Bullying Male Platy?

I recently got my male betta some friends for his tank.

I was unaware at first on how to tell if a platy was a male or female, so I ended up getting two males and a female without knowing.
When I noticed one of the platy was all over another one and chasing the other I looked up how to tell the difference, found out I had to males, and since I dont have another tank for the other platy I decided to return it and get a female instead.

But when I got the female the other male seemed to be aggresive towards it, but not to the other female at all. Thankfully my betta has acted somewhat like a bodyguard for the new platy, but I still dont know what to do since im very attached to all my fish.

Thank you for any help.

 

What size is this tank?

Males will harass females, that’s normal behavior. We try to spread it out by adding more females than males so he has multiple fish to swap between, but some males are more aggressive than others. Sometimes they need more than just 2 females in the tank, if the tank is big enough to get more.

If you have a betta and 3 platys right now, this tank should be 10 gallons or more. If it’s a 10 gal, it’s fully stocked. Get some plants (real or silk, don’t use plastic with a betta) and other line of sight breakers and hiding spots so the platys can escape the male.

 

What size is this tank?

Males will harass females, that’s normal behavior. We try to spread it out by adding more females than males so he has multiple fish to swap between, but some males are more aggressive than others. Sometimes they need more than just 2 females in the tank, if the tank is big enough to get more.

If you have a betta and 3 platys right now, this tank should be 10 gallons or more. If it’s a 10 gal, it’s fully stocked. Get some plants (real or silk, don’t use plastic with a betta) and other line of sight breakers and hiding spots so the platys can escape the male.

Yea its a 10gal and I have not put any plastic plants in.
I have a few mossballs and Im waiting to get some real plants right now. I did get them somehiding spots in the mean time. Also, the bullied female is often hanging out by the filter... Is that a problem because I just cleaned the tank yesterday which is when I got her.

 

Do you mind showing photos of the 3 platys? I have had issues with males darting at or exhibiting aggression towards other males, but males usually swim closely at the back of females etc.

I would not trust a large chain store to sex a male/female accurately as I recently asked a Petsmart employee to get me a female platy (could nto get close due to the covid restrictions) but got a male one. It also might be hard to sex fishes when they are young.

 

Yea its a 10gal and I have not put any plastic plants in.
I have a few mossballs and Im waiting to get some real plants right now. I did get them somehiding spots in the mean time. Also, the bullied female is often hanging out by the filter... Is that a problem because I just cleaned the tank yesterday.

Do you mind showing photos of the 3 platys? I have had issues with males darting at or exhibiting aggression towards other males, but males usually swim closely at the back of females etc.

I would not trust a large chain store to sex a male/female accurately as I recently asked a Petsmart employee to get me a female platy (could nto get close due to the covid restrictions) but got a male one. It also might be hard to sex fishes when they are young.

The orange witha black strip is the bully


This is the bullied fish

 

Yea its a 10gal and I have not put any plastic plants in.
I have a few mossballs and Im waiting to get some real plants right now. I did get them somehiding spots in the mean time. Also, the bullied female is often hanging out by the filter... Is that a problem because I just cleaned the tank yesterday which is when I got her.

I have a harlequin who chose her “spot” behind the filter. Fish claim territories they like best. Behind the filter feels safe to her. It’s fine, but adding more things to break up the tank could offer her new safe spots

 

Y ill try just gimme a sec

I have a harlequin who chose her “spot” behind the filter. Fish claim territories they like best. Behind the filter feels safe to her. It’s fine, but adding more things to break up the tank could offer her new safe spots

Ok thanks

 

Hi

Since you are attached to all your fish just get 3 more female platys. You can keep like 10 in a 15gallon

 

Hi

Since you are attached to all your fish just get 3 more female platys. You can keep like 10 in a 15gallon

It's a 10G with 3 platys (1M, 2F) and a betta already in it. I would give it some time and see if they get along better. It's unusal for a male to be aggressive towards a female. I would at max add another female platy to the tank to even out the aggression from the male.

 

It's a 10G with 3 platys (1M, 2F) and a betta already in it. I would give it some time and see if they get along better. It's unusal for a male to be aggressive towards a female. I would at max add another female platy to the tank to even out the aggression from the male.

I agree, the tank would be MAX with 1 more female platy, and make sure to keep on top of water changes.