15 Best Platy Tank Mates – FishLab

Platies are some of the most popular types of aquarium fish that are native to Central America and Mexico. They are small in size and have brightly colored bodies that make them valuable to aquarists.

Since platies are sociable and peaceful fish that get along well with other species, it is easy to find suitable tank mates for them. In this ultimate guide, we’re going to go over the best platy tank mates you can introduce to your tank and will explore their characteristics and behavioral patterns in great detail.

Read on to find out more about the best platy tank mates you can get and what you need to know when choosing a suitable tank mate for them. Also, discover answers to other related questions you might have on the subject.

Platy Tank Mates — What You Need to Know

When choosing tank mates for platies, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. Here are some of the factors you need to consider:

Temperament

Platies have a social, peaceful nature that allows them to get along well with other peaceful fish. When choosing tank mates for them, steer clear of aggressive species.

Size

Since platies are quite small (2 to 3 inches in length), they should ideally be paired with similar-sized fish in most cases. While some larger fish can also serve as good tank mates, there is a risk of potential injuries to platies they might cause.

Competition

Platies do well in groups of 5 or more but may show signs of aggression if the tank is small or there are too many males.

Parameters and Tank Setup

Below are the ideal tank conditions and water parameters for platies. Choose tank mates that can thrive well in these conditions.

• Temperature: 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit
• pH: 6.9 to 8.0
• KH: 3 to 5 dKH
• Nitrate: less than 30 ppm
• Tank size: 10 to 20 gallons or larger

The Best Platy Tank Mates

Here is a list of the 15 best platy tank mates, in our opinion. All of these fish are peaceful towards platies and can co-exist with them in harmony.

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1. Mollies

• Scientific Name: Poecilia sphenops
• Adult Size: 4 to 4.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: tetras, loaches, cory catfish, barbs
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: Mexico and Southern United States

Mollies are some of the best tank mates you can introduce for platies. This shoaling fish has a calm and peaceful temperament and its small size makes it an excellent tank mate for other similarly-sized, peaceful species.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Are peaceful and get along well with platies
• Easy to care for

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• Can get stressed if kept in small tanks

2. Neon Tetras

• Scientific Name: Paracheirodon innesi
• Adult Size: 1 to 1.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: rasboras, corydoras, dwarf gouramis
• Care Level: intermediate
• Origin: Amazon basins of South America

The neon tetra is another great choice if you’re looking for a suitable tank mate for your platies. With its dazzling appearance and peaceful nature, it is hugely popular in the aquarium trade.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Have a peaceful nature
• Spend most of their time swimming in the water

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• Need to be kept in large groups

3. Guppy Fish

• Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
• Adult Size: 1 to 2.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: mollies, neon tetras, zebrafish
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: northeast South America

Due to their small size and cheerful behavior, guppies can serve well as tank mates for platies. Moreover, due to their bright-orange bodies and V-shaped tails, they are a beautiful addition to any aquarium.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Peaceful, cheerful nature
• Similar in size to platies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• Need to be kept in large numbers

4. Rosy Tetras

• Scientific Name: Hyphessobrycon rosaceus
• Adult Size: up to 1.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: hatchetfish, corydoras, dwarf cichlids
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: Guyana and Brazil

Rosy tetras are small shoaling fish with salmon-colored bodies and with a distinctive dark mark at the center. Due to their small size and peaceful nature, they are easily compatible with platies. However, they should be kept in small groups and mustn’t be paired with larger fish.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Peaceful temperament

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

5. Dwarf Gourami

• Scientific Name: Trichogaster lalius
• Adult Size: up to 3.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: platies, mollies, guppies, rasboras
• Care Level: intermediate
• Origin: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

Growing up to 3.5 inches in length, the dwarf gourami can serve well as a tank mate for platies. In addition to having a beautiful, striking appearance, this fish is very easy to care for and has a peaceful temperament.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Calm, peaceful temperament

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None, but male gouramis can become aggressive to each other

6. Zebrafish

• Scientific Name: Danio rerio
• Adult Size: about 2 inches in length
• Compatible with: corydoras, guppies, angelfish, tetras
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: Eastern India

Although zebrafish are generally peaceful species, they do tend to nip the fins of some long-finned fish. Since platies don’t have long fins, zebrafish can co-exist peacefully with them. Moreover, they are easy to care for and are small in size.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Are peaceful, get along well with platies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

7. Goby Fish

• Scientific Name: Gobiidae
• Adult Size: up to 1.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: mollies, dwarf angelfish, clownfish, blennies
• Care Level: intermediate
• Origin: brackish and freshwater bodies

Gobies are a family of small fish with slim bodies and large heads. Due to their peaceful nature, they pair well with platies and also function as effective algae cleaners.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Peaceful and timid nature
• Are also playful and social fish that don’t exhibit aggressive behavior

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

8. Angelfish

• Scientific Name: Pterophyllum
• Adult Size: 6 to 7 inches in length
• Compatible with: rainbowfish, corydoras, mollies, zebra loaches
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: freshwater regions of tropical South America

Angelfish are a relatively large family of fish that have a peaceful nature. With their tall bodies and preference for larger tanks, they thrive well in groups of 5 to 6. They also serve as excellent tank mates for platies and can co-exist peacefully with them.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Are peaceful and non-aggressive towards platies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• Both fish should not be kept together in smaller tanks

9. Minnows

• Scientific Name: Cyprinidae
• Adult Size: between 2 and 3 inches in length
• Compatible with: zebrafish, corydoras, guppies, mollies
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: Northern Eurasia and Korea (common minnow)

While minnows don’t have a visually-striking appearance like other fish on this list, they are quite popular in the aquarium trade due to their small size and easy maintenance. These qualities, coupled with their peaceful temperament, make them perfect tank mates for platies.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Similarly small-sized and have a peaceful nature

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

10. Betta

• Scientific Name: Betta splendens
• Adult Size: 2 to 3 inches in length
• Compatible with: corydoras, tetras, rasboras, kuhli loaches
• Care Level: easy to intermediate
• Origin: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos

Bettas are beautiful fish that are a great addition to any aquarium. Although they tend to be aggressive towards their own kind and other fish of similar sizes, they generally get along well with platies. This makes them good tank mates for the latter.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Smaller in size than platies and can co-exist peacefully with them

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• Supervision needed to avoid any fin-nipping

11. Siamese Algae Eater

• Scientific Name: Crossocheilus oblongus
• Adult Size: 2 to 5 inches in length
• Compatible with: barbs, gouramis, dwarf cichlids
• Care Level: intermediate
• Origin: Southeast Asia

Although they’re a bit larger than platies, Siamese algae eaters typically serve as good tank mates to them. They’re mostly peaceful but do exhibit aggressive behavior towards their own kind.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Get along well with platies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• May become aggressive so should be kept in groups of 3 to 5

12. Cory Catfish

• Scientific Name: Corydoras
• Adult Size: 1 to 2.5 inches in length
• Compatible with: swordtails, tetras, and other corydoras
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: streams and lakes in South America

A cory (corydoras) catfish is yet another excellent option if you’re looking for suitable tank mates for platies. Due to their sweet and peaceful temperament, they’re widely popular with aquarists and get along well with a variety of other similarly-sized fish.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Sweet, peaceful nature allows them to co-exist peacefully with platies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

13. Bristlenose Plecos

• Scientific Name: Ancistrus cirrhosus
• Adult Size: 4 to 5 inches in length
• Compatible with: tetras, guppies, platies, and other peaceful fish
• Care Level: easy to intermediate
• Origin: Amazon basin and its fast-flowing tributaries

The bristlenose pleco is a peaceful fish that has a very distinct appearance. It has a bunch of distinctive nose appendages that extend from its snout and a mouth located on the bottom of its body. Due to its peaceful nature, it serves as a great tank mate for platies.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Calm, peaceful nature with no aggressive tendencies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

14. Rainbowfish

• Scientific Name: Melanotaeniidae
• Adult Size: 4 to 7 inches
• Compatible with: mollies, tetras, plecos, gouramis, barbs
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: northern and eastern Australia, Indonesia, and Madagascar

Rainbow fish are popular with aquarists due to their uniquely-colored bodies and easy maintenance. Moreover, their peaceful temperament makes them suitable tank mates for platies and a variety of other fish.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Calm and peaceful behavior towards platies

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None

15. Rasboras

• Scientific Name: Rasbora
• Adult Size: 2 to 3 inches in length
• Compatible with: tetras, bettas, dwarf gouramis, small barbs
• Care Level: easy
• Origin: freshwater environments in South and Southeast Asia

Rasboras are tropical fish with brightly-colored bodies and translucent fins. They are usually easy to care for and have a timid and peaceful nature. These characteristics make them good tank mates for platies.

Pros of keeping them with Platies

• Have a timid and peaceful nature
• Don’t exhibit aggressive behavior

Cons of keeping them with Platies

• None but they do need to be kept in large numbers

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we went over the 15 best platy tank mates you can get for your platies. These include mollies, neon tetras, guppy fish, rosy tetras, dwarf gouramis, zebrafish, gobies, and angelfish. All of these 15 fish have a peaceful temperament that allows them to co-exist peacefully with platies.

Furthermore, we shed light on the factors you need to consider when introducing tank mates for platies, since choosing the wrong ones can create problems in your aquarium. These factors are the platies’ temperament, size, competition, and the tank and water parameters.

We hope you enjoyed reading this thoroughly-insightful guide and can use your newly-acquired knowledge to choose the best tank mates for your platies! Thank you for reading!

Frequently Asked Questions 

Are platys easy to keep?

One of the major reasons behind the popularity of platies as aquarium fish is that they’re very easy to take care of, once they’re settled in. This is why they’re great for beginners.

How many platies should be kept together?

Platies should be ideally kept in groups of 3 to 6 in your aquarium. This is because these fish thrive much better in groups than they do alone.

What is the lifespan of a platy fish?

If platies are looked after well and the water parameters in your tank are correct, they can live for 3 to 4 years.

Are platies aggressive towards other fish?

No, platies are not aggressive towards other fish and usually thrive quite well with other similarly sized fish.