Freshwater Fish
Assorted Platy.
Platies in a mix of colors — cheerful, hardy livebearers that stay small and get along with everyone. Beginner-easy and community-safe; a few will settle right into a 10-gallon-plus tank and likely give you fry.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Beginner
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 2.5"
- Min tank size
- 10 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Xiphophorus maculatus
Good tank mates
Peaceful and community-safe, so platies fit a calm community tank with other easygoing fish. Good companions include small tetras (neon, ember), rasboras (harlequin), corydoras catfish, and other peaceful livebearers like mollies and guppies. Avoid fin-nippers, much larger or aggressive fish, and anything big enough to eat a platy or its fry. They breed readily, so expect fry if you keep males and females together.
Good to know
Platies are livebearers native to Mexico and Central America that give birth to free-swimming young rather than laying eggs.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Assortment
What you might find in the tank.
This is a rotating assortment — the exact species in the tank vary by shipment. The list below is what we usually carry; call (814) 456-9445 to confirm what's in today.
We're still cataloging the species list for this assortment. Call (814) 456-9445 to ask what's in the tank today.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Assorted Guppy
A peaceful freshwater livebearer of similar small size that thrives in the same temperature and pH range as platies, making it an ideal community companion.
Molly
A fellow peaceful livebearer that shares platies' preference for hard, slightly alkaline freshwater and poses no aggression or size threat.
Bronze Cory
Peaceful bottom-dwellers that occupy a different water column zone than platies, eliminating territory competition while adding calm, non-threatening activity to the lower level. Commonly kept species (C. aeneus, C. paleatus) are adaptable enough to thrive at the moderate hardness and neutral-to-slightly-alkaline pH both species share.
Harlequin Rasbora
A small, peaceful schooling fish with enough parameter flexibility (pH 6.0–7.5, GH up to 15 dGH) to overlap with the lower end of platy requirements. Multiple care guides explicitly list platies as compatible tankmates. Best kept at middle-ground parameters (pH ~7.2, GH 10–12 dGH) to suit both species.
- S
Swordtail
A close relative in the same genus sharing identical water requirements and a similarly peaceful temperament; keep more females than males to minimize male territorial squabbles.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.