Platyfish breed easily when males are introduced into a tank with females. But, what if you want to crossbreed platies with other fish? Is it possible?
It is possible to crossbreed fish from different genera but it will not happen naturally. Experiments can produce different traits in fish including improved aesthetics, tolerance to various conditions, and resistance to diseases.
What fish can breed with platies?
Platies can breed with fish from the genus Xiphophorus, which include swordtails such as the green swordtail, Chiapas swordtail, and yellow swordtail. They can also crossbreed with various varieties of platyfish such as the catemaco livebearer, Monterrey platy, and Mickey mouse platy.
1. Swordtails
Swordtail fish (Xiphophorus helleri) belong to the Poeciliidae family with other fish like guppies and platies.
This close relationship makes them capable of crossbreeding with platies to produce viable offspring.
You can keep swordtails with platys in the same tank.
Advantages of breeding platies with swordtails:
- Swordtails can improve the hardiness of platies.
- Crossbreeding platies and swordtails can vary the colors of offspring.
On the downside, breeding swordtails and platies too much can lead to an increased risk of disease and weak genes.
2. Chiapas swordtail
The chiapas swordtail (Xiphophorus alvarezi), can breed with platies as it is related physically and biologically to the swordtail and the common platy.
Like platies, the Chiapas swordtail is a livebearing freshwater fish in the family Poeciliidae.
The males can reach up to 5.9 inches while the females are slightly smaller, with a maximum length of about 3.5 inches.
Advantages of having them around platies
- The fish is quite resilient.
- The Chiapas swordtail reproduces easily and quickly, just like platies.
Keep in mind that Chiapas swordtails prefer living in dense aquatic foliage, particularly as a food source and a suitable environment for giving birth.
3. Catemaco livebearer
The Catemaco livebearer (Xiphophorus milleri) is strikingly similar to the common platyfish. It belongs to the same genus as platies, making it a compatible fish for crossbreeding.
You can keep it at room temperature with platies, making it easy to care for.
Advantages
- The Xiphophorus Milleri is often relatively peaceful like platyfish.
- Although the fish prefers live or frozen food, it can accept almost all food sources.
Disadvantages
- After keeping many generations of the same fish type, they will be prone to health issues.
- It needs to be provided with open and densely planted areas in the aquarium.
4. Monterrey platyfish
As I already established above, platyfish can breed with other varieties of platy because they share the same genus and family.
The Monterrey platy is almost extinct, so, keeping and breeding may be a great way to help conserve it.
The Monterrey platyfish, together with the marbled swordtail and northern platyfish, share the crown of being the northernmost naturally distributed fish breed in the genus Xiphophorus.
The northern platyfish and the marbled swordtail are species only available in the northern region of Mexico and are also highly endangered.
5. Sheepshead swordtail
Sheepshead Swordtail originated from the fast-flowing rivers of central-eastern Mexico and Central and Northern America.
The body of the Sheepshead Swordtail is olive-green, reddish with stripes that are vertical and blackish, although hybrids have been found to have melanoma and different color traits than expected.
Females come with a zigzag line that runs across their lateral length. These traits make them great to mix and breed with platies.
6. Mickey mouse platy
The Mickey Mouse Platy is a hybrid color variation of the Southern Platyfish. The fish gets its name due to the black mark at its body’s base extending onto the tail, with the shape of Mickey Mouse’s silhouette.
Given its peaceful demeanor, this type of platy is great to crossbreed with other platies for potentially great color variation and calm temperament in the fry.
Can platies and guppies crossbreed?
Platies and guppies cannot crossbreed because they belong to different genera and families. Platies belong to the genus Xiphophorus while guppies belong to the genus Poecilia. Therefore, the two fish are “biologically distant” and cannot breed to produce viable offspring.
Crossbreeding fish from different families often produces offspring that is not viable, is prone to diseases, and cannot survive longer.
For example, the offspring of mollies and guppies have a high chance of being infertile, significantly affecting their reproduction capability.
Can platies and swordtails breed?
Platies and swordtails can breed because they belong to the same genus of fish known as Xiphophorus.
Can mollies and platies crossbreed?
Mollies and platies cannot crossbreed because they are biologically incompatible and are classified under different genera. Mollies belong to Poeciliidae while platies belong to Xiphophorus.
Mollies and platies have biological and physical differences that hinder normal breeding and reproduction.
However, you can keep mollies and platies together in an aquarium because both are peaceful fish. They also require almost the same level of care as other tropical freshwater species.
What fish should never breed with platys?
The fish that should never breed with platys belong to another family of fish species. For example, because fish such as guppies and mollies are categorized under the Poeciliidae family, they should never breed with platys in the Xiphophorus family.
In conclusion, if you need to breed platys with other fish species, ensure they all fall under the same genus – Xiphophorus. Species sharing the same family are platies and swordtails, and it is also important to differentiate male and female platies so that you prevent causing breeding aggression in the tank.
