# aggressive platy?



## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

Hi,y'all! 
Thanks for your help!

I have a 10 gallon tank. Good chemistries. Filter, heater, thermometer, light, rock, plants, etc.
I have a male red wag platy and 4 danios.

Now, 2 of the danios are zebra danios. The other two are glofish (red and yellow).

They all lived happily together for a number of weeks until...

Just the last few days, I have noticed that the platy is totally harrassing the glofish. Chases them around. They hide behind the pump now. When it's feeding time, everyone is out and about...and occasionally, there will be peace amongst the fishes.

But a lot of times, that platy is after those two glofish. Leaves the zebras totally alone.

What gives and what can I do?
There are plenty of breaks in line-of-sight in this tank.

*c/p*


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Platys are social fish, and yours is being kept alone. He is extremely sexual - it's what he lives for. The glofish have caught his eye (maybe the colours are closer to his own?), and he will not leave them alone unless he has 2 or 3 females platys to keep him busy.


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## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

navigator black said:


> Platys are social fish, and yours is being kept alone. He is extremely sexual - it's what he lives for. The glofish have caught his eye (maybe the colours are closer to his own?), and he will not leave them alone unless he has 2 or 3 females platys to keep him busy.


This won't overload the tank?

I don't want fish fry...I don't have anyone to give 'em away to and I don't want to 'euthanize' fish babies. So he needs females to harrass instead?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

It will overload, but every solution creates another problem...you could probably get away with 2 females with 25% water changes weekly. The danios would take care of any babies. 
He doesn't want to harass the females, he wants to win them over.


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## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

navigator black said:


> It will overload, but every solution creates another problem...you could probably get away with 2 females with 25% water changes weekly. The danios would take care of any babies.
> He doesn't want to harass the females, he wants to win them over.



Ha! Just like a man!


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## rogue909 (Sep 14, 2012)

I've never heard of or seen platys do this 
Doesn't mean they don't - I am quite novice in terms of aquariuming but I have a platy in my tank who is quite content so long as he is left alone. Occasionally the fish will go poke at him and he'll start to swim around and chase them off. Other then that he just kinda meanders around the tank doing his platy thing.
Do all platys do this? or is it just a male platy thing? Perhaps I have a female? 
Maybe getting a female and getting rid of the male would be a solution to your problem?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Female platys are very calm - males are, ummm, sex beasts. It's all they live for along with food, and the occasional football game on the screen by the tank. 
Have a look here to see what you have:

the Smiley Fish


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## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

I kinda solved the problem by adding two more glofish (orange, blue) instead of two platy females. They are smaller, now I get cool schooling action, and it's actually defused the sitch somewhat.

I think you're right about the color thing. He hounds the red, orange, and yellow glofish but is completely uninterested in the zebra and the blue.


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## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

Ok, well, the platy jumped out of the tank...and is ant food.  I have a hood/cover...he must have gotten out the cut-out hole for the heater. That's terrible. I will have to figure out a way to get every last inch covered up. Poor dude.


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## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

On the bright side , all the other fish are happier. Will stick with females in the future.


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## Sayonarax (Aug 17, 2012)

Your tank is far to small for all them goldfish, depending on the breed your goldfish will grow 8-11" in length alone. You should have not bought more fish until you had researched the fish you were buying.

The other problem you have is your goldfish have been living in cold water and now live in a tropical environment. I'm surprised the high temp change hasn't killed them or stunted them some how.



Your platy is showing the other fish who's boss, as he has nothing better to do most likely (e.g small tank, no decor or plants to explore to keep himself occupied through out the day). Adding a female in might even make things worse, as he may chase other fish away from her and she will start to follow his behavior. Keep him well feed as hungry fish are grumpy fish.


Doesn't matter the sex of the Platy, i have a female who chase all the fish away from her side. Platy males are not silly, they know who their own kind are as they will check the other fish privates.


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## stan4 (Oct 9, 2012)

Sayonarax said:


> Your tank is far to small for all them goldfish, depending on the breed your goldfish will grow 8-11" in length alone. You should have not bought more fish until you had researched the fish you were buying.
> 
> The other problem you have is your goldfish have been living in cold water and now live in a tropical environment. I'm surprised the high temp change hasn't killed them or stunted them some how.
> 
> ...


Um, please re-read above. I don't have any goldfish.*r2

Also have 5 plants, 2 rocks, and a treasure chest (holey so you can swim through it).


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