Platy buddies

Question
Hi Nicole it is me again and thanks for your help i have a pregnant female sunset platy and the father is an orange tuxedo platy. Anyway i wanted to get at least one more small fish for my tank, what kind of fish get along with platies best,which is the best compatible fish. And i also wanted to know if male guppies would be a good addition, but i heard they need salt water is that true?  Sorry for all the questions.
Angie

Answer
Hi Angie,

No problem about the questions. While it's true that guppies can live in brackish water, they do not need salt to thrive. They just need water that is hard and alkaline, with a pH higher than neutral, 7.0. A test kit can measure all of these values. So if this sounds like your water, then livebearers will do well in your tank, provided you keep the water clean and fresh, don't feed too much, feed the right things (foods high in green content, low in protein)...etc.

Swordtails and platys do well together, I suggest you get a single male and no other fish, or a couple of females if you like. I would not keep mollies, because these ARE fish that need brackish water to stay in the best health. Guppies are fine, a really good choice especially if your tank is 10 gallons or so. Swordtails are very active and need bigger tanks. Some other little fish that do well with livebearers are white cloud mountain minnows, and cherry barbs. These fish stay very small, don't need to be in a big group (three or four is fine) and are rather hardy. There's my 2 cents!

I suggest you stay away from fish like dwarf gouramis and neon tetras, which prone to disease and like softer water than livebearers do. I hope that helps, take care!

Happy new year,
Nicole