so if I get two more do you think that would be too much?