Mollys and platys

Roku327

I'm new here and have been pondering something, I've had guppys and mollys in a tank before and theyve hybridised and I've kept swordtails and platies in the same aquarium and theyve interbred as well, right now I have an aquarium thats a 20 gallon high, I have a few platys in it as well as 5 black neons, a clown pleco and 3 one-inch long cory cats whose names escape me and a dwarf gourami named winston, and I'm wondering about adding a sailfin molly. I'm curious if they will hybridise or not, I'd prefer them not to but I'd really like to know if this setup is viable. Any comments would be much appreciated.

aunt kymmie

I didn't know that those types of fish interbred so easily. I don't know the answer to your question but I'm sure someone here will!

Cody

Mollies and Platys will not breed. They belong to different phylums, and are completley different species.

Mollies= Poecilia sphenops
Guppies= Poecilia reticulata
Platys= Xiphophorus maculatus
Swordtails= Xiphophorus hellerii

Roku327

thanks, I've introduced the molly in now, hes a black sailfin molly but I'm concerned that the gourami in my tank keeps chasing him and keeping him hiding in a corner. will this improve or will I need to take steps to prevent this behavior?

iamntbatman

It may not improve, but you can do some things to try to help the situation. Rearrange all of the decor in the tank, remove the two fish, put the molly in first and let him adjust. Add the gourami back later, and he may not be as aggressive. It's not a guarantee though, and if the bullying continues it would be best to have the fish in different tanks.