Once you start breeding fish as a hobby, you’ll never stop. In this quest, you might wonder if Platy and Molly can crossbreed. I’ve heard some people claiming that they have a Polly (Platy and Molly hybrid) in their tank. But, I call it a lie. Or maybe they are mistaken.
No, Platy cannot crossbreed with Molly because they belong to a different family; Xiphophorus and Poecilia respectively. This is because for two fish to breed, they must be closely related to each other. Platy fish can breed with fish of its own species like Swordtail whereas Molly can breed with Guppies and Endlers.
Crossbreeding is really fascinating to me. But, some fish are just not meant for breeding. For example Platy and Molly.
If you want to know more about crossbreeding Molly and Platy, you can read the article below. I hope this article helps explain the mysterious drama when female Platy or Molly fish appears to give birth in presence of a male from a different genus.
Tropical Fish Cross Breeding
Crossbreeding is a fascinating topic in the fish-keeping hobby. I mean getting a hybrid fish from two brilliant parent fish is a dream come true.
In the wild, crossbreeding occurs quite frequently because various types of fish with different characteristics are found there.
But, here’s a catch. Only fish who are related to each other can get cute hybrid babies. Incompatible fish can’t produce fry and even if they do, the fry dies prematurely and doesn’t survive for long.
Getting back to the topic, let us find out the features of Platies and Mollies to find out if they’re compatible or not.
Platy Fish
| Size As Adult | Females are larger 2-3 Inch whereas Males are small 1-2 Inch |
| Life Expectancy | 3-4 Years in Captivity And 5 Years in Wild |
| Livebearer | Yes, Platy Fish Is A Livebearer Fish |
| Family | Xiphophorus |
| Origins | East coast of Central America and Southern Mexico. |
| Water Parameters | Water Parameters
Temperature: 72-78 °F pH: 7.0-8.3 Water Hardness:15-30 dGH |
Platy fish are easy to breed. Just keep the mating ratio (3 females to every single male) in your tank, and you’ll get Platy fry in 28 days. A pregnant Platy fish can give 40-60 fry in one live birth.
Platy fish don’t lay eggs. But instead, this fish gives birth to live fry, the typical characteristic of a livebearer. The fry inside the eggs develops inside the pregnant mother Platy fish.
Molly
| Size As Adult | 4 Inches |
| Life Expectancy | 5 Years |
| Livebearer | Yes, Molly is a Livebearer fish. |
| Family | Poecilia |
| Origins | North Carolina to Texas and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. |
| Water Parameters | Temperature: 78°F
pH: 7.5-8.5 Water Hardness: 15-30 dGH |
Molly fish are quite easy to breed. Just like Platy fish, you need to keep the mating ratio in check i.e. many females to a few males. Then, you’ll get cute Molly fry in about 4-5 weeks. Molly fish can bear 100 babies in one live birth.
A Molly fish is a livebearer which means it gives birth to live fry instead of laying eggs like other fish. So, you’ll get free-swimming fry after Molly gives birth.
So, Can Molly And Platy Fish CrossBreed?
As you may know, Platy and Molly are livebearer fish. Livebearers like Molly and Platy fish give birth to fry directly rather than laying eggs.
The livebearer male has a pointed anal fin which fertilizes the female internally. The eggs get fertilized and the fry develops inside the eggs. This process is called internal fertilization. After the fry inside the egg develops, the pregnant Livebearer fish will undergo labor. Finally, the fish give birth to free-swimming fry!
Due to Molly and Platy belonging to the Livebearer family, you may think that they can crossbreed. But, you will be wrong to keep these fish for cross breeding!
Listen. Platy belong to Xiphophorus and Molly belongs to the Poecilia family. So, the DNA and genetic material are different for both of these fish. If these two fish breed, the egg will not be fertilized. In some rare cases, if eggs do get fertilized, the resulting fry will have unstable genes and die prematurely. Thus, breeding between these two fish is impossible!
To sum up, no, Platy and Molly can’t crossbreed.
Why are Some Convinced they have Successfully Crossbred Molly & Platies?
I’ve seen some people believing they have successfully created a Molly and Platy hybrid named Polly! But, is it true that such a hybrid exists?
No, Molly and Platy can never have hybrid babies. If someone shows you a hybrid Polly, just believe that it is another type of Platy fish or Molly fish that was created out of many breeding. Because, as you already know, their genes are incompatible to produce hybrid babies!
See, there’s another fascinating thing about Livebearers. And that is their ability to store semen for many months. They can use this semen to impregnate themselves!
When you keep a male Platy and female Molly together, the Molly bears babies in some situations. This is possible because the Molly fish had stored sperm from the previous mating with a male Molly.
Similarly, female Platy fish can store sperms and get pregnant without any male around. So, if they bear babies in presence of a male Molly, it was never due to the male Molly. It was due to storing of sperm from the previous mating.
This may be the reason why people claim they have successfully bred Molly and Platy. But, it’s just this: The fish storing semen from the previous mating with their same family. And then inseminating themselves with the stored sperm.
But, hey, I can understand how this misconception can happen. One can buy female Platy or Molly from a store. And that female has already stored semen from the mating with male Platy from the store. So, when people keep the store-bought female Platy or Molly with a male of another genus, they impregnate themselves with the stored sperm. And people mistake this phenomenon for crossbreeding.
Why Is My Male Platy Fish Chasing Female Molly?
If you didn’t know about it already, Platy fish are voracious breeders. Platy fish mate very easily if you just maintain the mating ratio in your tank. The same goes for Molly fish. The male species constantly chase females around in both Molly and Platy. And if there are more males than females, the females get harassed to no limit.
You may have seen a male Platy chasing female Molly, or a male Molly chasing a female Platy. You may have even seen them mating too.
See, I won’t deny that they can mate with each other. However, the main thing you need to remember is that they won’t ever produce hybrid babies even after many mating attempts! Even if they get hybrid babies, they all die prematurely without reaching adulthood.
Why Do People Try To Breed Molly And Platy Fish?
I like to breed fish to produce a hybrid that looks brilliant. Likewise, It’s no wonder why people think cross-breeding Molly and Platy fish will produce cute hybrid fish. But, it’s only wishful thinking and nothing else.
Since both are livebearers, and both thrive in similar water parameters, people think it’ll be a brilliant idea to cross-breed these fish. Moreover, their breeding habits are also similar. Both are voracious breeders, you see. And both Platy and Molly eat their fry after birth. So, it’d be easy to take care of the fry if they ever breed and get fry.
But, sadly, these two fish can’t crossbreed. And it’s only people’s wishful thinking to crossbreed them.
Then, Can You Keep Molly And Platy Fish In the Same Aquarium?
I’ve mentioned above how Platy and Molly are incompatible for breeding. But, I won’t stop you from keeping them together in a tank. It’s because both these fish are very friendly. To make things better, Molly and Platy fish survive in similar water parameters.
Moreover, you don’t have to worry about hybrid babies because they won’t exist at all. Even if they do exist, they won’t survive at all. But, Platy fish mate with other Platy fish. And the Platy fish will overpopulate your tank in a few months.
Moreover, Mollies are larger than Platies. So, you need to get a large tank that will allow both the fish to swim freely and happily in your tank. A tank of 30-gallon tank will be ideal to house a small number of Platy and Molly fish.
So, yes, you can keep Molly and Platy fish in the same aquarium.
Tank Mates Compatible With Both Molly And Platy Fish
Getting a tank mate for Molly and Platy fish is very easy. Both are friendly fish and will live peacefully with plenty of friendly fish like:
- Guppies
- Swordtail
- Endlers
- Bottom Dwellers like Cory Catfish, Bristlenose Plecostomus, Zebra Loach, etc.
- Female Betta
- Dwarf Gourami
- Neon Tetras
- Cardinal Tetras
What Fish Can Breed With Platy?
Since Platy fish is Xiphophorus Genus, it can breed with Swordtails who are Xiphophorus Helleri. Although their hybrid isn’t found in the wild, you can easily get their hybrid in your aquarium.
The Platy and Swordtail hybrid fry has features of both Platy and Swordtails.
What Fish Can Breed With Molly?
Molly fish can reproduce with Guppy and get viable fry. And you can produce their hybrid as an interesting experiment. But, unfortunately, the fry won’t be fertile and the hybrid cannot bear any fry.
Molly is also known to breed with Endlers and Fancy guppies. But, their fry dies very prematurely. And taking care of their hybrid is very much a headache.
FAQ
Are Platy Fish Easy To Breed?
Yes, Platy fish are easy to breed. Even a beginner can breed this fish with ease. All you have to do is introduce male and female in a tank, and they’ll start breeding in no time.
What Is Lifespan Of Platy Fish?
The lifespan of Platy fish in captivity is 3-4 years. In the wild, Platy fish survive for 5 years and more due to strong genes.
Conclusion
I hope you understood that Platy fish and Molly can’t crossbreed due to them being from different families. Just remember one thing: Molly and Platy will endlessly attempt to mate with another genus. However, their mating will not bear any hybrid fry.