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| FAQs on Platy Food/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Platies,
Poeciliids: Guppies, Platies, Swordtails, Mollies
by Neale Monks, Livebearing Fishes
by Bob Fenner,
Related FAQs: Platies 1,
Platies 2,
Platy Identification,
Platy Behavior, Platy
Compatibility, Platy Selection,
Platy Systems, Platy
Disease,
Platy Reproduction,
Livebearers, Guppies,
Swordtails, Mollies,
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Platy fish excreting white stuff 2/14/09
Hi Crew;
My platy fish is excreting a lot of white stuff
from his/her lower region.
They are like strings about
and inch and a half long that do not fall off right away. It
looks like it could be waste but it is white and there is a
lot of it. The fish looks bigger so she could be pregnant.
This has been going on for about two weeks and I have no
idea what is wrong with the fish. He/she seems active and
healthy.
Thanks for your help!
Joni
<I'm assuming
that the white stuff you are talking about are faeces. Under
certain situations, such as gut irritation, the intestine
produces excessive amounts of mucous, and these bulk out the
faecal material, producing long, pale stringy faeces that
often hang from the anus. My guess is that's what you're
seeing here. The commonest problem with Platies is a failure
to understand their needs. These are herbivores that should
be fed ample green materials. Algae-based flake (Spirulina
flake) is a good staple, augmented with things like Sushi
Nori, cooked or tinned peas, cooked spinach, and thinly
sliced cucumber. Avoid feeding them standard flake foods and
do not feed them freeze-dried anything, except maybe once a
week, tops. Wet frozen bloodworms and live daphnia are both
good supplements to their diet, live daphnia being an
especially good laxative.
Cheers, Neale.>
Platy foods 11/21/08
I have had platy's for about 2 years now and have recently
gotten 2 dwarf African frogs that live in the same tank and I
just stumbled upon a question about their diet. I know they are
herbivores and need a variety in
their meals but I saw this one food at the store and I was
wondering if they could/would eat it. The food I found is dried
seaweed
<Well, you can try it... I don't see how it could be bad for
them.>
and I wanted to know if it was safe to feed my platy's.
<See if they'll eat it. Just be sure that if they don't eat it,
you take
it out of the tank.>
Tara Beauchamp
<Best,
Sara M.>
Xiphophorus
maculatus (health, diet) 10/12/08
Hello!
I am just wondering if stringy feces are always sings of internal parasites. I
have a Platy that has string like feces, but the she is acting as normal as she
ever has! Thank you very much! You are always so helpful and the first I come to
for my fish advice!
Davenpom
<While it possible that your Platy has a parasitic infection (such as Hexamita)
that is irritating the gut wall and causing extra mucous to be produced, and so
resulting in stringy faeces, that wouldn't be the first thing I'd worry about.
No, instead review diet: Platies are herbivores, meaning they eat mostly plant
material. In the aquarium this can be either algae (e.g., Sushi Nori) or else
algae-based prepared foods (e.g., Spirulina flake). Most tropical fish foods
(flakes, pellets, etc.) are formulated for carnivores, and lack the correct
balance of fibre and vitamins herbivores need. How herbivorous fish react ranges
from constipation (the probable issue here) through to extreme bad health
(things like Head and Lateral Line Erosion). So, make sure you are using
herbivore flake and not standard tropical fish food. And yes, herbivore foods
are perfectly safe for use in mixed community tanks, and things like tetras and
Corydoras will come to no harm at all eating them. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Xiphophorus maculatus (health,
diet) 10/12/08
Thank you Neal. One last question, does this mean theoretically I could feed my
Platy vegetables?
<Yes, though some vegetables are better than others! Cooked spinach, blanched
lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, tinned peas and cooked rice often work well
with herbivores. Any "sea vegetable" sold in an Asian food market should be
good, too, for example Sushi Nori. Herbivorous fish used to standard foods may
turn their noses up at vegetables at first -- leave the veggies to soften up for
a couple of days and don't feed the fish for the interim. All this said,
standard issue herbivore flake or wet frozen foods may well be more balanced and
easier to use.>
I have seen this in forums and such! Thanks! Marion
<Cheers, Neale.>
Pregnant platy stops eating
7/8/08
Hi everyone, I have just spent 2hrs. reading and searching. I have 2
females and one male platy. One of my females is very pregnant and the other
just started to show. I moved the very pregnant in to a 2 gallon tank (the
birthing tank) and she started to act funny. She has been there for 3 days
and she had hid the whole time but would come out to eat. Today she would
not eat and her spots look to me as gotten darker. I know she is close
because she was pregnant when I bought her 1 mo. ago and she has a what I
like that call a black stripe from her eyes fin that was not there when I
bought her. Is something wrong? Katie
<Doesn't read as if anything is wrong Katie... just time going by. Be
patient. Bob Fenner>
'Wasting' platies 4/21/06
Greetings,
I have 5 baby platies in a 15L tank, 2 sunset platies who are 3-4 months,
and 3 others who are about 2 months old. Over the last two weeks, the two
sunsets have appeared to lose interest in food (crushed flake, twice daily)
and are hanging around the bottom of the tank. They seem to be getting worse
and although try to get to the top for food, they appear to have suddenly
developed curved spines.
<... environmental, and/or nutritional...>
The other 3 younger platies are thriving and getting fat. Is there anything
I can do about this?
<Need to know much more re your water quality, history of this set-up. For
one, I would broaden the diet here... to include some meaty foods, live
plant material... Please do read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platyreprofaq2.htm
and the linked files above... in the hope that something will "pop up" of
use here. Bob Fenner>
Former Eisner Fish Question - 3/1/2006
Hi Bob,
<Lori>
I have an orange fish which I believe is nicknamed the "Mickey Mouse" fish.
<Mmm, likely a platy, moonfish, Poecilia maculata>
I'm obviously new at this and don't know the correct name. Sorry. Anyway, I've
had this fish for a few months and he's always been a very good eater and
active. He now is spending time hiding and not eating. He appears to have
something wrong with his mouth. It looks like his lower "lip" is jutted out and
he's moving his mouth much more than normal. The mouth area seems whiter than
it used to be but it doesn't appear anything has grown on the body or the actual
mouth. Just appears to be wide open where the other fish like him has its mouth
closed more. He comes to the food but then doesn't eat it. It's as if he can't
and it spits back out. Any advice? Thank you.
<Mmm, yep. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platysysfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Platy Too Shy To Eat 1/13/06
I have a 10g tank with 2 mollies and 2 platys. One platy seems to be too shy
to get to the food I drop before one of the mollies. I know the mollies are
aggressive, but my Dalmatian one doesn't chase him or nip, she's just "quick"
and hangs out right under my hand for the food. I've been successful a couple of
times to get it to him. But if I move to fast or he sees my hand suddenly, he
goes to the bottom and doesn't get it. He swims a lot so I think he is fine.???
Any suggestions?
< Get some floating plastic or real plants. When you feed the tank the food will
be spread out all over the top and the fish will all have a chance to get some
food while feeling comfortable and hanging out in the plants.-Chuck>
Food For Thought (or Platies) - 07/12/2005
Hello Crew,
<Hello, Michelle! Sabrina with you today....>
I've been feeding my Platys a variety of flake food from Mike Reed and Omega
One. I want them to have a nutritionally complete diet and I have been thinking
about some different food ideas, please let me know which would be appropriate,
and which are a crazy/bad idea. Incase it makes a difference, the platys are in
a ten gallon planted tank.
Frozen Mysid shrimp -- do I need to make sure to avoid a brand using a saltwater
species (or which brands are okay for freshwater fish)?
<I don't think any brands on the market are freshwater species of Mysid shrimp -
but no matter, be they of marine or freshwater origin, they would be
fine. Excellent treats, but not the best nutritionally. Not something to feed
as a stand-alone diet.>
Frozen bloodworms -- could these cause illness or disease?
<Good food. Won't cause illness - don't confuse this with tubificid worms
(Tubifex, etc.) which CAN pass parasites on to your fish. Bloodworms are a
larval stage of a midge fly, and are one of my favorites out there.>
Frozen ON Formula One
<Good.>
Frozen ON Formula Two
<Good.>
Frozen ON Prime Reef
<Good.>
Frozen ON Spirulina Formula
<Good.>
Organic Spinach (from the grocery store)
<Good. Blanch all raw veggies before offering to your fish. You can freeze
after blanching for ease of use.>
Organic Zucchini (from the grocery store)
<Good. Same as above.>
Nori/dried seaweed
<Good.>
Freeze Dried Krill
<Good.>
Cyclop-eeze
<Good.>
Sweetwater zooplankton
<Good.>
Different manufacturer's flakes added to the Mike Reed/Omega One flake mix (it
is crushed up and mixed together) such as Ocean Nutrition Formulas, OSI
Spirulina, Two Little Fishies, etc. Would that be redundant?
<Kinda redundant, yeah - but variety is the spice of life, as it were.>
What would you use for Platys?
<Various high-quality flakes (Omega one and Ocean Nutrition are my favorites)
with emphasis on vegetable/Spirulina flakes, frozen vegetable matter (ON Formula
Two, for example), and some sort of frozen protein matter (Mysis, bloodworms,
etc.) or Spectrum pellets (a very good, high-protein pelletized food). I would
also suggest keeping plants available for nibbling. Certainly try the other
things in your list, and see what goes over well - I'm sort of a fish food
junkie, I can't help bug try offering pretty much anything I can find, provided
it is of good quality and not in any way harmful to the fish. For platies, as
long as you lean more on vegetable matter (be it flake or frozen), you'll be
fine.
Thanks, Michelle
<Any time! Wishing you and your platies well, -Sabrina>
Re: Food For Thought (or Platies) - II - 07/12/2005
Hi Sabrina,
Thanks for your reply!
<You bet.>
I'm rather a fish food junkie myself, I like feeding a variety of foods when I
had my reef and would like to do the same for the Platys.
<Always good. Keep in mind your live options, too, such as mosquito larvae if
you can place a pan of water safely free of chemical interference (pesticides,
herbicides, fertilizers....) and collect them. I tend to do this quite
often. For larger fish, I inadvertently found that a thoroughly soaked sheet
placed on the walk to our front door will collect tons of earthworms. Flies and
other bugs tend to come in handy, as well. Platies and most other "hardy"
freshwater fish certainly don't require live foods, for the most part, so this
is entirely optional.>
So far the platys have been on flake and pellet food, I've never used any other
kinds of food for freshwater (except baby brine shrimp). Can frozen food be
used as a daily food in a freshwater tank?
<Sure.>
Would that cause problems?
<Not really, provided you do NOT overfeed, of course.>
Is the gel binder an issue?
<To my knowledge, no.>
Would Frozen Formula Two make a good daily staple?
<Probably. I would probably alternate this with flake foods, due to the expense
of frozen foods, and the sheer fact that I'm lazy.>
Can frozen food be used twice daily (i.e. morning Formula Two, afternoon
bloodworms).
<This would probably be okay, but I would not offer bloodworms or other
super-high-protein foods more than every other or every third day, unless you
have other, more carnivorous fish in the tank. Also, again, be certain not to
overfeed.>
Can Nori/dried seaweed be in a tank for days without causing problems or is it
more like hours.
<More like hours. Overnight (for fish like plecs) tops. I'm not certain
whether or not a platy would eat Nori.... Worth finding out!>
I take it Cyclop-eeze and Sweetwater zooplankton would be more of an occasional
treat than part of a daily diet?
<Indeed.>
I'll keep an eye out for Spectrum pellets. I've been using Hikari Sinking
Wafers and Omega One Shrimp Pellets for my Corys (and of course the Platys eat
that as well).
<Hikari is an excellent brand. My panda Corys won't touch the sinking wafers,
though. Picky pandas.>
Can flake food (and the Wafers and Pellets) be stored in the refrigerator or is
that too cold for them?
<Oh, you can absolutely store your foods in the fridge - or even the freezer! -
to extend the life of the food. I heartily recommend you do this, if you have
the freezer space!>
I love reading over wetwebmedia, thanks for all of your time and help!
<And thank you for your kind words.>
Cheers, Michelle
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Platy problems
Thanks for the timely reply. I guess I should have given some more info when I
emailed you the first time. After all the fish had died, here is what I did:
1. I emptied the tank and cleaned everything including the gravel at the bottom.
2. I bought a new filter system and removed the underwater filter I initially
had. The current one is not an underwater filter. It's above water and
circulates the water with activated carbon cartridge.
3. Then, I installed everything and have added water. I treated the water with
PRIME (which is a dechlorinator and it also removes nitrites, nitrates etc.,). I
also added some aquarium salt. The I added
the pH reducer since my tap water had a pH of 7.7 Please note that I have a
water softener in my home that uses Potassium pellets.
4.Finally it has been two days since I installed everything and my filter keeps
on running. I tested the water everyday and here is my results from today:
Nitrates - around 20 mg/L
Nitrite - around 0.1 mg/L
GH - between 25-75 ppm
KH - between 180-300 ppm
pH - between 7.8-8.4
I don't have any fish yet. We want to have some black and gold platies. But they
keep dying in this environment. What should I do now? Your help is very much
appreciated. You have given the only
reasonable advice so far. Thanks again for your time in this regard.
< Use water from the garden hose before it goes to the water softener. This
water is probably closer to the water that is being used by your local fish
store. Go to Marineland.com and go to Dr Tim's Library and look at the article
called The First 30 days for properly starting a new aquarium.-Chuck>
Fat "he" platy
Hello,
I've got a 10 gallon tank with 5 platy residents. Two are male and three are
female. I noticed yesterday that one of the male platy's belly is getting
swollen. The other fish all appear to be healthy and normal. His color,
appetite, and behavior
haven't changed. In fact, he appears to be healthy and normal as well, with the
exception of the gut he's got. Could this be the onset of something bad, or is
he just eating more than the other fish?
Thank you,
-Concerned
<I am concerned as well... I do hope your diet for your platies consists of some
fresh greenery and meaty foods (not just all dried/prepared)... If the swelling
continues or shows on your other fish, I would encourage you to add a level
teaspoon of Epsom Salt to the tank. Bob Fenner>
Meaty Foods for Platys - A Follow-up?
Crew,
Thank you for your suggestions. The morning after I sent the email, he was
back to normal size. I think
he was just over-fed. My platies' diet consists mostly of fresh greens (algae
and live plants in the tank) and flake food. What would you suggest as a meaty
food that isn't dried?
<Hello...Jorie here this time. I like to alternate between frozen (then thawed
in a cup of tank water) bloodworms and Mysid shrimp...my platys love both (as do
all of my other fish!) Stay away from brine shrimp, as there is basically no
nutritional value there.>
My Platy is barely eating
> Hello, <Hi Tim, nice to meet you, MacL here tonight to help you.>
> I have had a 10G tank running for 5-6 days. <Great brand new tank and very
exciting.> I bought 1 molly and 3 platies after the tank was running for 2 days.
The question I have is about one of my platies. I have no idea if this platy is
a male or a female. Every time I feed my fish (I turn off the filter before
start) all the other fish start eating except for this one. <Its possible the
other fish are bullying it or its possible that the platy might not be well.> it
stays at the bottom. <Not a good sign Tim, have you looked at it closely? Does
it have any spots or dots on the fish?> It will only go up once or twice to get
food. <But it is eating some?> My dad says it only was overfed once and that's
it, but I am still worrying. <Its hard to learn the right amount to feed and
very easy to overfeed Tim.> I hope you can answer my question with just the
information I gave you. I just didn't know I had to check my nitrate levels and
stuff. <Tim I think you are on the right track, you are watching your fish and
that's what's important. Look for signs of bullying and take a small water
sample to your local fish store to have your water levels checked. Also you
might want to invest in an ammonia test kit. If you see any signs of anything
like dots on your fish let me know, it might possibly be a fish disease that is
fairly common called ich.> Thank you. Tim
> <Good luck Tim, MacL>
Thank you for your help but my platy just died this morning. it was bullying
from another starburst platy. don't feel bad you did your best. I will always
refer to your site for any other questions.
I'm sorry for your loss! MacL
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