Can Platies Change Sex???

[davros]

Hey All,

OK, I had 5 Sunset Wagtail Platies, 2 male and 3 female, for a couple of months, an I just noticed the other day that the largest female is developing a gonopodium. At first I thought mabey it was just a late bloomer but she is way bigger than most of the males I have seen.

So was she just a late bloomer or did she really change sex?

 

[Doomhed]

Yep

Platys can change sex. Even if you bought them all at the same time, the males may be older, and less inclined towards mating. If so, then the dominant female will change sex as long as she has never carried young. once they get pregnant, their sex is locked in @ female. If this female has delivered before, then there are hormonal pollutants in the water effecting yer fish.

 

[Coyote]

Changing sex in liverbearers is still debatable. Both "late bloomer" and "sex change" theories seems make sense.

 

[davros]

So now that my male to female ratio has been reversed, should I worry about agression in the males. They seem fine so far but I don't want any big platy fights going on.

 

[Coyote]

I have 7 swordtails. I thought I only had 3 males. Recently, two unknowns turned into males. The males flare to each other and sometimes peck each other. My tank is planted so the weaker ones can walk out the fight easily.

 

[Doomhed]

male platies never fight each other in my experience. i have a tank devoted to my breeder males and all 5 live with my 3 female bettas in a 10 gal just fine