Platies are among the most popular aquarium fish because of their beautiful looks and peaceful behavior, which makes them an excellent addition to a thriving aquarium community!
Like other fish from the Xiphophorus genus, Platies are quite active and enjoy darting around the tank, especially near the bottom and middle sections. However, at some point, you may notice that your Platies disappeared or are hiding somewhere in the tank.
In today’s guide, we’ll take a closer look at all the different reasons why your Platy is hiding. Let’s jump right in!
Do Platies Like to Hide?
Since Platies are originally little tropical fish surrounded by plenty of small fish predators, they heavily rely on hiding in their main habitat to survive.
For that reason, hiding is Platies’ natural response to many stimuli and they can still do it in an aquarium whenever they’re seeking a safe and secure environment.
In fact, it’s quite common to find Platies hiding behind rocks, plants, decorations, and even tank equipment like filters and heaters.
Should I Be Concerned If My Platies Are Hiding?
While Platies like to hide in response to many aspects, it doesn’t mean they particularly enjoy it. That’s why you should always monitor your Platies’ behaviors and notice any sudden changes.
In other words, if your Platies are hiding for a little while and then they show up again, there’s usually no reason for concern.
However, if it stays in hiding for a long time, it’s usually a sign that it’s time to do something about it.
Reasons Why Platies Hide in an Aquarium
As previously established, Platies respond to many things by hiding. That’s why figuring out the cause of hiding is the first thing you should do if your fish starts hiding for a relatively long time.
In this section, we’ll take a quick look at common reasons why your fish might be hiding along with any characteristic behaviors associated with that cause. This can help you adjust the aquarium setting to keep your fish comfortable.
1 – Sudden Water-Quality Changes
One of the primary aspects to consider if your Platy starts hiding suddenly is water quality. If you’ve recently changed water or transferred your fish, it might respond to such disturbance by hiding in a safe spot.
In that case, you’ll need to test out the following aspects to make sure they’re within the proper levels:
- pH: Luckily, Platies tolerate a wide pH range of 6.8 to 8.5.
- Ammonia level: Anything above zero can put Platies in distress mode and push them to hide
- Nitrite level: Make sure they never exceed 20 mg/L.
If you need to adjust any of the aspects, make sure that you do it slowly (except ammonia) to avoid stressing out your fish even further.
2 – Tankmates
Another main reason why Platies hide is due to other fish in the tank. This reason can take many forms, such as introducing new fish to the tank (even peaceful ones) or pairing them with tankmates known for aggression and predatory instincts.
If hiding started after adding the new fish, you need to make sure that Platies are compatible with them.
If the tank mates are peaceful, your Platy should come out of hiding as it acclimates to their presence.
However, if other fish species follow them around the tank, nip on their fins, or attack them of any sort, you should separate them immediately.
3 – Overcrowding
Platies are quite small and can live comfortably in 10 to 20-gallon tanks. Anything smaller can quickly put them under a lot of stress.
Additionally, if you have other fish in the tank, you have to tend to their space requirements and make sure that each fish has enough space to swim around comfortably.
4 – Sleeping
Platies don’t have eyelids, so they sleep with their eyes wide open. While sleeping, Platies stay unresponsive and motionless.
Platies will instinctively pick a safe spot where they can hide to take a quick nap. You can also notice that behavior at night when you turn off aquarium nights. If the fish comes out of hiding when the nap ends, you shouldn’t worry about it.
5 – Illness
Sick platies will typically respond by hiding for a long time. You can typically tell that your fish is ill by noticing other symptoms, such as visual/coloration problems, loss of appetite, scratching hard surfaces, and others.
In that case, you should research the symptoms or go to the vet to prescribe proper treatment. Once healthy, the fish will return to its natural behavior.
6 – Pregnancy
As a livebearer, female Platies need a safe spot to give birth. For that reason, they usually resort to hiding when they’re pregnant.
7 – Loneliness/Boredom
While Platies can live alone, we highly recommend that you keep them in a community of one male to every two to three females. This alleviates their stress and gives them the stimulation necessary to keep them engaged and distressed.
8 – Non-Aquarium Stimuli
Platies may also hide in response to external threats, such as heavy noise, knocking on the aquarium, and pets moving quickly. That’s why you should keep the tank in a relatively calm room.
Final Thoughts
Platies respond to a lot of external and internal stimuli by hiding. They may hide due to stress, which happens due to water quality changes, predators/bullies, illness, or overcrowding.
They can also do it for regular reasons, such as sleeping, pregnancy, lack of activities, etc. By following the guide above, you’ll be able to easily figure out why your fish is hiding and how to deal with it.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.