Question: Platys used in tank cycling?

[Niall W]

Alright guys,

I'm currently cycling my tank ready for my first axie, and i was pondering - as with tropical fish - adding a hardy fish to help with the ammonia.

I've heard of people using liquid ammonia, breaking down fish food or guppies so ...

I've got a tank full of healthy and pretty constantly breeding platys in the other room, so i was wondering if people knew if they'll be ok in cold water, at least for a while. I know they're a very hardy little fish and can tolerate differing temp's and conditions but i was hoping to ask anyone who's done this before?

Thanks, Niall :happy:

 

[blueberlin]

I keep my platys without a heater, temps range throughout the year between 16-20°C. The platys do fine, are growing huge, and breed at those temps.

-Eva

 

[Abrahm]

I'm guessing you will be removing the platies when you add the axolotls? As long as your tank is at the upper end of the axolotl's range (68-70F) I imagine that a healthy platy would be able to survive those temperatures.

 

[Niall W]

Ah cheers Eva, that's just what i wanted to hear :happy:

Abrahm ... yeah i will do, don't want them ending up as Axie lunch : P

 

[Darkmaverick]

Actually some people use platys as feeder fish for axies too. However, i find that they can grow quite large and not as 'bite sized' as the guppies or minnows. They swim quite fast too and can evade predation.

 

[Niall W]

Ah fair enough Maverick : ) Thanks for the advice.

 

[blueberlin]

Actually some people use platys as feeder fish for axies too. However, i find that they can grow quite large and not as 'bite sized' as the guppies or minnows. They swim quite fast too and can evade predation.

I'm one of those. As Ray wrote, the platys are often much too strong for the axolotls - great little swimmers and jumpers, platys are. I have about five that have evaded the axolotls for over a year now and are slowly getting too big to eat. However, their fry hide out at the bottom of the tank, making them easy prey for axolotls.

In hindsight, I don't buy platys as feeder fish anymore.

-Eva

 

[Niall W]

I might have to try that then.

They've been breeding like crazy in my other tank for over a year now, with the other fish eating the spawn keeping the population relatively low, so it seems like a good idea to feed the Axie :happy:

I've heard even the presence of fish can potentially stress them out though.
An idea to take them out once it's cycled and the axie goes in, then introduce them one's s/he's established for a week or so? Or should it be fine?

Thanks for all the great replies guys, i really appreciate this level of help :happy:

 

[blueberlin]

I've actually never noticed my fish bothering my axolotls - I have guppies and platys in the diverse tanks with the diverse axolotls. Quite the contrary, when I moved an axolotl into the breeder tank temporarily, the fish behaved quite differently. Instead of roaming about, following their little fishy dramas, they all hovered at the water surface in groups. Seems to me that the fish were quite more stressed by the axolotl's presence than the other way around.

There is certainly more to say about keeping fish and axolotls together but that would be off-topic right here, I reckon.

-Eva

 

[Niall W]

Ok, Thanks for all your help Eva! : )