Aquarium swordtail fish - varieties and their contents

Cuban swordtail
The variety of aquarium fish is sometimes amazing. And taking into account the fact that one type of fish has its own varieties, the aquarium world becomes simply gigantic.

swordtails , even those who have never even seen aquariums. We can say that swordtails, the fish of all children of the Soviet Union, were in all Soviet aquariums. The fish is very beautiful and unpretentious.

Such popularity has led to the fact that swordtails have undergone serious breeding work aimed at obtaining various color morphs through hybridization. Morphs, in turn, actually drove all natural swordtail species out of the market.

Compatibility of Swordtails

Swordtails are non-aggressive. They are compatible with almost all small peaceful fish. Among the best neighbors are tetras , minors , thornets , zebrafish , all poeciliid fish , etc. They are compatible with almost all bottom fish: corydoras , acanthophthalmus , platidoras , ancistrus , etc. They get along well with “peaceful” cichlids, for example, with angelfish .

Cuban swordtail photo

Swordtails are incompatible with aggressive and large fish that will hunt them, for example, cichlids (acaras, astronotuses, diamond cichlids, etc.). In addition, it is not recommended to add them to “veiled” fish, because the latter are slow and swordtails can “pinch” them by their fluttering fins.

Male swordtails show some intolerance and aggression towards each other. There have been cases of males fighting, even to the point of causing damage to each other. Therefore, in an aquarium, swordtails should be kept in a harem, so that there are 2-3 females per male. In this case, the intraspecific aggressiveness of the fish is noticeably reduced. See the article on aquarium fish compatibility.

Cuban swordtail

Cuban swordtail, trade English name Tuxedo Swordtail. The fish is a hybrid between the common Green Swordtail and the Poecilia tuxedo. From the first, males inherited a characteristic “sword” on the caudal fin, which is not found in females. From the second species a unique body coloring was acquired.

A distinctive feature of the color is the contrast between the black pigment in the tail part of the body and light shades of yellow, orange or red. A similar pattern, which combines “light top and dark bottom,” resembles a suit, which is why in English-speaking countries the fish was called Tuxedo, which translated means “tuxedo.”

Minimum aquarium volume for swordtails

Many novice aquarists keep swordtails in small aquariums. However, this is not entirely correct. In fact, swordtails are quite large fish. And taking into account the fact that it is recommended to keep swordtails in the proportion of 1 male to 2-3 or more females, the minimum size of the aquarium for them should be from 50 liters per harem family. The aquarium for swordtails should be spacious, it is better to take 100 liters.

Find out how many fish you can keep in X liters of aquarium HERE (at the bottom of the article there are links to aquariums of all sizes).

Features of behavior

Swordtails are peaceful inhabitants and can get along with other fish species that do not show excessive aggression. At the same time, males fight among themselves very often, building a certain hierarchy. To reduce hassles, you need to keep 3 or more males in the aquarium. Some individuals can be so cocky that they will begin to chase fish of another species. But in general, these are cheerful and active fish.

You may notice that aquarium swordtail fish, photos of which can be found on the Internet, have a variety of colors. This diversity is due to the fact that all types of swordtails can interbreed. Some of the mixed offspring acquire the characteristics of a male, and some - of a female. Some aquarists are so lucky that they get a completely new coloration of the fish. Hybrids are characterized by larger sizes compared to their parents. When kept without males, female hybrids can change sex. The reverse transformation process was not recorded.

An aquarium with swordtails is a source of new discoveries and impressions!

Care requirements and conditions for keeping swordtails

Swordtails do not need any special conditions. In fact, maintaining optimal aquarium water parameters is the key to their well-being. However, do not forget that:

1. Swordtails definitely need aeration and filtration, weekly replacement of up to 1/4 of the volume of aquarium water. It is worth noting that these fish do not need a lot of oxygen, and too frequent changes (replacement) of aquarium water are not as beneficial for them as for other types of aquarium fish. Therefore, if you change the water less often, for example, once every 14 days, and not every 7, nothing bad will happen. This rule is appropriate with a stable biobalance and zero nitrogen: NH4, NO2, NO3. As with any other fish, high concentrations of poisons are unacceptable: ammonia, nitrites and nitrates . Every conscientious aquarist should always have a set of drop tests on hand, at least for nitrate and phosphate. Fortunately, they have now become inexpensive, there are no problems with their assortment and acquisition. For example, we can with a clear conscience recommend you the cool UHE drop tests, , but they are sold only online. In stores in your city - offline, you can find inexpensive Vladox tests . Friends, watch out for nitrogen compounds, keep them in check and everything will be fine for you and your pets.

It would be useful to use clean water supply for deep water changes and use preparations that neutralize harmful substances. For example, Tetra AquaSafe - it removes chlorine compounds, heavy metals + contains B vitamins, iodine and other aquarium goodies.

Cuban swordtail photo

2. The aquarium must be covered with a lid, because The fish are nimble and can jump out and die.

3. Like many fish, swordtails feel comfortable among vegetation. Vallisneria , Echinodorus , Cryptocoryne , Riccia , duckweed as aquarium plants for them . Creating thickets of plants imitates the natural habitat of fish.

4. When decorating an aquarium, it is necessary to organize an open space for swimming. Swordtails are excellent swimmers. Swordtails do not need shelter at all.

Habitat conditions for swordtails in their natural environment

The fish are native to Central and Latin America - the southern part of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala. There are original swordtails of several colors, but they are noticeably paler than their aquarium and breeding counterparts.

In nature, they live in different bodies of water, both in those with running water and in those where it is stagnant. More often they choose shallow habitats. heavily overgrown areas where they feed on insects, algae leaves and the remains of decomposed organisms.

Feeding and diet of swordtails

Swordtails are unpretentious in food, they are omnivores and prone to overeating. They enjoy eating dry and freeze-dried food: flakes, granules, chips. You can easily use Tetramine as a base feed. And additionally feed containing carotenoids.

Allow me to make a small note. Color series food - enhances the natural color of fish (red, yellow colors), as it is enriched with pigments such as canthaxanthin, astaxanthin . In fact, carotenoids are natural “coloring” substances. It is astaxanthin that gives plants their red-orange color, carrots are a prime example of this. Or, for example, have you ever wondered why flamingos are pink? Yes, that's exactly why. By eating plant and animal foods rich in carotenoids, the flamingo's plumage, which is initially white, gradually turns pink. The more birds receive this substance from food, the richer and redder the plumage becomes. If you look even deeper, flamingos eat the well-known brine shrimp - pink, saltwater crustaceans and also turn pink.

Actually, the same thing happens to fish if the food contains carotenoids. We also note that astaxanthin also has other beneficial properties - it is also an antioxidant. In general, we can say that carotenoids are beneficial not only for fish, but also for all aquatic organisms, even aquarium plants. The only thing is that everything should be in moderation and balanced. You need to understand that the color of the fish also depends on the state of health, environment, life circumstances (stress/spawning) and the characteristics of the aquarium lighting.

Actually, to summarize, the Color series food is good, but should not be a basic diet. Imagine what will happen to a person who eats only one beet all week =) It’s scary to imagine. The same goes for the fish... sorry, they start pooping cute pink poop.

In this matter, by the way, it is very important not to overfeed the fish, so as not to run into problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Feed the swords once a day, do fasting days. This will be one of the keys to success in their maintenance. It should be noted that when purchasing any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy food in bulk, and also store the food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.

Reproduction

Swordtails usually easily adapt to new conditions and have high survival rates. But in order to get truly healthy offspring, mating is best done in the spring. Then there will be a summer period ahead, during which the fry will have a lot of live food. It will help them grow and get stronger.

Gallers become sexually mature at 6-8 months. The male differs from the female in having a long “sword” and an elongated gonopodium in place of the anal fin. This is the reproductive organ, with the help of which the male fertilizes the eggs directly inside the female. Therefore, swordtails are viviparous fish.

In a small tank of 50 liters or more, one male can fertilize up to 5 females; if the size of the artificial reservoir is larger, then only 3.

If ideal conditions are maintained in the aquarium and the biosphere is balanced, then the female can produce fry almost every month. Their gestation period is about 40 days.

Repeated fertilization is not always necessary - milk can be stored in the female body for several months.

If offspring do not appear, then, most likely, the conditions of maintenance and parameters of the aquatic environment in the aquarium are violated, there is overcrowding or there is not enough live food. As soon as interfering factors are eliminated, female swordtails will immediately give birth to fry.

The reason why females “change” sex has not been clarified by aquarists. This is definitely not due to a shortage of males. But this amazing fact happens - a newly acquired female suddenly grows a “sword” and gonopodium. She cannot fertilize other females; her behavior is very passive, slow and clumsy.

After fertilization, it is better to place the female in a separate container where many plants are planted. This will make the birth process easier and allow newborns to hide in the shade.

After giving birth, it is better to remove the mother. From the first days of life, the fry are able to feed on their own, and she will only interfere with the “babies” and chase them.

Sometimes, when conditions seem to be excellent and pregnancy has occurred, the fry are not born. The female behaves naturally. This is no cause for concern.

Increasing the water temperature by a degree and increasing aeration will help here. It is also necessary to check whether there are enough plants in the pond.

Reproduction and breeding of Cuban swordtails

Breeding and propagating swordtails is absolutely not a difficult task. It is similar to the reproduction of guppies and other livebearers . And, one might say, it actually happens on its own.

Sexual maturity in swordtails occurs at the age of 5-6 months. For breeding (and for their own comfort), it is recommended to keep fish in a ratio of one male to three females. In the process of courting a female, the male performs a kind of courtship dance - shuttle movements back and forth.

Fertilization of mature eggs occurs inside the female. This process may take several days. An interesting feature is that a once fertilized female swordtail can give birth to offspring several more times, even in the absence of a male.

The duration of a female's pregnancy is 4-6 weeks. This period depends on the parameters of the aquarium water, temperature, lighting and feeding.

The pregnant female has a full abdomen and a "black pregnancy spot" under her tail. It is believed that a few hours before the “birth” the female’s belly becomes “square”, the female begins to move more actively, “throwing” up and down along the aquarium glass.

At one time, the female spawns from 15 to 100 or more fry. Spawning usually occurs in the morning.

With plenty of nutrition and a water temperature of 26-27° C, birth can occur monthly.

Perhaps the most important rule to follow when breeding swordtails is concern for the survival of the young. Unfortunately, the producers eat their own offspring, and given that the fry of swordtails are quite large in size and brightly colored, this process simply turns into extermination. In nature, swordtails never see their offspring, because... The fry is immediately carried away by the current. In the aquarium, the parents mistake the fry for food.

To preserve the offspring, I plant the aquarium densely with aquarium plants. Plants are placed at the bottom of the aquarium, in the water column and especially densely on the surface. Thus, the fry are provided with shelter “from evil parents” and most of the fry survive.

Also, to preserve the offspring, you can use special aquariums, which are designed like a funnel - the female remains in the funnel, and the swept juveniles fall out of the funnel into the spawning aquarium. Thus, initially the absence of contact between the breeder and the fry is ensured.

The third option for preserving offspring is spawning spawners immediately after spawning. This option is simple, but requires attention and timeliness from the aquarist.

Photo of a pregnant female swordtail, here she is giving birth

Deeply pregnant female swordtail =)

After spawning, the female is removed and provided with abundant feeding.

The initial food for juvenile swordtails is live dust (nauplii, brine shrimp, cyclops, microworm, rotifers, cut tubifex).

After a week, the juvenile swordtails begin to be weeded out - divided into strong and “thoroughbred” ones, and the weak and defective ones are destroyed.

The juveniles grow quickly; after two months, the anal fin of the males begins to change, and by the third month the “sword” begins to grow.

When keeping swordtails of different species, independent crossing occurs, as a result of which you can sometimes get beautiful offspring.

An interesting fact from the life of these fish is that the female swordtail can at some point become a male, i.e. change gender This occurs under conditions of a “shortage” of males and is explained by the struggle for the survival of the species. The offspring of a female + former female pair consists of almost 90% females.

Cuban Swordtail

The Cuban swordtail is one of the most unpretentious and controversial breeds bred by man among other swordtails . The fact is that Cuban only among domestic aquarists; however, in foreign literature the fish is classified as a red-black swordtail or “Red Tuxedo Swordtail”. It is not known exactly how the fish was bred, but there are two versions: the Cuban swordtail was obtained by crossing the red swordtail with the spotted platypecilia, and the second option is the hybridization of the red, black and green swordtail, which is supported by the size of this breed.
In general, the breed has been known to Russian aquarists for quite a long time and has been bred by amateurs since Soviet times and ends up on the shelves of pet stores from amateur aquariums, as a result of which the fish often crosses with other species and its offspring develop new genetic characteristics. No matter how this fish was obtained, not all individuals with red and black flowers belong to the Cuban swordtail . The general tone of the fish’s body is red, and along the lateral line from the gill covers to the tail there is a solid black spot with red specks, forming the so-called tuxedo; it is the body pattern and its color that makes this species special and is its distinctive feature. The maximum size of the fish can be up to 12 cm, among females and up to 8 cm, among cm. Males have a more slender body and a xiphoid process; there is also a forked variety of Cuban swordtails with two swords forming a “fork”. Females are larger and have a rounded abdomen.

The fish is fundamentally unpretentious, like the green swordtail. The most important condition is the volume of the aquarium, for one individual you need at least 10 liters of the total volume, with aeration you can double the population density of the aquarium, use aeration for at least 8 hours a day. The fish can be kept with any other peaceful fish of similar size. The Cuban swordtail prefers warm water ranging from 22 to 26 degrees. Water hardness corresponds to dH 10-25, acidity pH 7-8. Water changes in the aquarium are done on a weekly basis, 14 times the total volume. The soil is not very important, so either sandy or rocky will do. Plants should be natural and dense; they will serve as an excellent shelter for the fry.

Diseases and treatment of swordtails

Swordtails are very resilient fish and can withstand harsh conditions. However, like all living beings, such excellent health does not last forever. The key to successfully keeping fish is to ensure optimal aquarium water conditions.

Swordtails are susceptible to all the typical diseases of aquarium fish and there are no nuances in their treatment.

For proper and correct treatment of swordtails, it is necessary to diagnose the disease, and then apply the necessary procedures. Treatment and diseases of aquarium fish and sections of the site will help you with this FISH DISEASES, AQUA.MEDICINE.

Feeding

Fish feed in the middle layers of water and on its surface. Good quality dry formulas are an excellent option for feeding. In order for swordtails to feel comfortable and active, it is imperative to diversify their diet with plant foods. This is important for their good digestion. Vegetable protein of natural origin is contained in special food for aquarium fish from different manufacturers.

Good quality dry formulas are an excellent option for feeding.

Feeding is carried out twice a day - morning and evening. The portion should be such that the fish eat it completely within a few minutes. Every day it is necessary to combine products of plant and protein origin (for example, flakes with daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworms) in the diet of swordtails.

It is not recommended to use frozen and live mixtures for feeding Xiphophorus helleri, as they are not as balanced as dry ones. Feeding such foods often leads to the development of harmful bacteria in the water.

Content

Swordtails need large aquariums: a four-liter aquarium is enough for a pair of platies, and a six-liter aquarium is enough for a pair of swordtails. Keeping temperature is 20-25 degrees. The aquarium can be planted with any plants. The best shelter for fry are all types of myriophyllum, villianum, isoztis, leaves of aponogeton, and riccia. An aquarium located in direct sunlight must be insulated from the light side with wax paper, tracing paper or frosted glass. In ventilated aquariums, fish develop faster, but when grown without additional aeration, they are brighter in color. The water level in a small aquarium is 20 centimeters, and in a large one - up to 30. When equipping an aquarium, you should keep in mind that the front and middle of it must be free so that fish can swim there and feed.

The movements of platies are calm and balanced, while in swordtails, especially when males are courting females, they are sharp, with bouncing in a vertical position. To prevent fish from jumping out, the aquarium should be covered with glass. Platies kept separately in aquariums with a sufficient number of plants and on live food do not touch the swept fry.

The health of the fish should be closely monitored. The causes of diseases include: colds, violation of basic conditions of detention, the phenomenon of melanosis and infection brought in with feed. When fluffy formations appear on the fish, it should be placed in the bath for 10-12 minutes (10 grams of table salt per liter of water). After taking a bath, the fish should be placed for several days in a weak solution of methylene blue at a temperature of 22-24 degrees. For gill diseases and raised scales, use trypaflavin. In case of infectious diseases, when the fish becomes covered with white dots - bubbles, it is necessary to slowly raise the water temperature to 30 degrees by adding a weak solution of trypaflavin. Good results are obtained by adding biomycin (one tablet per bucket of water). Every other day, biomycin is reapplied, but in a reduced dose - one tablet per one and a half buckets of water.

To avoid melanosis, only preventive measures can be recommended. Fish susceptible to melanosis should be kept at temperatures close to the lower limit. Breeding selection is of considerable importance in the fight against the phenomena of melanosis.

The best food for adult swordtails and platies are bloodworms, tubifex, daphnia, and for fry - cyclops.

Content

• 1 General information
• 2 Varieties 2.1 Black swordtail
• 2.2 Green swordtail
• 2.3 Platypoecilus maculata
• 2.4 Red swordtail
• 2.5 Lemon swordtail
• 2.6 Calico swordtail
• 2.7 Bulgarian white swordtail
• 2.8 Rainbow swordtail
• 2.9 Red-mottled tiger swordtail
• 2.10 Black platylia
• 2.11 Red platylia
• 2.12 Pecilia tricolor
• 2.13 Black marbled butterfly

Swordtail ( Xiphophorus

) and platy (
Platypoecilus
) belong to the family of viviparous toothed carp.
These are warm water fish. The lower temperature limit for keeping them is 18 degrees. They are content with a small amount of oxygen. A complete change of water is carried out in exceptional cases: in case of infectious diseases and mass death of fish. Usually, a partial replacement is made: no more than one-third of the water is replaced with daily sediment water, the temperature of which is 1-2 degrees higher than in the aquarium. The unpretentiousness of their keeping conditions attracts novice hobbyists to these fish, and their selection flexibility also captivates experienced aquarists. Swordtails have a long, sword-shaped, beautiful process at the bottom of the caudal fin. Of the natural forms with such a sword appendage, we know: green swordtail ( Xiphophorus helleri
),
Xiphidium
and
Montezuma
.

Varieties

Black swordtail

The black swordtail is obtained by crossing a green swordtail with a black platie. The shape of the hybrid is less typical than the green swordtail. With a long, narrow body and a long, narrow sword, the Black Swordtail is a rare exception. The color is deep black with a green or blue tint. Connoisseurs prefer a smooth matte-velvet color. The eyes are light silver with a dark pupil. Breeding black swordtails is quite difficult: the fish often suffer from melanosis (oversaturation with pigment). The best specimens in the post-war period were obtained from crossing female green swordtails with male black platies. In the resulting offspring, most of the females were infertile. To enhance color and give a velvety appearance, black swordtails are sometimes crossed with deep red ones.

Green swordtail

The green swordtail has a long, narrow, laterally flattened body. The length of the female is up to 12, the male is up to 8 centimeters, not counting the sword. The main color of the body is light olive-brown with a light green tint. A red stripe runs along the body, and other reddish stripes are located parallel to it. There are brownish dots on the dorsal fin. The sword is beautifully edged at the bottom. The female is much paler in color than the male. Currently, it is almost impossible to find a pure green swordtail. Breeders value them very highly, as they are the most valuable material for hybridization.

Platypoecilus maculata

'Platypoecilus maculata' is a natural form. It is smaller in size than the swordtail, the body shape is short, wide and deep. The length of the female is 5-6, the male is 2-3 centimeters. The main color is light yellow with an olive-brown tint and a vague dark spot in the foretail.

Red swordtail

Red swordtails are one of the first colored varieties. Obtained from green swordtails with the participation of red platies. The quality of these fish has noticeably improved in recent years - the yellowish-pink and brown tints, white breasts, and white tie (Odessa lines of red ones) have disappeared. Thanks to repeated crossings with red platies, strict selection and culling, modern red swordtails have a bright red color and are deservedly called “ruby”.

Lemon swordtail

Lemon swordtails are an albinistic form of the green swordtail. The painted yellow-green body has the same markings as the green one. The bright lemon form is not stable.

Calico Swordtail

Calico swordtails are so called because of their inherent triple coloring - bright red and black spots scattered across the white background of the body. Breeding work with calico swordtails is very complex. In offspring, correctly colored individuals with bright red contrasting spots are very rarely found. For fourteen years it has not been possible to fix and stabilize the color required by amateurs. The length of the article does not allow us to talk in more detail about working with this interesting fish. You can read about this in the article “From the experience of breeding calico swordtails,” published in the journal “Fish farming and fishing” #2 for 1963.

Bulgarian white swordtail

Bulgarian Whites are a distinctly albinistic form with red eyes. Unlike lemons, Bulgarian swordtails are stable and strong in constitution. By origin they are close to our swordtails. Mating with our marbled swordtails (white with black spots) can result in whites with dark eyes.

Rainbow Swordtail

Rainbow swordtails are a product of breeding obtained with the direct participation of Bulgarian white swordtails. The gray-green body with an orange tint has faint reddish-brown stripes along it. The fins are bright orange-red in color. In pattern and coloration, rainbow swordtails are similar to the Australian rainbow fish.

Red-mottled Tiger Swordtail

The red-speckled tiger swordtail is a form that has replaced the older forms of the Moscow tiger. Serious work with them began in Moscow in 1948. The color is deep red with large black spots, the swords are long, and cases of melanosis are rare. But when choosing breeders, you should not settle on fish with completely colored black tails and an overly black foretail.

Pecilia black

Black platylia is painted black with a greenish or bluish tint. Attempts to obtain fish with a black-velvet matte color have not yet been successful, but in some cases, experienced amateurs have already been close to the goal. The fins of the black platy are colorless and transparent, and occasionally fins with incompletely pigmented fins are found. The fry become black by one and a half to two months, sometimes later.

Pecilia red

Red platylia has a uniformly rich carmine-red color. The exterior and dimensions of the red ones are the same as those of the black ones. Red platylia served as breeding material for us when restoring fading red and red-marbled butterflies.

Pecilia tricolor

Pecilia tricolor (mutant form) has been cultivated in our country for 7-8 years. This fish was obtained from the Baltic states in an unfinished breeding form; Meltosis phenomena were observed in the early years. In recent years, the color of the fish has stabilized, but individuals with orange and bright red pigmentation are very rare. The red designations in tricolor platies, according to the breeders' plans, should be crimson-red velvet.

Black Marbled Butterfly

The black-marbled butterfly is a variable form of the black-marbled platie. Unlike the first breeding forms of marbled platies, they have black fins, and white spots are scattered across the black background. Among the marbled butterflies there are red marbled butterflies, exclusively females.

In addition to the listed forms of platies, we should remind our lovers about the now rarely seen dotted and marbled platies. Spots were the first in the collection of viviparous species and played a big role in the creation of our domestic forms of swordtails and platies. Mirrorfish are distinguished by their grace and most of them are scaleless fish.

Price

The cost of black swordtails is relatively low.
Moreover, it depends on the origin of the fry. If they appeared as a result of targeted crossing and are purebred representatives of the species, then the price will be more expensive than those that appeared as a result of random crossing. Thus, purebred fry of black swordtails cost from 50 to 100 rubles apiece. Teenagers are a little more expensive - from 100 to 250 rubles. Adults can be bought for 300-400 rubles each.

Purebred black swordtail fry cost from 50 to 100 rubles each

With good nutrition and warm water, female black swordtails can give birth to offspring every month. Therefore, separating them will not be a problem.

Black swordtails are an unpretentious, peaceful fish that can coexist harmoniously with many inhabitants of the aquarium and withstand a hunger strike and complete lack of care for up to 14 days. Even a beginner who has decided to plunge into the wonderful and fascinating world of aquarium farming can cope with its maintenance and breeding.

Do you have black swordtails in your aquarium? What other features of fish of this species have you noticed? Share your experience in the comments.

Ability to change gender

Intensive selection work to develop a new species of fish with a sword-shaped tail has done its job. As a result of crossing a green male swordtail with a female flag platy, the first black individuals were bred. Thanks to this, fish appeared that could change their gender. This is given to female black swordtails. If only females live in the aquarium, then over time the most active, strong and leading individual will turn into a male and will be able to successfully fertilize the remaining females. During sex change, the fish changes in accordance with the characteristics inherent in males. Her body elongates, a gonopodium appears, and a pronounced sword ray forms in the caudal fin.