Strange platy behavior

[Ziggs180]

When I got my first batch of platies, I noticed one of them would do this strange behavior, where it would go to the top of the water and start making bubbles, almost as if it was drinking the water. I didn't think much of it, until I just brought some more platies from Quarantine and put them in my main tank. One of them is doing the exact same thing, making bubbles at the top, almost as if its eating or drinking!

I'm not to worried because they dont seem sick, but i'm very curious as to what this behavior is.

 

[Chronos313]

A few of mine do that also, I think it's just natural behavior. How many do you have and what ratio? I have mine 2 males to 6 females or 1:3

 

[Ziggs180]

I have 3 Platies at the moment (although I think one of them isn't a platy, or a wild variety of platy), two of them do the behavior(male and female), but I haven't observed the odd-ball doing it (Female).

 

[Chronos313]

Ya it's weird but I think natural, I have a mickeymouse a sunburst and 4 assorted platys. Keep in mind that mollies, swordtails and platys come from the same family so they can interbreed. But ya it is odd and worrying when they hover at the top, especially when you just get them. Do you have them in brackish or freshwater? I know they say brackish but they will be fine in non-brackish. I just applied for a pt job at my lfs, just cuz my ft job isn't taking up enough if my time. But I definitely will not be the typical sidewalk salesman street hire with no knowledge lol. I feel obligated to talk to other customers when they buy a too small of a tank for any fish. Had someone want to buy 6 clown loaches for a ten. I told them nuts! So I showed them some Pygmy cories and rcs for cleaners and some other suitables for a ten gallon long. All this while I was picking out my 5 new platy's

 

[Copachick]

One of my Platys did the same thing. We named her bubbles. She just recently passed unfortunately. We had her a long time. But she developed, what looked like a gill disease from a prior ich problem we thought we had going on. After the ich cleared, up she just never got any better. she was a trooper...
But alot of my other ones do that too from time to time.

 

[fishdude25]

I have 5 platys (1M 4F) in my 75 gallon, and I have seen them doing this also. They look perfectly healthy, so I think it is natural behavior, very strange though.