Topic: Mollies or Platies? Can I get an I.D. on the orange fish pictured? For someone who thinks they know enough about fish, I can’t tell if it is a Molly or a Platy, and it has been driving me nuts haha. Given the fact that it is twice the size of the Platy near it, i assume Molly? Or at least a hybrid (if that even is a thing). Mainly curious as the Platy never stops following the larger orange one, almost annoyingly so for the last 13 months we’ve had them both. Recently the Platy has been “charging” or “pecking” the larger orange one until it just hides among the Val, driftwood, or substrate. Then the Platy almost panics when it loses it and searches the tank for it to either be glued to it’s hip or “charge” at it again. What is going on?

Awarded Answer
Posted by Nathan K: I’ve been keeping fish for a long time and love this awesome hobby. I was researching this a couple days ago so I can help you.

Platy Fish vs Molly? Differences

The difference between molly fish and platy fish is a more rounded stalky body. Mollies tend to have longer and more elongated body. While platies have shorter, rounder ones. Okay so a female Red Wag Platy, thank you all for the answers. Mating behavior? Guess I’ll have to do some research and either get a breeder box or a different tank when the time comes. I don’t imagine my Betta leaving fry alone.

live bearer. Promiscuous AF. Platies and swords can interbreed too. If you have a few you’ll have a lot.

I don’t think you need a breeder box bro, just add abit more plants and moss. Some fry will be eaten but some will survive. Also you ratio should be like 1 male platy to 2 or 3 females. A male will terrorise a female if she’s the only 1.

I agree that you need 1or 2 more females to disperse the Male affection. Adding females also means more fry. You can try a breeder box if you have space to house them or plan to sell them but I would just let nature take its course and only the smartest/fastest fry will survive the bettas.

agreed with all of the above. Platy also. Male is breeding her to death. Get another female or two if you can. Also don’t worry about a breeder box. It stressed the fish out and they can sometimes abort the babies or reabsorb them.

If there’s to many makes 3, idk about platies, but I know female swords will *become* male to get away from being chased to mate. Become “supermales”

Ironically since the female are larger to begin with, they make the most beautiful and largest male swords after it happens.

Sunburst wag platy**

Thank you! It is far too yellow/orange to be a Red Wag imo, but as I asked I obviously don’t know for sure haha

They’re great little fish. We lost our whole tank of them to disease about 2y ago. But they’re active. Curious about you. Lots of babies if there’s any swords or platies to breed with. Love em.

We had like a dozen reds in community tank. Platies sure very fun.

We’ve got probably 2 or 3 doz in our existing community. Multiple generations.

It looks like a platy to me. Mollies tend to have longer and more elongated bodies while platies (platys?) have shorter, rounder ones.

When they were really tiny really really tiny I could have sworn they were platy but the more they’re growing up they are starting to resemble a Molly so I think everyone is right.

How can u guys tell the difference? I can only spot swordtails lol n are they platys or mollies?or are swordtails there own species

Xiphophorus genus are Platies and Swordtails. Closely related. Mollys I guess are a different Genus.

Platy and Swordtails actually can interbreed pretty easily. My experience is that platies are a bit smaller than swordtails and not as aggressive. Mollies are completely different.

Difference Between Platies and Molly Fish

Do platys and mollys have problems with being over bred like guppies do? I’m not a huge fan of guppies anymore because they’re always quite sickly after being bred so much over the years. I’d like some platys or mollys but I don’t want anything like the constant sickness I see in guppies.

I’m my unprofessional opinion, Mollies can be pretty sickly. I stopped even trying. I’ve had Platy females die in birth due to bad genetics. At least that’s what my research came up with. So I guess it’s really hard to tell. I don’t do sword tails because I’m too lazy to deal with occasional aggression.

Having said that, I feel like you should just give them a try, and see how it goes. They are pretty fun to breed and inexpensive so why not?

Plolly. Platy Molly hybrid looks like.

Platies and mollies can’t breed together. I was thinking it looked more like a sword/platy?

Actually I was told by two different fish places they can. Apparently live bearers.

Although they are livebearers, not all can reproduce with each other. Guppies and mollies can breed together, and swordtails and platies can breed together. It’s almost like a tetra and a pleco. Although both egg layers, they cannot breed together.

Platy and Sword tail belong to the same Genus. Molly and Guppies to a different Genus. The fish can sometime breed within thier own genus but not cross.

I hate to correct you but they can and do cross breed. Two years ago I purchased a black molly, a silver molly, a yellow Mickey platy, and a red Mickey platy(the only male). The black molly was only kept with other black mollys when we got her. 6 months later I had a tank full of molly platy hybrids…some black with orange spots and others with orange bodies and black spots all over…all with the Mickey tails. I had already lost the silver and yellow platys prior to this and the silver and yellow never had fry. Those hybrid/crossbreed fry went on to have fry of their own. I mean no disrespect but don’t want the wrong information put out there.