Platies

[cayhill]

I work at a vet hospital inside of petsmart, and all the girls at the fish wall know I am in love with my fish Merlin. (Who I wound up adopting because his previous owners weren't caring for him).

When I got Merlin he had fin rot something fierce and his tail is still growing back. He's a little cantankerous but I adore him and his fierce personality. I recently got a plecostomus (I'm doing a Camelot theme so it's been interesting finding fish for my 5g tank that will function in the space provided).

Two nights ago someone came into petsmart and left a male platy. He's pretty small (they don't get very large, but they're livebearers and community fish), he's very messy which I'm not very fond of, and I've had him quarantined because he's coming from another tank and I don't want him infecting my other two fish.

But I can't find anywhere if it's okay to mix platies and bettas. I wouldn't worry too much because everything I have read seems to indicate he's a peaceful fish, but he's kind of hyperactive, and again, he's a community fish.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, is it okay to put him in my tank with my betta. (Who is known to be a little aggressive already?). I really don't want to come home tyo find my betta has eaten the platy. I would just...be beyond disturbed.

Also, I don't want to stress Merlin out too much by introducing a hyperactive fish to the tank, also--the platy is messy. Are they typically messy fish? I like to keep my tank clean because my betta seems to prefer it that way.

Any advice? Helpful tips?

Hi by thew way! I'm new!

[BettaKeeper]

My platies are actually pretty agressive. I had them in a 12 gallon tank and the 3 attacked each other constantly (killing one) and they were all males, so it wasn't over a female. Mine are also very hyper and extremely messy.

I wouldn't put one with your aggressive betta if I were you. (Not saying all platies are like mine)

[ChristinaRoss]

its going to depend on the betta himself if hes aggressive..........i dont know what type of platy you have, some are very small, like the dwarf sunset coral platy, i have those and they are not aggressive and very tiny

[Jupiter]

Welcome! You didn't put the pleco in the 5 gal, did you? Plecos will grow to be huge!

I have no experience with Platies, sorry.

[cayhill]

The specific pleco breed I got he wont get much bigger than 3-5 inches, and if he gets too big a good friend of mine has four or five 100gal tanks.

And the platy is kind of aggressive and a little bit smaller than my betta so I really don't think I want him in my tank with my betta.

[BettaKeeper]

That sounds like a good decision. May I ask what kind of pleco you have?

[cayhill]

He's a rubber nose pleco. He's very courageous which amuses me.

[ChristinaRoss]

lol

[cayhill]

Nono, really, he likes to lurk near one of the plants in the tank, and when my betta flounders on by he'll poke his nose out from under it and stare him down.

He doesn't chase him around, I think my betta is perturbed by it though. *snork* Merlin is very 'this is MAI TANK and this is MAI PLANT and this is MAI filter and this is MA- OHJEZFISH!'.

I drew a comic about it. I have too much free time now that I'm on winter break.

[BettaKeeper]

Oh that's so cute aha.