Platty or Swordtail?

Discussion in 'Community Tanks' started by Johan Blignaut, Jun 14, 2018.

  1. Johan Blignaut

    Johan Blignaut

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    Good day,

    I have had this fish for almost a year now, it was said it is a platty female, but somehow i don't believe it because it has a darker line on the side of her body that looked like a swordtail's line on their bodies, so would someone help me with the correct ID? d9aa47ffea80b656f2bfbda87ecbb39c.jpg3f1e7b651c7df25712b25f150d759c29.jpg

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  3. SalmonAfrica

    SalmonAfrica Batfish

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    I'm leaning more toward a swordtail in the pics above - swordtails are generally a little "slimmer" (or elongated looking) than platies. That being said, there is also a very good chance that this might be a swordtail/platy hybrid, as many aquarium strains of these fish have a mixed heritage.
     
  4. Barry Roux

    Barry Roux

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    Definately sword the longer body shape
     
  5. Reedfish

    Reedfish Moderator

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    I would also be inclined towards a Swordtail
     
  6. MariaS

    MariaS Retired Moderator

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    Agree... swordtail
     
  7. Anthony Schemel

    Anthony Schemel

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    Yip sword has that distinctive lat line
     
  8. Vince

    Vince Enthusiast

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    I don't know hey... Everyone is saying swordtail, but it looks more like a Platy to me...
     
  9. Arrow Boy

    Arrow Boy

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    I'm also with Swordtail :)
     
  10. Vince

    Vince Enthusiast

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    Wait, aren't they they same species? Xiphophorus.. The hellerii are only named that because of the "sword"? Google is your friend bud....
     
  11. Anthony Schemel

    Anthony Schemel

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    Swords are related to guppies and therefore can cross breed. Platies are not related..
     
  12. Vince

    Vince Enthusiast

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    Hmmm, you mean Molly's are related to guppy's?

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  13. Anthony Schemel

    Anthony Schemel

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    Damm yes. Mollys..my mistake
     
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  14. TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

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    I first though platy but these fish are not in my field of expertise. Neither are swords. So I will defer to the groups consensus
     
  15. SalmonAfrica

    SalmonAfrica Batfish

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    Xiphophorus is the genus, which contains many species. Xiphophorus helleri is the swordtails we see all the time; X. montezumae is another species with males bearing sword tails. X. variatus and X. maculatus are the platies, in which the bodies are generally shorter, and males do not bear a sword tail. All members of Xiphophorus have males that have a modified anal fin that forms a gonopodium, though.

    It seems most if not all members of this genus can interbreed, and as I said earlier, what is pictured above is most likely either a swordtail, or perhaps a hybrid with dominant swordtail genes.

    Agreed, but don't stop at your first result.
     
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