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Originally Posted by paws
Yes my tank is a 10 gallon. So i think i will go for 1 dwarf platie. (I want to give the betta and the platie their space.) Or do you need to get more than 1 dwarf platie?
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Platies can get by as singles or pairs or small groups, but don't really shine unless you have 10 or more. (Per TFH)
The other thing, that's such a beautiful betta in a really nice set up. You can improve your betta's health and happiness by softening the water with a little bit of peat in the filter, but that will have the opposite effect on platies. It won't kill them outright, but it will shorten their lives and make them more vulnerable to disease. Course, you don't have to sour the water with peat, and your betta will be fine, but not as fine as he could be.
The other problem with platies is they do spend a lot of time in the top half of the tank, which may (depending on the temperament of your betta which you cannot know until you add other fish) bring them into conflict with the betta. I would seriously consider, were I you, sticking to fish that tend to the middle or bottom of the tank - say some small tetras or rasboras, or some small catfish (cories) or Loaches (Kuhlis - course, you'd have to cap that tank pretty well if you had kuhlis)
But look, you are doing everything right so far and your mileage may vary, so go on and give the Dwarf Platies a shot if that's what floats your boat. Seriously. Get about 6 - I understand they stay about an inch long. Worst case is they die off over the course of a year or so, but then, platies aren't the longevity champions of the wetter world to begin with, and they'd probably die off over the course of 2 to 3 years in any case.
If you do go with the platies, try to feed 3 time a day - throw in some veggie flake in the afternoon, and then a varied diet morning and evening. (Again, it won't kill them to feed daily, but they'll be happier fed more often.)
Keep up the good work.
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