XIPHOPHORUS MACULATUS / BLACK PLATY
by Gord Mitchell (The Provider)
First published in the newsletter of the Brant Aquarium Society
Aquarticles
"Look Percy, here comes the Provider and his Lady. Maybe they’re going to
feed us. Boy do they ever look funny out there. Wouldn’t you think they would like it
in here where all they have to do is swim around, eat and spawn." commented Patsy.
"Well Patsy, I don’t know, the Provider’s Lady is carrying that green
thing again. Maybe they’re going to move you to the maternity ward." replied
Percy.
Hello there, my name is Patsy Platy and yes I am now residing in the Provider’s
maternity ward aquarium. My due date is any day now. Dr. Fisher told me that I should have
an easy delivery. However before that happens I would like to tell you a bit about our
breed, the Black Platy, if I might.
First of all our ancestors emigrated originally from the area including and between
Mexico and British Honduras. Our parents and their parents before them have been here in
North America for some years now. There are many other strains and colours of the Platy
breed now here as well. The original specimen of our breed is brown in colour with a few
blue blotches on the sides. The males in our species sometimes show a little red in the
dorsal fin but the females have it when it comes to size. Yes we the female of our species
can grow to a maximum size of 7.5 cm but the males will only achieve a size of 3.75 cm.
Within our own breed we often spawn with our related cousins resulting in a large
variety of different colour Platies. Yes you can’t trust those men. Leave them alone
for a minute and they’re looking for another female Platy, in fact any female Platy
no matter the colouring. For we Black Platies to breed true, that is have little Black
Platies of our own, we must be kept separate from those of our cousins with different
colouring. I know that the father to these fry I’m going to have soon is another
Black Platy like myself but if you went back into his or my ancestry there may be another
colour there. Well hopefully our fry will be true black Platies, it would certainly please
the Provider. Okay the cramps are starting; I think it is time for me so I will leave this
narrative until after the big event.
Some time later.
Hi, my name is Petunia Platy and I’m one of the new fry. Above Mom told you about
our breed and now I will relate our current environment and living conditions. Well first
of all we now reside in a 5 gallon aquarium with a 3.75 to 5 cm layer of silica sand on
the bottom. We have a glass top with an incandescent light to help us find our way around.
Over there in the back left corner we have a corner filter and over my right shoulder at
the back we have a sponge filter. Both are kept bubbling well. The little live plants and
the sponge filter provide us with a small amount of a nutritious supplement to our well
balanced diet. There are about 50 or 60 of us in here but at the present time we have not
achieved any real size. Most of us, when born, were so small that you couldn’t see us
if we were turned end on. Well that will change when you consider the well balanced diet
we are getting. For breakfast the Provider feeds us special fry food or as we grow a
variety of flake food and for dinner we get a meal fit for a King. Yes for dinner we might
receive anything from frozen beef heart, frozen shrimp, frozen bloodworm, freeze dried
bloodworm, freeze dried tubifex worms, plankton, mosquito larva, krill, pellets or a
variety of special fry foods. Oh yes when we were very young and small the Provider fed us
with pellet dust or very fine plankton dust but the best was on Sundays usually when we
received a good feeding of live baby brine shrimp. Yes each Sunday, the Provider and his
Lady give us a 10 percent or more water change, check our filtration system, reset our
plants and then give us a very good feeding of live baby brine shrimp. Even my brother
Peter, who is the slowest of us, moves like a rocket when that happens.
By the way I overheard the Provider and his Lady talking yesterday and it seems that
Mom, Dad and all of us will be going out soon. Yes they plan on showing us in their club
show that comes up soon. I believe we will be found in the Family Class. If you are there
please look for us and wave so I’ll know who you are. Oops, gotta go now, the
Provider is coming to turn out the light. It must be time for bed. Gotta get my rest you
know. Bye for now and best wishes.
Patsy, Percy and the Platy family
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