Platys and Guppies can interbreed?

Currently I have two pregnant guppies in their own tank which is a 10 gallon, cycled tank with a HOB and mid-size gravel. Now, I have a second tank that has no plants, an HOB, same-size gravel, some fake plants (will be adding real ones tomorrow) and three male red platys. I plan on having one of the tanks be a QT but of course right now it's being used as a breeder tank. The thing is, I heard that platys and guppies can interbreed... So that means that I will have more fry which I DO NOT WANT. I thought I would ask for confirmation: Is it true that platys and guppies can interbreed?

 

I've read that guppies and mollys can interbreed and Sword Tails and Platies can. But not guppies and platies.

 

Great news. Thanks. < Because Star Wars is awesome.

 

I've also heard that platies and swords can interbreed. Not heard about guppies interbreeding with anything else. Maybe endlers... dunno.

 

Thanks a ton Jeanice. I really appreciate this information. Now I know I won't suddenly have a million more fish (where million = too many)

 

You might keep in mind that most livebearers can mate once and have several batches of fry. They don't necessarily need to mate every time. Make sense? Some people go to purchase several girls and are astounded that they are still having fry 4 months later.

Oh! Meant to say "you're very welcome".

 

Yeah I caught that bit of news. I am sure it'll happen again but for now... YAY! My guppy number one had three babies! (she ate one that was stupid enough not to hide in the plants). I really hope she doesn't have any more because she is super tiny. This other one that I have is ginormous!

 

Well.. here is a quote from yahoo answers

Guppies are Poecilia reticulata
Endlers are Poecilia wingei
Mollies are Poecilia sphenops

Platies are Xiphophorus maculatus
Swordtails are Xiphophorus helleri

The Poecilia can crossbreed with each other and the Xiphophorus can crossbreed with each other, but Xiphophorus and Poecilia cannot crossbreed. So no, platies and guppies cannot crosbreed. It is a scientific impossibility as they are not closely enough related.

Livebearers are prolific fish and not too bright, so the males will attempt to breed with any female fish that looks about right. Male guppies will mate with any other livebearer. So will male mollies, platies and swordtails. That does not mean that the female will bear young from such a cross. There is a case in South America where guppies have nearly decimated a native population of smaller fish by mating with the females and rendering them infertile due to the relatively large size and incompatible shape of their gonopodium. Also, although guppies and mollies can crossbreed, the fry from such crosses are not very fertile and rarely live to adulthood.

 

Thanks Lunas! Never thought to check species names. Hard to imagine a Sailfin Mollly breeding with an Endler. Eek! But we have all seen this happen with different dog breeds.