Are Platy Schooling Fish? (Or Do They Shoal)

Are Platy Schooling Fish?

Platy fish are really lovely as pets. They’re affordable, brilliant-looking, peaceful, and hardy. You can’t help but think about giving them the best treatment in your tank. To make your Platy fish happy, you need to do a few things. Among the few things, understanding the nature of your Platy; whether they are a schooling fish or not, and whether they prefer to live in groups or alone will make your aquarium a happy place for your Platy fish.

Platy fish can be classified as schooling fish because they can be seen as schooling if threatened. However, Platy fish are closer to shoaling fish because they prefer to swim in a loose group of 5-6 during normal circumstances. As Platy fish are shoaling fish, they shouldn’t be kept alone in a tank. 

Knowing your Platy fish is a shoaling fish makes it easier for you to keep them happy. Just keep your Platies with their own kind, right? But, do Platy fish shoal with other types of fish too?

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To know more about this behavior about Platy fish shoaling and living in groups, you can read the article below. I hope this article satiates your curiosity.

Schooling Vs Shoaling

You may get confused between schooling and shoaling fish. Both words sound really similar but they’re not the same thing.

Schooling fish means fish who always swim together in a large group. They’re ALL in sync and always swim in the same direction with the same speed. This large and strong group wards off any predators near their way. A schooling fish looks more organized than shoaling fish. Platy fish do this when they’re threatened.

But, Shoaling fish? Well. Shoaling means fish who swim together for social reasons and they’re not tightly knit. They’re not in sync and swim in many different directions to each other. Platy fish swim away from their group to find food when there is no threat around.

So, Are Platy Schooling Fish?

Now that you know what schooling is, you will understand that Platy fish is not a schooling fish normally.

When you keep Platy fish in your tank, you can notice your pet swim in all directions. One doesn’t wait for another of its friend to follow. In fact, Platy fish love to make companions out of friends from other species too.

You can often see Platy fish swimming along with other fish like Guppies, Swordtail, Neon Tetras, and any fish that invokes their curiosity. Platy fish’s friendliness isn’t just limited to fish but also snails and shrimps.

Platy fish, however, do love to mingle with their own kind too. The act of Platy fish grouping together socially is called shoaling. 

When you keep Platy fish in a group, they establish a pecking order. This means that the Platy fish group works in a hierarchy. The dominant one will tread on the weak ones. This means the dominant Platy fish will eat food and will get all the females and so on.

Basically, Platy fish swim together in a pecking order, as a school, when threatened. But, most of the time, Platy fish swim in loose groups without any heed to the direction or speed of their friends. So, they are more inclined towards being shoaling fish. 

How Do Platy Swim So Close Without Bumping Into Each Other?

I think Platy fish swimming in a school is a marvelous sight to see. But, you may wonder why they don’t bump into each other. How’s that so?

Well, Platy fish has amazing anatomy with eyes present on either side of their head. This allows them to see where their fellow friends are going. Moreover, the water pressure, hearing, sense of smell, and lateral line allow them to achieve a coordinated movement.

Why Shoaling and Schooling Are Beneficial For Platy Fish?

Platy fish benefit from shoaling or schooling for many reasons. And the reasons are:

Finding Mates

In a group, there is more chance for your Platy to find its mate. For a voracious breeder like Platy fish, a shoal of Platy fish is a dream come true.

Perhaps the disadvantage of shoaling is Platy fish mating with each other which creates an overpopulation problem in the tank.

Avoid Predators

In unity, Platy fish can ward off predators in the wild. Platy is a small fish but in a group, it appears large and threatening. So, any predatory fish will scoot away in the sight of a large school of Platies.

Play Mates

You can notice that Platy fish gets distressed when it separates from the group. And, Platy fish are happier in a group and sadder when they’re all alone. Platy fish gets stimulation through playing with its friends.

Reserve Energy

When your Platy fish are swimming close together, they reduce friction. So, they move faster and they also save their energy. In the wild, this benefits the Platy fish as they don’t have a reserve of food coming from the top of the water.

Find Food

Since there are many eyes and noses in sync as a group, Platy fish can easily find food. This might be a problem if there is less food because only the dominant Platy will eat food whereas the weak ones will go hungry.

I don’t think this will be a problem in your aquarium because you’re a good owner who will feed your pet properly.

How Many Platy Fish Should Be Kept Together In A Shoal?

In unity, there is strength. Your Platy fish probably feels the same way. So, to make your fish happy, you need to keep them in a group.

But, you may wonder how many Platy fish should be kept in a shoal. In the wild, the Platy fish live in a huge group. But, in your tank, a shoal of 5-6 Platy fish makes a happy group. However, you can keep a larger group if you have a large aquarium. 

Note: While keeping Platy fish in your tank, you need to keep in mind that Platy fish establish a pecking order. So, you need to keep Platy fish all of the same sizes because a weak and small Platy fish will be prey for a dominant Platy fish.

The temperament of male and female Platy is vastly different too. Thus, you should keep either all-female Platy fish as they are peaceful. Or, you should keep the mating ratio in check. Keeping an all-male Platy tank can invite aggression in your tank.

Perhaps the most important thing is to maintain the gallon per inch rule. You need to give a 3-gallon tank space in a tank with a filter for each Platy fish. But, if you don’t have a filter in your tank, you need to give a 5-10 gallon tank space for a single Platy fish. In a 10 gallon tank, you can easily keep 5-6 Platies.

Do Platy Fish Shoal With Other Types Of Fish?

I’ve mentioned how Platy fish are shoaling fish who swim with their own kind for social reasons. But, do Platy fish shoal with other types of fish?

Platy fish surely love the companion of other fish, snails, shrimps, and aquatic life. However, Platy fish don’t shoal with fish of other species. Platies usually don’t shoal with other Platies who look different to them too.

Platy fish shoal with fish who look like them or fish who are related very close to them. For example, you need to keep Platy fish who look similar in shape, size, color for shoaling or schooling. But, different types of Platy fish shoal together too.

Tank Mates For Platy Fish

Platy fish shoal with their own kind and prefer other tank mates too. Thus, you can select plenty of friendly fish, snails, and shrimp companions for your pet Platy. Some of them are:

FAQ

Can I Keep A Single Platy Fish?

Keeping a single Platy fish in a bowl tank is unethical. But, you can technically keep a single Platy fish in your tank. Platy fish are social fish and love interacting, schooling, and shoaling with their own kind.  So, you should always keep them in a group.

Will Different Platy Fish School Together?

Although it is rare, different types of Platy fish do school together. However, they must be of the same color, size, shape, and similar or closely related to each other.

Conclusion

So, I hope you understood the nature of your Platy fish as a companion-loving fish. That’s why you need to keep them in a group of 5-6. Basically, when your Platies are threatened, they form a school. But, in a normal state, Platy fish socialize in a loose group and stray away from the group to scavenge for food.

 

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