Question About My New Platy

[freshy]

Hello,
One of ma male platys died a couple of months ago and my only male platy left has been kinda lonely, or at least it seemed so to me, so yesterday I got a young girl platy. She's very pretty¡ , and at first the male platy seemed very happy to find her. She seemed happy to see him too.
The thing is, hours later, I found the girl hiding and when I fed them I noticed th male platy chasing and pecking her.

Is this normal? Is this courtship or plain aggression?

I really hate the idea of the little one being harrased on her first day in the tank. I don't know if a second female would reduce this attitude. What do you guys think?

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[timmystood]

Yes it would --- most, if not all livebearers need to be kept in a ratio similar to 1 male to 2-3 females. The males will harrass the females otherwise and, more important, when the female gives birth the male will constantly harrass her and this will do harm to both the mother and the babies. You need to get another female - I would get at least 2 more.

 

[love_fish]

Yea, get more females, and if the problem continues, you prolly just have an aggressive male.

 

[freshy]

Thanks for your answers!
I got a second platy girl today and he seemed a lot more interested in this one. In a romantic kinda way, I mean. However, I'm afraid hostilities aimed to platy girl #1 are still taking place. They have diminished though, now that he has a new interest, but the aggression is still there. I can't understand why he chases her like that! It makes me sad and I really hate the idea of having brought home a new fish only to get harrased like that all the time.

Could the color have something to do? This is what I mean: the male platy is of a yellowish color and so is platy girl #2. On the other hand, Platy girl #1 is of an intense dark orange (mickey mose, all of them) and resembles, at least in color, a male platy I used to have with which he kept an on-going pecking and chasing. (This big bully was the one doing most of the chasing, obviously). So I'm wondering if this orange girl reminds him of his former rival? Aren't fish supposed to have short term memory? or am I being ridiculous? )

I've had this male platy since he was very young. He used to have such a nice personality, he was even shy. How on earth was I supposed to know that he'd grow up to be this Big Bully??

 

[paulthegreat]

Right now I have one male and five females and he still manages to harrass all five I think that he gets worn out though because he takes a lot more rest stops these days.

 

[missPenguin]

I have 3 red wag tails [all female] and 1 blue mickey mouse platy [male]. Blue is an amourous wee soul who keeps on trying to court the three reds who are not in the slightest bit interested. In particular Blue is interested in my fatty platty whom I'm now 90% certain is pregnant and she out of all them is probably the most interested in him, though she still gives him short shrift most of the time!

I feel quite sorry for poor rejected blue, he's not a bully and sometimes the girls chase him instead! I guess they all seem to be able to handle themselves really.

 

[Ddraig Goch]

Could the color have something to do? This is what I mean: the male platy is of a yellowish color and so is platy girl #2. On the other hand, Platy girl #1 is of an intense dark orange (mickey mose, all of them) and resembles, at least in color, a male platy I used to have with which he kept an on-going pecking and chasing. (This big bully was the one doing most of the chasing, obviously). So I'm wondering if this orange girl reminds him of his former rival? Aren't fish supposed to have short term memory? or am I being ridiculous? )

Platys can be very racist! Sounds odd I know, but I have found that some of them will take an instant dislike to red Platys or tuxedos or even wag tails. Maybe your LFS will let you exchange the 1st female for a different colour, you could get another yellow or maybe a blue, (all my males have liked blues! ).

Fish don't have a short term memory, it's just a myth. I'll bet they all swim to the top of the tank every time they see you coming to feed them.