Combative platies...suggestions?

548 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Grah the great, May 4, 2014

Grah the great

Discussion Starter · May 3, 2014

In my 29 gallon tank, I have 5 plates - a male (Chilli), three females (Apricot, Jean, and Samoa), and one I thought was female (Reggae). Reggae has since turned out to be a boy (he did a good job hiding his gonopodium!) and has little tolerance for Chilli, chasing him repeatedly. This morning, I caught them all-out fighting - the two were circling each other and nipping for a good 10 minutes, looking like mbuna! They have since stopped, but Chilli now has a clearly nipped dorsal fin. Have any advice on what to do now? Should I just keep an eye on them?

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Duck5003

· #2 · May 3, 2014

How long have you had them? They are likely just establishing their dominance and will sort it out. If they have a little damage, may want to toss in some aquarium salt or some IALs just to help aid with the injuries.

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Grah the great

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 3, 2014

I've had them for about 3 weeks, maybe 4...I forget now. Reggae only started being hostile to Chilli about a week ago from what I noticed.

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Duck5003

· #4 · May 3, 2014

You said you thought reggae was a girl for a while. Maybe he is just coming into his "man-ness" and starting to get a little rowdy lol hormones :hihi:

If they dont work it out and the damage continues to increase i would seperate them, but i bet they will learn to play nice

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Betta132

· #5 · May 3, 2014

I second that. A nipped fin or two shouldn't be a problem as long as the water is clean, just let them sort it out.

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jrman83

· #6 · May 4, 2014

IME, it comes and goes. I actually like watching the male Platys and how they flare at each other. Pretty funny. But, I have never seen any damage from it. Is it possible the damage is from something else?

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Grah the great

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 4, 2014

Nope, saw Reggae grab Chilli's dorsal repeatedly...the zebra danios (on the rare occasions that they go after a platy) nip the tail, and Pearl (the female paradise fish who also shares the tank) gets her way by GLARING at the platies

On the bright side, I have yet to see any more all-out brawls - Reggae has been clearly established as top dog in the tank and has gone back to merely chasing Chilli. He's also started to try to mate with the females, who seem unimpressed...

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