Platies in a 10 gallon

[ocminpin]

My 6 yr old son is going to earn a 10g tank for his room. He loves my 2 platies ... Or "those little see thru guys" he calls them.
How many will fit comfortably in the tank? 3? Would 4 be too stocked?
He will have females only... That will be Juvie's from my females birthing in a couple weeks.
Will do 2 PWC/wk if need be for 3 or 4 if it would work...

Also, how do I use filter media on a new tank? OR can I buy a new filter and pop it on my 20g now so it's ready for his tank in Feb or so..

 

[blackmolly]

i would say you could do three and some shrimp and snails as a cleanup crew and be fine. i would buy the new filter and just run it. that way the tank insta-cycles and you can immediately add fish. used media still causes a mini cycle, since you can't use enough of it to fully cycle the tank.

 

[ocminpin]

i would say you could do three and some shrimp and snails as a cleanup crew and be fine. i would buy the new filter and just run it. that way the tank insta-cycles and you can immediately add fish. used media still causes a mini cycle, since you can't use enough of it to fully cycle the tank.

Ya there's plenty of time to add an extra filter on my 20g. Hmm how many shrimp and what kind? Or how many snails?

 

[dudeofrude]

I'm not sure about platys too be honest as they are similar to a molly and have a huge bioload for their size. You would be able to get away with 2 with good filtration and regular water changes. Would you not consider a betta (fighter fish)? Much more colourful and perfect for a tank that size?
As for the filter its definitely a good idea to get it now and run it in an established tank for a while

 

[Galligak]

I would do 3 or 4 max. Personally I love Nerite snails and would do 1 of those. I would also add in some shrimp such amano shrimp, RCS, blue pearls, tiger, yellow or snowball shrimp. Those are the easier ones and cost less too.

 

[ocminpin]

I'm not sure about platys too be honest as they are similar to a molly and have a huge bioload for their size. You would be able to get away with 2 with good filtration and regular water changes. Would you not consider a betta (fighter fish)? Much more colourful and perfect for a tank that size?
As for the filter its definitely a good idea to get it now and run it in an established tank for a while

I already have have 2 bettas in a split 10g

My son really likes the Platies... Could do only two... He has the names Lolli (lollipop) and Candy picked out. Haha...
The mother I have is Trixie.. She's not due for another 2 wks or so...
Also like that since the platies will be born in my tank there will be no quarantine or issue of disease.

 

[ocminpin]

I would do 3 or 4 max. Personally I love Nerite snails and would do 1 of those. I would also add in some shrimp such amano shrimp, RCS, blue pearls, tiger, yellow or snowball shrimp. Those are the easier ones and cost less too.

So with maybe 2 platies I could do shrimp AND snails and not be overstocked??
He's continuing to do well in school (1st grade) to earn the tank... Then perhaps he can pick out snails or shrimp for his birthday in April...
Thinking about what kind of smaller setup would be cool for a little boy... Battleship? Spongebob? I know he likes the little dolphin "no fishing" decoration..

 

[blackmolly]

i honestly think 3 would be fine. as for shrimp, RCS would be fun, and for snails, nerites, mystery, or even just MTS would be cool. my little 6 year old cousin LOVED my MTS lol.

 

[blackmolly]

and you could do shrimp and snails either way... they have almost no bioload and do a great job with cleaning!

 

[dudeofrude]

I already have have 2 bettas in a split 10g

My son really likes the Platies... Could do only two... He has the names Lolli (lollipop) and Candy picked out. Haha...
The mother I have is Trixie.. She's not due for another 2 wks or so...
Also like that since the platies will be born in my tank there will be no quarantine or issue of disease.

Aww bless, well you can't argue with that can ya lol like i said 2 should be ok as long as it's looked after. Also they are quite active so another thing to consider is the size once fully grown (usually about 3 inches I think?) I have a 10g tall that's only 10inches wide so obviously that'd be no good

 

[ocminpin]

Aww bless, well you can't argue with that can ya lol like i said 2 should be ok as long as it's looked after. Also they are quite active so another thing to consider is the size once fully grown (usually about 3 inches I think?) I have a 10g tall that's only 10inches wide so obviously that'd be no good

After I battled the horrid Camallanus worm these last few months and 1/3 infected fish making it thru, I'm afraid to introduce much anymore! my little man is so cute calling them "little see thru guys" that I can't resist...
I'll be getting a regular 10g.. They'll be staying in there which is why i don't want to overstock it.

 

[absolutangel04]

Platies can be a range of sizes. Most of the ones I have owned only ever reached about 2 inches. One never even hit that mark. Some of them can get a little bigger, but I think it depends on breeding. Mine mostly came from PetCo, so I am guesing their genetics limited their size (yes, there are more factors at play in fish growth, but genetics does still matter some). Anyway, if the stock is smaller, I think 3 would be totally fine. I would have no issue with putting 3 in a 10g at all.

 

[ocminpin]

Platies can be a range of sizes. Most of the ones I have owned only ever reached about 2 inches. One never even hit that mark. Some of them can get a little bigger, but I think it depends on breeding. Mine mostly came from PetCo, so I am guesing their genetics limited their size (yes, there are more factors at play in fish growth, but genetics does still matter some). Anyway, if the stock is smaller, I think 3 would be totally fine. I would have no issue with putting 3 in a 10g at all.

Trixie (female) came from Petco.. Meringue (male) came from Petsmart...
He's fully grown at approx 2".. She is 1.5" ... Same size as my 4 mth old Mollies...
She came pregnant (obviously), so don't know who father is.. We'll see. After 7 batches of mollies saved (a few batches I've missed completely overnight..), this will be my first batch of Platy fry