Terms and Conditions
Please read the following before you place an order.
Xiphophorus maculatus
Max Size | 6cm (2.36") |
---|---|
Temperature | 20-25°C |
pH | 7.0-8.0 |
Scientific Name | Poecilia maculata, Platypoecilus maculatus |
Aquarium Level | Middle/ top |
A fish with a very long aquarium history, the Southern platyfish or Moon platy found its way to Europe around 1900 and was soon bred into a range of colour forms that are remarkably different from their drabber wild ancestors. Their ability to hybridise with closely related species such as Swordtails, as well as Variatus platies, made the transfer of characteristics possible and now there's a huge overlap between all of these fishes. This can be seen in the number of breeds which have both platy and swordtail forms, such as red, calico, red wagtail, comet etc. This makes the use of scientific names a little complex for these fishes and it may be best to view all but the most primitive of breeds as Xiphophorus hybrids.
Wild platies are found in slow-moving habitats with plenty of vegetation, normally in areas where the local geology means that conditions are hard and alkaline. Despite over a century of domestication, they remain fishes of hard water and will struggle in acidic conditions.
In typical livebearer fashion males can be persistent, and these sociable fish are best kept in groups where males are outnumbered by females. As well as courting females, males will display and pursue their rivals and are best kept in odd numbers in small aquaria where this behaviour may otherwise lead to constant friction between two evenly matched fishes. As females will produce fry regularly after a single mating, it's best to keep a group of males if breeding is to be avoided. Despite wild fish having two accepted common names, most of the time you'll see aquarium forms described by their colour or breed. All of these are compatible and will happily mix, making a community of platies one of the most diverse and varied of any aquarium fish. In these mixed situations, fry may be very different to their parents thanks to the potential for cross breeding and the number of genes involved in all of these colour and finnage forms.
Xiphophorus maculatus
Max Size | 6cm (2.36") |
---|---|
Temperature | 20-25°C |
pH | 7.0-8.0 |
Scientific Name | Poecilia maculata, Platypoecilus maculatus |
Aquarium Level | Middle/ top |
A fish with a very long aquarium history, the Southern platyfish or Moon platy found its way to Europe around 1900 and was soon bred into a range of colour forms that are remarkably different from their drabber wild ancestors. Their ability to hybridise with closely related species such as Swordtails, as well as Variatus platies, made the transfer of characteristics possible and now there's a huge overlap between all of these fishes. This can be seen in the number of breeds which have both platy and swordtail forms, such as red, calico, red wagtail, comet etc. This makes the use of scientific names a little complex for these fishes and it may be best to view all but the most primitive of breeds as Xiphophorus hybrids.
Wild platies are found in slow-moving habitats with plenty of vegetation, normally in areas where the local geology means that conditions are hard and alkaline. Despite over a century of domestication, they remain fishes of hard water and will struggle in acidic conditions.
In typical livebearer fashion males can be persistent, and these sociable fish are best kept in groups where males are outnumbered by females. As well as courting females, males will display and pursue their rivals and are best kept in odd numbers in small aquaria where this behaviour may otherwise lead to constant friction between two evenly matched fishes. As females will produce fry regularly after a single mating, it's best to keep a group of males if breeding is to be avoided. Despite wild fish having two accepted common names, most of the time you'll see aquarium forms described by their colour or breed. All of these are compatible and will happily mix, making a community of platies one of the most diverse and varied of any aquarium fish. In these mixed situations, fry may be very different to their parents thanks to the potential for cross breeding and the number of genes involved in all of these colour and finnage forms.
Please read the following before you place an order.
We ship our fish with DX, the only courier in the United Kingdom who are licensed to ship fish and other livestock by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
We can guarantee next-day delivery for £32 between Monday and Thursday for orders placed before 1pm and for boxes up to 25kg.
We are able to ship on Friday for a Saturday arrival, but this service will cost £45.
Please note that we will not send a fish that day if overnight temperatures are due to be lower than 6 degrees Celsius.
Some of the fish we stock can be sexed and are sold in a pair of 1 male and 1 female. Please bear in mind, however, that we attempt to match them correctly to the best of our anatomic knowledge but there can be some mistakes, as it is not always guaranteed that the fish will be oppositely sexed.
All our fish are packed in double thickness bags for their safety and security.
The bags are then packed into a polystyrene box with a 40h heat pack and a cardboard outer.
After a shipping date is agreed upon, it is the responsibility of the buyer to be at home when the package arrives.
Once the fish arrive it is your responsibility to acclimatise and then quarantine them using the dripping method. All fish leave our care in good health.
On account of stringent regulations and certificates surrounding the shipping of live fish reintroduced following the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the European Union (EU) in 2016, Aquarium-Fish Ltd are no longer able to ship to the EU.
However, we are able to ship anywhere else in the world. Please get in touch if you reside outside the UK and are interested in making a purchase to discuss shipping costs and times.
Get in contact on [number/email], or fill out our contact form, and we'll get back to you.