# Anyone kept platys in sub-tropical?



## JasonR (Mar 27, 2011)

Has anyone kept platys in a sub-tropical tank, as in 20-21c? I currently have a 15 gallon sub-tropical with 1 male betta and a few panda corys and would like to add a few more occupants.


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## madguppy (Jan 1, 2011)

platys can be kept at 20-21c they will be fine


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

The only platies really happy at that temperature would be Variatus platies.

But to be quite fair, you need to work on making te tank more suitable for the fighter and panda cories, they need the tank warmer by a good few degrees.

Yes they will tolerate it but in the long run, it will do them harm. For a cold blooded species relying on the water temperature for oxygen saturation levels and the speed at which/the digestion of their food. If the waters too cold, they cant digest their food quick enough/properly. Can lead to malnutrition etc... and some species prefer warmer water with lower levels of oxygen in than the cold water.

Not to mention, unheated means it fluctuates during the day and night which is really unfair on fish that come from and need reliably warmer temperatures.

Get that temperature up to 25/26 deg C.


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## JasonR (Mar 27, 2011)

the pandas corys prefer the cooler water unlike other corys, i have kept pandas at 25c in the past and it was way too warm for them and the betta is also very happy and active at the current temperature...there is hardly any fluctuations at all either as my house stays pretty constant, remember in the wild there's no thermostat to regulate the temperature so very slight slow changes aren't gonna be such a bad thing


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

No but in the wild fighters dont come from the UK. They come from much warmer countries than this.


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## JasonR (Mar 27, 2011)

And that's meant to mean what? It's hardly outside in a pond isit...it's inside in a heated house


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## madguppy (Jan 1, 2011)

maculatus platies will do ok at 20-21c any lower and they will start to suffer.

Variatus platies can go a few degrees lower .


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## JasonR (Mar 27, 2011)

Hmm ok, well not totally sure exactly which type of platys mine are so guess Ill leave them in my tropical tank for now and maybe look at some other species that will be happy at 21c


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## Viridis (Jun 24, 2010)

JasonR said:


> the pandas corys prefer the cooler water unlike other corys, i have kept pandas at 25c in the past and it was way too warm for them and the betta is also very happy and active at the current temperature...there is hardly any fluctuations at all either as my house stays pretty constant, remember in the wild there's no thermostat to regulate the temperature so very slight slow changes aren't gonna be such a bad thing


In the wild your Betta will be in temperatures between 28c and 30c. Which is the same temperature that the fish farms who produce them will keep theirs at.

Your Betta may be surviving, but it won't thrive at such unsuitable temperatures. Not only will it be more susceptible to disease, it will probably die young. They don't particularly like active and colourful fish too. So adding platties to a Betta tank at low temperatures is a very bad idea as far as the fishes welfare is concerned.


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## Hurtgen (Aug 9, 2011)

I have my tank running at 21, platys are fine, in fact they won't stop breading !


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## madguppy (Jan 1, 2011)

if there maculatus platies any lower then 21 and they will start to suffer guppy's also do very well at 21


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## Hurtgen (Aug 9, 2011)

Wish I could stop the little blighters breading so much, perhaps a red tail might keep them under control ?


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