Stocking Question

[paige]

I am stocking a 46g tank and was thinking of platies or swordtails. I want to keep them with a single redtail shark.

I purchased a pair of swordtails once several years ago when I first started the hobby and they both died within 24 hours so I'm leery to purchase them again...but they get about the same size at the RTS so I thought they might be better. But since the platies are smaller it would take longer for them to have enough babies to fill my tank...but hopefully if I just leave it to nature (and the RTS) my population will stay in control.

Any opinions? I hope to get to the LFS tomorrow.

 

[MissFishy]

Opinion #1: Please please cycle your tank first.
#2: Sounds like you are going to be over run with platy and swordtail fry(they will breed together, so you will have sword/platy hybrids). You have plenty of time to think about stocking options while your tank cycles.

 

[paige]

The tank is cycled. I was asking about swordtails OR platies. I would prefer a more helpful answer if possible.

 

[Lotus]

Most livebearers can breed at a pretty young age. Of course, as they age, the females produce more per batch.

Platies are generally slower to breed (longer gestation, fewer babies). Swordtails are a bit more robust, in terms of their personality, so they might be a better match for the red-tail.

You'll find that the fancier breeds are more delicate (longfins, for example). As many of the livebearers these days are mass farmed, they do tend to be fairly delicate, but you should be OK if you pick some healthy ones from the store. If you can, get some another hobbyist has bred, as they'll be really resilient.

With all livebearers, get two or three females per male. Male swordtails are particularly "pesky" towards females, so it's best to spread the affection out among a few females.

 

[MissFishy]

More Helpful Answer:

Go with swordtails, they will look more impressive in the tank, nothing beats a male swordtail with a full grown tail. However, consider going with just one coloring/species as they will interbreed and you may end up with a lot of mutts, depending on what you want. If they start breeding too quickly, you will need to check their population with more "fry eating" fish.