Can Guppies And Platies Live Together?

Guppies and Platies are both staples of the freshwater community aquarium setup. Both fish are popular due to their bright colors, friendly, easygoing nature, and ease to breed. I have kept both species in my fish room, both in separate aquariums and together in the same tank. I am often asked, can guppies and platies live together?

Guppies and Platies make a great combination for the freshwater community aquarium. Both guppies and platies thrive in similar conditions, both eat the same foods and both will readily breed in the aquarium. Guppies and platies will happily live together in the same fish tank.

Tank Size For Guppies And Platies

If you are considering setting up an aquarium to keep guppies and platies together, I would strongly recommend going for a 20 gallon (75 liters) aquarium or a larger one. Both guppies and platies can quickly reproduce. A 10-gallon tank (37 liters) would quickly become overwhelmed with baby fish.

A 20-gallon tank will accommodate 5-10 guppies and another 5-10 platies. You could also add a small algae eater such as a bristlenose pleco. Bearing in mind both guppies and platies are livebearing fish, do have a plan for what to do with all the baby fish if you do start to become overwhelmed.

Best Heater For A Guppy And Platy Tank?

Guppies and platies are both tropical species of fish and will need their aquarium water to be heated to between about 75°F and 80°F (23°C and 26°C).

A good quality aquarium heater will make maintaining the aquarium temperature easier. I have had good luck with the E Series heaters from Fluval (check it out HERE). They are not the cheapest heaters on the market, but their digital display makes setting the temperature a lot easier.

Best Filter For A Guppy And Platy Tank?

If you are planning to keep both guppies and platies you will want to make sure you have sufficient filtration. Good filtration is the key to a healthy fish tank.

I have had great success using both sponge filters and hang-on-back filters in my guppy and platy aquariums. Sponge filters tend to be a little noisier than hang-on-back filters, but hang-on-back filters do occasionally suck baby fish up.

I can’t recommend the Fluval ‘C’ Series of hang-on-back filters enough. I have written a good article about Fluval hang-on-back filters.

Best Food For A Guppy And Platy Aquarium?

For your guppies and platies to grow well, show their best coloration, and successfully reproduce, they need a diet made up of good quality fish food. Flake foods work well for both guppies and platies. I have also found both species of fish will relish Bug Bites by Fluval.

Water Parameters For A Guppy And Platy Aquarium

The great news is, both guppies and platies will thrive in the same water parameters. The water temperature should ideally be set between about 75°F and 80°F (23°C and 26°C).

Neither species is too worried about hardness or pH providing extremes of either are avoided.

Guppies and Platies will both appreciate there being no ammonia or nitrite in the water and nitrates should be kept below 40ppm. Regular water changes will help keep nitrate levels to a minimum.

In Conclusion

Guppies and platies are both hardy, peaceful fish that work really well in the community aquarium setup. Putting the 2 species together will create a tank that is full of color and movement. Both species will reproduce on a regular basis meaning there is always something new to enjoy in your tank.