Bring a burst of buzzing color to your aquarium with the striking Bumble Bee Platy! Known for its vibrant yellow body contrasted by deep black markings near the head and tail, this popular freshwater fish mimics the playful look of a bumblebee. They are incredibly hardy, peaceful, and active, making them the absolute perfect choice for both beginner hobbyists and seasoned aquarists looking to add color to a community tank.

Quick Care Overview

• Origin: Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize)

• Care Level: Easy / Beginner-Friendly

• Minimum Tank Size: 10 Gallons

• Diet: Omnivore (Flakes, pellets, and live/frozen foods)

• Water Temperature: 70°F to 77°F (21°C to 25°C)

• Water pH: 7.0 – 8.2 (Prefers hard, alkaline water)

• Temperament: Peaceful Community Fish

Full Product Details & Care Guide

Environment & Ideal Tank Setup

In the wild, platies inhabit slow-moving rivers, canals, and warm springs. To recreate their natural habitat, provide a well-planted aquarium with plenty of live plants like Java Fern, Anubias, or Amazon Swords. These plants offer excellent hiding spots and security. Use a reliable aquarium filter to keep the water clean, but ensure the current is not overly harsh, as they prefer calmer waters.

Minimum Tank Size

A minimum of a 10-gallon tank is required for a small group of Bumble Bee Platies. If you plan to keep a larger community with multiple fish species, a 20-gallon tank or larger is highly recommended to give them ample swimming space.

Feeding & Nutrition

Bumble Bee Platies are unfussy omnivores and enthusiastic eaters. For optimal health and to enhance their striking yellow coloration, feed them a high-quality varied diet. This should include premium tropical flake food or micro-pellets as their daily staple, supplemented with frozen or live foods like brine shrimp, bloodworms, and daphnia. They also appreciate vegetable matter, often grazing on natural algae within the tank.

Peaceful Tank Mates

Because of their gentle and social temperament, Bumble Bee Platies excel in peaceful community aquariums. Excellent tank mates include other small, non-aggressive species such as:

• Tetras (Neon, Ember, or Rummy Nose)

• Guppies and Mollies

• Corydoras Catfish and Otocinclus

• Harlequin Rasboras

• Peaceful invertebrates like Cherry Shrimp and Mystery Snails

Note: Avoid housing them with large or aggressive predatory fish (like Cichlids or Oscars) that might view them as a snack.

Breeding Bumble Bee Platies

Like all platies, the Bumble Bee Platy is a livebearer, meaning females give birth to free-swimming, fully formed fry rather than laying eggs. They breed readily in home aquariums. If you want to successfully raise the fry, it is best to keep a ratio of two or three females for every one male to reduce stress on the females. Provide dense floating plants (like Guppy Grass or Hornwort) or use a separate breeding box to protect the newborn fry from adult fish.

PLEASE READ BEFORE ORDERING

• The photos shown on fish product pages are representations of adult fish and are NOT the actual fish that you will be receiving. 
• Please visit our “Ordering/Shipping fish” page prior to checking out to familiarize yourself with our process.
• We ship fish exclusively using overnight shipping with either FedEx or UPS. We will not ship fish with lesser expensive shipping services like “Ground” or “Priority Mail”. This is to ensure the safety of the fish.
• Unless specified, all fish are sold as unsexed.