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Encyclopedia / Livebearers / Variatus platy
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Variations

5 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Variatus platy

Xiphophorus variatus · Variatus, Variable platy

Peaceful.

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7 cmAdult size ✓
20–26 °CTemperature ✓
7–8.2pH ✓
54 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Variatus platy only grows to 7 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Variatus platy only grows to 7 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (20–26 °C vs 27–30 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

361 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓14–30 dGH
Group size ✓3 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Middle
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–4 cm
Growth Fast

Behavior

Peaceful.

Food

Flakes, vegetables.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are smaller and have a gonopodium (rod-shaped anal fin); females are larger with a normal fan-shaped anal fin.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Livebearer · Easy

Livebearer; females give birth to free-swimming fry roughly every month. Keep several females per male.

Pairing

Buy 1 male and 2-3 females.

Setup

40 L tank with plants and a sponge filter. Cooler water is fine.

What starts it

No trigger needed; females give birth about every month.

Eggs

Broods are often large, up to about 100 fry or more; gestation about 24 days to 7 weeks.

Raising the fry

Fry are born ready to eat. Feed crushed flake, baby brine shrimp and microworms several times a day. Separate fry from adults or use plants as cover. Sort by size and sex early.

Common mistakes
  • Overcrowding
  • Leaving fry with adults
  • Poor food variety
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionAtlantic slope of eastern Mexico
Rivers and lakesRivers of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz
HabitatClear, vegetated streams and ponds
Native rangeAbout 300 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the variatus platy

A hardy platy from north-eastern Mexico, a bit larger than the common platy (X. maculatus) and tolerant of cooler, unheated water. Described by Seth Meek in 1904 as Platypoecilus variatus.

American ichthyologist Seth E. Meek described the variatus platy in 1904, originally in the genus Platypoecilus. It comes from cooler, higher streams of eastern Mexico than the common platy and is hardier in unheated tanks. Breeders have developed many colourful strains, such as the 'sunset' and 'marigold' forms.

First described by Seth E. Meek in 1904.

  • It tolerates cooler water than the common platy.
  • Males often colour up only as they mature.
  • It is a livebearer.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources