# Platy, neon and bleeding heart tetras.



## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

My other half gets paid the end of this month and we want to stock the 15gal. He likes Platys and I love the bleeding heart tetras. I know the tetras are compatable with my neons and Platys are but I was wondering are their requirements going to mesh. Do they eat the same? Water temps, I know Platys are slightly brackish but can they live in freshwater fine? are Platys quite dirty fish? What sort of water changes would I be looking at? 

Any help would be great


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

Platy and tetra have different PH and GH requirements, shouldn't be mixed. With 7 neon tetras already in the 15g you're pretty close to fully stocked already. You might be able to add a couple more neons but tetras require groups and there just isn't enough room for another group in that tank.

Platy aren't brackish at all btw. They require hard water and people often think that salt is a suitable substance to harden the water with. People sometimes use mineral salts or epsom salts which aren't salt at all but just different minerals.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Bleeding heart tetra get pretty large, and since you need a group they'd need around 30 gallons to be happy. 
What is your pH and hardness? If you have hard water, it's fine for the platies (not so much for the tetra).


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

A 15 gallon 2 foot tank is over stocked with 7 neons? Sounds a bit off to me? Would want someone else to confirm that because I was under the impression that there was plenty room for another school or 2 of tetras as I'd already asked this before.. This is all ideas at the moment, nothing set in stone. I thought Platys might prefer harder water. I'm gettin a bit frustrated and thinking of getting another 6 neons and calling it a day bacause nothing can live and thrive with something else.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Youd be able to do a small tetra species. Bleeding hearts are really big, that's why.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

But am I nearly fully stocked with 7 neons like the previous poster suggested? It looks as if really a 2 foot tank is just not worth all my time energy and money on it if I can keep 1 group of 7 fish in there. Not really the community tank they are sold as. Grrr I'm annoyed now.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Nope. As long as you choose a species similar in size and temperament as your neons, you are fine.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

It just sounds a bit silly, 7 tiny little fish in a big tank with 2ft by 1ft foot print and it be nearly over stocked. Sometimes I miss being ignorant to all these issues and just going down to an lfs and saying I'll have that one, that one and that one and getting on with it. Ive never killed a fish in all my years of fish keeping even as a child. Doing it right this time has been so bad for my blood pressure and stress levels! I think I'll stick to plan a. Get a school of rummy nose or black neons.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I think a tank with a school of neons and a school of black neons, glowlights or blue neons would look beautiful. Lots of activity and colour.


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

Let me try this again.. my words weren't what my brain was thinking.

Do you have any plants?


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

Yep, a few live about 15 I think.


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

15 plants in a 15g thats pretty good.

You could go with an all neon tank and have 15-20 total, or have another species like the black neon or rummy nose and have 2 schools of 6-8.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

I like heavily planted tanks. My 6.5g with my betta has 21 plants including 5 very large and fast growing wysteria plus a 3rd of tank coverage of floating duck weed. I like them for their filtration properties. I am still yet to get a reading of ammonia in my 6.5g because of the ammonia sucking plants and I like a natural looking tank that my fish can enjoy. 25th is pay day, then I will be stocking the 2ft tank and finishing the aquascaping so I still have over a week to decide on my stocking. I love tetras for their personalities. Each of mine I feel have their own quirks and even though they look the same I can say that's greedy and that's lazy. I am currently having to wait on some news of 2 mollies who may be getting evicted from their tank. Aggresive male annoying everything and my father in law wants to flush him. If he hasn't calmed down before I stock my tank I'm giving him a half way house save him from the toilet! They won't get him another female like they are supposed to.


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