Neon Sunburst Moon
One of the farm raised color morphs of the wild type Xiphophorus maculatus, originally found in Mexico by Guenther in 1866. A member of the Livebearer group, this peaceful fish has distinctive sexual features. Males will have a tubular shaped anal fin, called the gonopodium. Females will have a fan shaped anal fin. Males sometimes will have larger dorsal fins, but not always. While the babies develop, there will be a dark patch located behind the stomach of the female, very noticeable on lighter body colors. The Platy or Moon has a stockier body than their close cousin the Variatus, and many color morphs available today are a cross between the two. The Moon will prefer a densely planted tank and can be kept in pairs or groups. They will generally hover near some cover, coming out to eat. As an herbivore, plant based foods should be part of their diet, though they will eat most all prepared foods for the aquarium. Growing to about 2 inches in length, these livebearers can be kept with almost all small to medium community fish. The live babies are generally released by the female in the early morning and will seek cover in the plants. Parents will generally leave them alone, but possibly might decide to eat the babies. The babies can be fed a standard flake food that has been ground into dust. Most females will have between 10 to 30 babies at a time.
The Neon Sunburst has a yellow to red body and fins, with a burst of orange in the dorsal fin. Some have a hint of pearl like blue undertone.
Approximate arrival size for Neon Sunburst Moon: 1.5-3"
