These fish easily interbreed with each other, so over the years, breeders have bred many species in almost every color of the rainbow. The most popular species are Red, Tiger, Lemon and Clown. It is noteworthy that the natural variety (Green Swordtail), which became the ancestor of almost all other breeds, has now practically disappeared from aquariums.
Care and maintenance
Keeping swordtails in an aquarium is not particularly difficult.
They belong to “harem” fish, so the optimal ratio of males and females is 1 to 2-3. Considering the maximum size of individuals and the need to keep them in a group, the volume of the aquarium should be at least 50 liters. Swordtails are very jumpy, so the holding container must be covered with a lid. It is necessary to install a filter of suitable power and aeration in the aquarium. You can choose any soil, preferably a dark color, so that the swordtails look more contrasting. It is advisable to use natural driftwood as decoration - they not only look amazing in the aquarium, but also serve as a substrate for the development of protozoa and single-celled algae, which swordtails eat with pleasure. If you plan to keep several males in the aquarium, then it would be a good idea to install a variety of shelters so that the weaker males can hide in case of aggression.
Swordtail in an aquarium with live plants.
Optimal parameters for keeping fish: T=20-28°C, pH=7.0-8.0, GH=9-19. Swordtails do not really like frequent water changes, so their frequency can be reduced to once every two weeks. It is necessary to change 25-30% of the water. If necessary (for example, when treating certain diseases), salt can be added to the aquarium with swordtails in a concentration of up to 1 g/l. Fish tolerate such an increase in salinity without harm to health.
Under natural conditions, swordtails prefer to live in dense thickets of plants, so a similar environment must be created in the aquarium. Plant species such as Vallisneria, Echinodorus, Cryptocoryne are well suited. Do not forget that thickets should alternate with open space, where swordtails will happily swim and chase females.
Mr. Tail Explains: Natural Habitat
The green swordtail lives in the wild. When it is crossed with other platies, multi-colored hybrid fish are born, which form numerous natural species of Gellera. All of them belong to the class ray-finned and the order carp-toothed.
The swordtail is native to numerous freshwater bodies of South America. This fish is widespread in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and also in Mexico. Today they live in Central and North America.
Swordtails love both quiet, calm bodies of water and fast mountain rivers. But preference is given to shallow depths, since there they find more food in the form of insects and algae.
Pairing
For a pair of swordtails, 6 or more liters of water are recommended. During the mating process, 2 - 3 females are involved for the male.
Mating of swordtails
Those who have decided to start breeding swordtails with the aim of raising offspring should know that the important conditions for this are the appropriate temperature regime, a separate maternity aquarium or a hatchery. As well as maximum isolation of young fish from adult fish, for which they are ordinary food. In a community aquarium, they are likely to become hunted by other inhabitants.
Only strong and bright sires will be able to produce strong offspring.
To breed swordtails, you need to pay attention to the selection of producers. Strong, viable fry are obtained from individuals that are completely healthy.
Therefore, sick and weak fish should not be considered as parents.
Male swordtails can reproduce from 5 to 6 months, but it is better to choose those who have exceeded 8 months of age. For females, the best age is from 10 months. They should have a rounded abdomen. This indicates the fish is ready to reproduce.
Before mating swordtails, the water must be changed regularly, on average once a week. At least 25% of the aquarium volume must be replaced. Maintain water temperatures higher than usual, from 28°C to 30°C. But it must be increased gradually over the course of a week.
The number of offspring the female will bear depends on the quality of the water. Clean water, saturated with oxygen, encourages swordtails to courtship and mating games. Filtration must also be present. The aquarium should be covered with a lid, due to the fact that during their active movements and games, swordtails jump high.
A responsible owner should check the quality of the water.
When breeding this type of fish, it is possible to plan the number of males and females in the offspring. When the water temperature is less than 24 degrees, more females are born. If it is 25 or higher, then more males will be produced. The main parameters for keeping fish before breeding are the acidity of the water, from 7 to 8 pH, with a hardness of 10 to 11. Ammonia and nitrate levels must be maintained at the lowest possible level. The frequency of birth of fry depends directly on the living conditions of the parents.
A female, after one mating, without the help of an individual of the opposite sex, is capable of producing offspring several times. Because she stores male milk remaining after sexual intercourse, and on her own, after a certain time, she can fertilize herself.
How to feed
Are red swordtails (pictured) fastidious in their diet? No, the same as in the content. The fish are fed twice a day. You can feed dry food in granules or flakes designed specifically for swordtails. Or, as an option, universal flakes. You just have to rub them between your fingers before giving them to the fish. What is the portion? No more than a pinch per feeding. Aquarium inhabitants will not refuse live or frozen food. Small bloodworms, tubifex and daphnia perfectly diversify the diet of fish.
What to do if you need to leave for a couple of weeks? What about fish? If possible, leave the keys to relatives or neighbors so that the swordtails can be fed. If this is not possible, then special food is sold for the duration of the holidays. They are produced in the form of briquettes. One small briquette is designed for 2-3 weeks. Experienced aquarists say that red swordtails can live up to 2 weeks without food, but it is better not to experiment on pets. It is known for certain that fish of this species periodically pluck leaves from soft aquarium plants. This is an additional power source for them.
Varieties of fish
- Green swordtail - distinguished by its olive color with a greenish tint. Along the horizontal side of his body there is a bright red stripe and several lighter stripes. The body is laterally flattened, and the sword on the tail of males is beautifully edged. Females are slightly larger and have lighter shades.
- Lemon is an albino variety of the previous species. Its only difference lies in the yellowish tint of the body. They do not survive reproduction well.
- White Bulgarian swordtails are also an albino variety, but they are more viable than lemon ones.
- Black ones are a hybrid from crossing green swordtails and black pelicia. Their body is somewhat wider compared to the usual species. Color – black with a greenish or bluish tint. Fish often suffer from a disease associated with an excess of pigments in the body. This makes it difficult for them to reproduce.
- Red - were obtained by crossing green swordtails and red pelicia. The species is distinguished by its bright red body color.
- Calico Swordtail - they are named so due to their tricolor color - the main white color of the body is supplemented by several large black and reddish spots.
- Rainbow - similar in color to Australian rainbow fish. Their body is gray-green with an orange tint. There are red-brown stripes along it. The fish's fins are bright orange.
- Tiger swordtail - they got their name because of the pronounced black spots on a red background. Males have a long sword on their tail.
- Mountain - their body is creamy yellow, and on the sides there are small spots and barely noticeable zigzags.
- Cortez's swordtails (Xiphophorus cortez) - the birthplace of this species in nature is the country of Mexico. The size of individuals is from 5 to 5.5 cm, females are also larger than males. There is a brown zigzag stripe on the body from the tail to the eye. The scales of the fish are gray-yellow, and there are specks on the fin of the back. The sword on the tail of males grows up to 2 cm in length and is yellow in color.
- Microswordtail (Xiphophorus xiphidium) – this species also lives naturally in the climate zone of Mexico. The female swordtail reaches 5 cm, and the male does not grow more than 4 cm. This species is beige or olive in color with or without vertical stripes. There are dark spots on the tail. The sword on the tail of males is transparent and short, only 5 mm.
- Clementia swordtails (Xiphophorus clemenciae) – individuals reach 4.5 – 5 cm in length, but the female is much larger than the male. The body is silver-blue with reddish horizontal stripes. The sword on the tail of the male is large - up to 3.5 cm in length.
- Montezuma's swordtail (Xiphophorus montezumae) - the body length of the female of this species reaches 7 cm, and the male - a maximum of 5 cm. The body is painted in a lilac shade, which turns into brown on the back. There are also several zigzag stripes on the body that are paler than the main color. The male is distinguished by a yellow dorsal fin with dark speckles.
- Swordfish KoiKohaku, also known as Santa Claus - this species is distinguished by three large spots of bright red color on the white body of the fish. Santa Clauses can reach 10 cm in length.
- The forked swordtail (forked) - got its name due to the unusually forked shape of the tail.
- The Cuban swordtail is a bright red variety with black fins.
- The Berlin swordtail is a large individual, growing up to 10 -12 cm in length, excluding the tail in males. The lower fin resembles a pike, and the lower part of the abdomen is darkened.
- Pineapple swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii var.) - has bright orange fins and the same color on the lower half of the body.
- Flag swordtail - so called because of its dorsal fin, it is large and resembles a sail in appearance. The subspecies is considered to be the ruby flag swordtail, which has a rich red color. Also a subspecies of the flag species is the red blacktail.
- Lyretail swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) is a breeding form of green swordtail with an unusually shaped caudal fin.
From the editor: Asphyxia of fish
Description
The swordtail (Heller's, Xiphophorus hellerii) is a viviparous fish belonging to the platies family.
These poecilirid fish were first discovered in the lakes of Mexico, given a scientific classification and brought to Europe by the German scientist Karl Bartholomeus Heller. That is why the Latin name contains the word “Helleri”. "Xiphos" is translated as "sword", and "phoros" is "carrying".
The subsequent description of the swordtail was made by Doctor of Natural Sciences Johan Jakob Heckel, an employee of the Imperial Natural History Museum of Vienna.
The natural green swordtail is slightly larger than its aquarium counterparts. The male reaches a length of 11 cm, and the female 14 cm; in wild individuals these sizes are 8 and 12 cm, respectively. Also found in natural conditions are the species Cortes, Microsword, Clementius, and Montezuma.
A distinctive feature of Gellera is its elongated, sword-shaped tail, which is how this fish got its name.
The body of the swordtail has a somewhat elongated shape and flattened on the sides. The structure of the jaws and lips is such that it makes it easy to swallow food from the surface of water bodies. Natural color is greenish with several red stripes in the middle of the body. Wild hybrid forms can be of different colors - scarlet, turquoise, orange, azure, which are often created due to the play of light and tint on the scales.
The peculiarity of the male individual, in addition to the presence of a “sword,” is that its anal fin has been transformed into a kind of sexual organ - gonopodium.
Another amazing feature of these fish is that they change sex when transferred from a natural environment to an artificial one. Females suddenly grow a long caudal fin and form a gonopodium.
“Normal” females do not have a “sword” and are distinguished by a paler color, passive and slow character.
Photo gallery of swordtail fish:
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. They love live and frozen food (bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc.). The fish take food from all layers of the aquarium water. The food remaining on the surface and falling to the bottom will also not be left unattended.
The diet of swordtails must include plant foods: flakes or granules with spirulina, special algae tablets. In addition, they willingly eat algae from the walls of the aquarium, plants and decor.
Feeding aquarium fish should be correct: balanced, varied. This fundamental rule is the key to the successful keeping of any fish, be it guppies or astronotuses. The article “How and how much to feed aquarium fish” talks about this in detail; it outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regime of the fish.
In this article, we note the most important thing - feeding fish should not be monotonous; the diet should include both dry food and live food. In addition, you need to take into account the gastronomic preferences of a particular fish and, depending on this, include in its diet food either with the highest protein content or, conversely, with plant ingredients.
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.
What diseases are swordtails susceptible to?
One of the important advantages of these fish species is their resistance to various diseases. When buying a new fish, you should place it in quarantine (leave it in a separate jar for this time), and only then release it into the aquarium. This action will make it clear whether the fish is sick or healthy.
The main cause of diseases is improper care. Poor living conditions and lack of live and plant food in the diet reduce the fish’s immunity. Weakened individuals are prone to contracting ichthyophthyriosis (aquarists call this disease semolina ). The causative agent is an equiciliated ciliate, which begins to actively multiply on the body of weak fish, causing itching. A white coating also appears on the surface of the scales and fins. Don't worry, because the fungus is quickly and easily treated. It is enough to immerse the infected fish in salt water or a weak solution of manganese. Beginners should only use salt, since the wrong dosage of manganese can kill the fish.
The main problem for swordtails is chylodonellosis . Most other fish species do not suffer from this disease. The main symptoms by which the disease can be identified:
- A blue-gray coating appears on and around the dorsal fin;
- Appetite worsens;
- The fish becomes lethargic and inactive.
Sick fish should be immediately quarantined and treated with antiprotozoal agents.
We recommend reading the article: Aquarium fish diseases, symptoms, treatment
Pregnancy and childbirth
Several signs help determine pregnancy. So, first of all, the stomach testifies to this. In a pregnant woman it is round and large. The transition from the front part of the body to the abdomen is pronounced (step-like). As a result, the fish's head looks small and graceful, unlike other, non-pregnant fish.
Near the anal fin of the female, a dark-colored spot begins to be visible, indicating that the fry are gestating. It darkens over time and increases in proportion to the stages of development of the offspring. Before childbirth, the abdomen takes on a rectangular shape, and a protrusion forms near the cloaca.
A pregnant female swordtail acquires an impressive size before giving birth!
Swordtails bear their offspring in a common aquarium. Pregnancy in females lasts from 4 to 6 weeks. Depends on a number of conditions:
- parameters of the aquatic environment, temperature;
- the degree of illumination of the aquarium, or the duration of daylight hours;
- food ration, its quality;
- age and health status.
Before giving birth, the fish's behavior changes. She rushes around the aquarium and becomes restless. She loses her appetite. If there is vegetation, the expectant mother tries to hide in it. If there are no plants, it stays near the bottom, hiding behind the decorations. Or it hides in the corner of the aquarium, in places where neighbors cannot disturb it.
If these signs are established, then the pregnant fish should be immediately transplanted into the spawning tank. This must be done so that the fry that are born do not become food for other inhabitants of the aquarium.
Some breeders use the fibers of a synthetic washcloth for the spawning tank, in which the fry will hide from their hungry mother.
Usually the spawning tank is a small aquarium, from 10 to 20 liters. After birth, the fry will be raised in it. Before transplanting the female into this tank, it should be filled with water from the previous habitat of the woman in labor. This is necessary to eliminate the stressful state of the pregnant female. It is recommended to place floating vegetation in the spawning tank. Subsequently, the newly born fry will hide in it.
Genera of swordtails
Practice shows that in viviparous female swordtails, spawning occurs in the morning; this process lasts from several hours to a day. In this case, 50 - 200 babies may appear. The fish give birth to one fry after approximately equal periods of time. Once born, swordtails tend to the surface and seek shelter in plants, or sink to the bottom.
After the end of the birth, the female should be resettled back into the general aquarium. This must be done so that she does not destroy or eat her offspring.
Interesting facts about swordtails
It would seem like ordinary aquarium fish. What could be interesting, what facts? They swim in an aquarium, that's their whole life. However, even in the history of aquarium fish you can find interesting facts:
- The natural color is usually green, all bright colors are the result of selection work.
- Only males have a sword.
- If only females live in the aquarium, one of them can change sex. She grows a sword, no matter how strange it may sound. Such artificial males are capable of fertilizing females. The resulting offspring are almost always female.
Compatibility and behavioral characteristics
In general, the swordtail is considered a peaceful fish. But intraspecific conflicts between males are quite typical. Males can be aggressive, especially at the age of puberty. Usually in one aquarium they keep two females for one male. But if there are several such harems, the owner will be able to watch the fights of the males, even if the territory is large and there is enough space for everyone. This is the nature of swordsmen.
As for compatibility with other species, platies, ternets, tetras, zebrafish and any catfish are often prescribed as neighbors to swordtails. The main thing is that neighbors:
- Were not aggressive fish
- Were not predators
- They didn’t like to pinch their neighbors’ fins, otherwise the swordtails risk being left not just without a sword, but without an entire tail
- They themselves didn’t have too much of a “veil”, because swordtails also don’t mind nipping other people’s tails
Aquarium compatibility
Swordtails are friendly fish. They coexist well with all types of poeciliid fish. Often swordtails and guppies are the main population of the aquarium, especially for a novice fishkeeper. In addition to poeciliids, all non-aggressive, proportionate creatures can swim alongside swordtails.
Sometimes the tranquility of the flock is disrupted by a male swordtail who decides to seize leadership in the group. This happens when there is a shortage of females. The males remaining on the sidelines, in a depressed mood, will seek refuge among aquatic plants. Their abundance is highly desirable in a fish home. Swordtails are especially good friends with camomba, elodea and other small-leaved inhabitants of the aquarium. Swordtail compatibility with this greenery is ideal.
Varieties of swordtails
The natural color is not scarlet at all. The main color is green with transitions to pearlescent olive. It has several longitudinal red stripes from head to tail. The sword is olive, edged with black. Males are richer, females are paler.
There are also such color solutions:
Albino and white Bulgarian are variants of natural green, only the main color is white.
Ruby is also a natural color, the result of natural selection.
Black - the body is black, the fins are yellowish-white. A hybrid variant of crossing a swordtail and a platie. Difficult to reproduce.
Red is also a mixture of swordtail and platy. But in the previous version, black platylia was used, and in this case, red. The body of these fish is completely scarlet.
Koi, calico, kohaku and santa claus are different species of swordtail, the color of which resembles the color of koi carp - tri-color koi, chaotically spotted kohaku and two-color (red and white) santa claus.
Tiger is one of the species familiar to us. Red back and sides, and more and more black appears closer to the tail. The tail is black.
Berlin is another incredibly popular color in domestic aquariums. The red body is combined with a black tail.
There are options with even more unusual fins.
Lyretail - has an atypical shape of the caudal fin: it has the shape of a crescent. The body color varies, but the tail is usually black.
Flag swordtail - the dorsal fin of this beauty looks like a sail or flag, and attracts attention much more than a sword. Forked - the tail seems to consist of two swords; not only the lower, but also the upper ray of the tail is elongated
Forked - the tail seems to consist of two swords; not only the lower, but also the upper ray of the tail is elongated.
Cuban - the dorsal fin is no less luxurious than the flag one, and the color is black and red.
Kinds
There are 28 species of swordtails found in nature. Two or three species arose through natural hybridization. Such mixing occurs rarely and is part of the natural process of sympatry. That is, the appearance of new species in populations with overlapping habitats. In the genus of swordtails there are rare and little-studied species. There are more famous species.
- Green swordtail . One of the most famous species. Its range is located in the territories from Mexico to Honduras.
- Mountain swordtail. Sometimes appears under the name "chipas". Found in fast rivers of Mexico. Opened in 1960.
- Yellow swordtail. Endemic to the Mexican Coatzacoalcos River basin. The species is considered to be on the verge of extinction. There is an artificially bred form - yellow or lemon swordtail. Which leads to slight confusion.
- High mountain swordtail. Has a middle name - Malinche swordtail. It is found in the Panuco River basin, which flows in southern Mexico. Named after the translator and concubine of the conquistador Cortez: Malinche Malineli Tenepatl.
- Montezuma swordtail. Resident of northeastern Mexico. It has the longest tail sword among related species. In addition, it has an impressive dorsal fin in shape and color. The fish is extremely interesting in its original form. Rarely found in natural reservoirs and home aquariums.
- Gordon's swordtail. It lives in a single place: in the volcanic lake Santa Tecla. Demonstrates miracles of adaptability. The water in this reservoir is heated above 30 °C and is saturated with hydrogen sulfide.
- Pecilia spotted. In English-language literature it is found under the name “variable platyfish” (variatus platyfish). This swordtail is fish , it has a distinctive spotted coloration, and the males lack a sword. The unarmed swordtail is found in Central America.
- Southern swordtail. It is sometimes called moonfish or common platyfish. Males of this species also do not have a sword on their tail. The habitat of the fish overlaps with the habitat of the green swordtail, resulting in natural hybrids.
- Pygmy or dwarf swordtail. Found in Mexico and Central America. The smallest swordtail, does not grow more than 3-5 cm. Females of this species are gray, males are yellowish. The fish of both sexes are similar in shape.
Many species of swordtails were discovered only in the last and current centuries. Their late inclusion in the biological classifier is due to the small number of populations, endemic to remote, unexplored water bodies.
Only three natural varieties have become particularly popular residents of home aquariums and have gained commercial importance. These are green, spotted and southern swordtails. For the most part, it is not the purebred species themselves that have succeeded, but the forms resulting from hybridization.
The green swordtail founded a large group of aquarium fish. Most of them parted with their malachite scales and acquired unusual, colorful robes. This happened through the efforts of breeders. Some of the new forms are very popular among hobbyists and connoisseurs of home aquarium keeping.
- The red swordtail is an aquarium fish . Obtained by combining the genes of the green swordtail and various species of platies. Work on the hybrid was carried out for many years: it was not possible to remove white inclusions from the color of the fish. This flaw has been resolved, the color has become uniform, rich, and deep. The fish became known as ruby swordtails.
- Black swordtail. Obtaining melanistic fish is an eternal task of breeders. The blacker the result, the better. The breeders achieved their goal, and now black fish with a sword on their tail are frequent inhabitants of aquariums.
- Lemon swordtails. Derived from a species of green color. Aquarists especially appreciate it, since the color of this swordtail is often suppressed by the original green color.
- Calico swordtail. The fish acquired this textile name for its elegance and lightness of color scheme: red spots are scattered on a white background. The body color intended by breeders is not always passed on to subsequent generations.
- Bulgarian white swordtail. This is an albino, fixed in generations, having all the necessary signs: red eyes and a white body. Translucent fins slightly disturb the overall whiteness of the body.
- Rainbow swordtail. Stripes and speckled inclusions of all colors of the rainbow stand out against a gray-green background. The elegant look is enhanced by orange fins.
- Tiger swordtail. This fish has spots scattered across a red background that look like ink blots. The caudal fin is almost completely black.
- Black-tailed swordtail. The red body, equipped with dark fins, makes this fish strict and elegant at the same time.
- The swordtail in the photo is often represented by its lyrebird variation. This is a very popular form among aquarists. Moreover, the color of lyretail fish can be very different. The fins, which develop like a thin veil, are often plucked by aquarium neighbors.
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.
All of the above is just the fruit of observing this type of aquarium fish and collecting various information from owners and breeders. We would like to share with visitors not only information, but also live emotions that allow us to understand the world of aquariums more fully and subtly. Register at https://fanfishka.ru/forum/, participate in discussions on the forum, create profile topics where you will talk about your pets in the first person and from the horse’s mouth, describe their habits, behavior and content, and share with us your successes and joys, share your experiences and learn from the experiences of others. We are interested in every bit of your experience, every second of your joy, every awareness of a mistake, which makes it possible for your comrades to avoid the same mistake. The more of us there are, the more pure and transparent drops of goodness there are in the life and everyday life of our seven billion society.
Red and white swordtail
This beautiful fish has long gained popularity among aquarists. Like ordinary swordtails, it is unpretentious in care and maintenance. How does she look? The head, part of the back and abdomen are painted white. Two stripes run along the body, red and white, respectively. Starting from the anal and dorsal fins, the color turns red. It seems that the artist decided to paint a white fish, but about halfway through its body he changed his mind and picked up a brush with red paint. Without any smooth transitions, the white color ends and is replaced by red.
Breeding/reproduction
When in favorable conditions, spawning occurs regularly. In the artificial environment, seasonality is not expressed. During breeding, the alpha male circles around the female, demonstrating his readiness to mate. When the female is ready, she accepts courtship. Fertilization occurs inside the body. The fry emerge fully formed, bypassing the egg stage. The incubation period lasts about a month.
The female herself controls fertilization, so in some cases she is able to preserve the male’s seed for several months. For example, if the water temperature drops or the fish no longer receive regular food (the owners went on vacation), then the fertilization process will be delayed.
Adult fish do not show parental care for their offspring and can eat their own fry. To protect the brood, it is recommended to move it to a separate tank.
Heller's green swordtail
A natural species, the progenitor of numerous decorative hybrids, discovered in 1848 by the scientist Karl Heller.
Males reach 8 cm in length, females - 12 cm, the color does not differ much: both boys and girls have a gray color with an olive tint and a clear red line along the body. Several more lines, paler, may run parallel to it. The fins are colorless. Males are distinguished by a yellowish or greenish sword with a dark edging.
The conditions of detention are the same as for the sword bearer Clemencia.
Lemon swordtail
This is essentially an albino green swordtail. Color varies from yellow-green to bright lemon. It does not reproduce well in an aquarium; the species is not resistant to diseases and changes in living conditions.
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 when there is a stable balance and zero nitrogen: NH4, NO2, NO3.
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. It is recommended to use Vallisneria, Echinodorus, Cryptocoryne, Riccia, duckweed and other plants as aquarium plants. 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.
Compatibility of the listed aquarium fish with each other
When the aquarium is properly populated, Swordtails behave quite peacefully: the main thing is that the number of females exceeds the number of males, otherwise endless attacks and chases will begin. Different breeds, as a rule, also get along well together and can even interbreed, producing unexpectedly colorful offspring.
The aquarist needs to take into account the characteristics of each variety. It is better not to house small and large Swordtails together, as small fish will inevitably act as prey.
In addition, some species (for example, the Black Swordtail) cannot tolerate an overcrowded aquarium, so it is better to keep them separately or choose completely different fish as neighbors. For more information about this issue, read the interesting article about the compatibility of Swordtails with other fish: Guppies, Gouramis, Mollies.
Conditions of detention
Keeping and caring for the Forked Swordtail will not cause any difficulties even for novice aquarists. These viviparous fish have endurance and unpretentiousness to environmental conditions. An aquarium for the Forked Swordtail is suitable for a volume of 100 liters or more with fresh and brackish water. The temperature in the water “house” should not exceed 16–28 °C, the pH should be at the level of 7.0–8.0, and dGH should be 10–30. The lighting in the aquarium should not be strong, but moderate and bright. If you notice that the fish have become less active and lethargic, then “salt” the water a little by adding 15 grams of salt per 1 liter of water.
From the editor: Popular aquarium fish
Both when keeping other types of fish, and when keeping the Forked Swordtail, it is necessary to replace 1/3 of the aquarium water with fresh water every week.
It is also important to monitor the hydrochemical composition of water and constantly clean it of organic waste.
Due to their peaceful temperament, the fish can be kept individually, in pairs or in groups. You should be responsible when choosing neighbors to live with. The forked swordtail will make an excellent partner with fish of its temperament. Just under no circumstances put fish in the same aquarium with large and aggressive inhabitants. Such species are prone to biting off and damaging the long fins of other representatives of the aquarium.
The forked swordtail is not picky about food, so it can be fed with any type of food. Both dry and plant-based and animal food are perfect.
What fish can swordtails be kept with?
This type of fish is calm and friendly, so you can place several different species of the same friendly breeds in the aquarium. Excellent neighbors for them will be:
- platies;
- zebrafish;
- guppy;
- minors;
- tetras;
- corridors;
- thorns.
You should not introduce swordtails to the following species:
- large and aggressive - acara, astronotus;
- too slow and measured - golden cockerel, catfish.
It is not recommended to place two males in one aquarium: there will be conflicts and fights. If placed, then either one male or three. It is important that there are twice as many females in the aquarium.
Average prices in pet stores in Moscow
Swordtails can be purchased in pet stores in a variety of colors and fin shapes. The most popular remains the red swordtail. This is a classic of the aquarium genre. For such a fish, sellers of branded pet stores ask from 50 to 100 rubles. This is the price of a swordtail that has already grown up.
In simpler trade enterprises or from private individuals, the price of swordtails starts at 10 rubles. It is possible to receive swordtails as a gift. These fish reproduce quickly and fill the aquarium spaces. A caring owner periodically faces the task of transferring excessively proliferating swordtails to other hands.
Which breed is best to choose for your aquarium and why?
Almost all breeds of Swordtails are well suited even for inexperienced aquarists, since they have a spectacular appearance, are very unpretentious to the conditions of detention and reproduce easily. However, it is important to remember that complex breeds and hybrids have reduced immunity, are more prone to certain diseases and live shorter lives even with good care .
That is why it is recommended to choose the most stable species: Green (regular), Red (Ruby) and Tiger Swordtails. In the future, if you wish and have some experience, you can purchase other breeds with bizarre colors or unusual fin shapes.
Reproduction and breeding of 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.
Another handsome man
The next work of breeders is red-black swordtails. Moreover, their color is very interesting. There are representatives whose body is completely red, and whose fins and tail are pure black. There are "half" fish. That is, their head and part of their belly are red, and the other part of their belly, sides and tail are black.
And the most beautiful representatives are those who have a black stripe, as it were, inserted into the main color. If you look at the fish from the side, the stripe starts from the eyes of the fish and runs along the body, gradually expanding towards the tail.
Sex differences
The fish belong to the Petsiliev family. Their body is elongated, somewhat compressed at the sides. Due to the fact that they feed mainly from the water surface, they have an upturned mouth.
The sex of newborn swordtails is difficult to determine. They do not have pronounced sexual characteristics. They begin to appear 3 to 6 months after birth.
The differences between female and male swordtails are visible to the naked eye.
It is not difficult to distinguish males and females in adulthood. The male has a long outgrowth; it is compared to a sword located on the tail. The fish owe their name to him. The fact that the male specimen has a pointed and narrow anal fin also helps determine the sex.
Females are paler compared to males. Their anal fins are wide and rounded. In males they are elongated, tube-shaped. They carry out fertilization with them, right in the belly of females.
In length, the fish reach sizes of 8–10 cm. At the same time, males are smaller than females, on average by 2 cm (adults).
Swordtails are fish that can change their gender during their lives. There are about 500 such species in nature. This metamorphosis is possible due to the lack of chromosomes that are responsible for belonging to a particular sex.
However, the main factor in the transformation is the threat of extinction of the local group. Swordtails, changing, are trying to save the population.
If the male dies, after a certain period of time, any female may turn into a male fish. But the offspring produced using the replacement female will produce only females.
Differences between males and females
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish small females and males of swordtails from each other, but it is possible with certain knowledge. Naturally, first it is important to pay attention to the fin on the tail, which in males is long below and resembles a sword. In females there is no such difference.
In addition, you should examine the fin near the anus, located at the bottom of the abdomen. In males it has an unusual shape - it is elongated and resembles a tube. Thanks to him, he fertilizes the eggs in the female’s abdomen. The same fin in females is round in shape.
Males and females do not differ in color from each other. And due to the many crossings, hybrids of any shades have been bred.
The swordtail aquarium fish is unusual in that females are capable of turning into males. The sex of the fish is formed in several stages.
Among fish aged 4 months, small males first form, and after some time, some of the females also become males. Some of these females have already spawned first. But if you keep swordtails in favorable conditions, they will not change gender.
