Who doesn’t know a small red fish with a long appendage extending from its black tail? Of course, this is the swordtail - an aquarium fish that is incredibly popular all over the world. It gets along well with some other species, tolerates water conditions that inexperienced aquarists may suit it, and has excellent vitality. Peaceful and non-territorial, swordtails may seem like a worthless addition to an aquarium to some, but for most they are still good friends.
What do fish look like?
The habitat of swordtails is the shallow waters of Mexico and Honduras. He likes to live in thickets of grass - there is a higher probability of feeding on insects. Since in nature this fish is accustomed to feeding on small food from the surface, its mouth is positioned accordingly: raised up. Otherwise, the fish has a classic body shape with average fins. Only the lower ray of the tail is so elongated that it is shaped like a sword. This makes the fish unique. The tail sword gave the fish its name in both Russian and Latin.
The size is not as small as we are used to seeing: it can reach 10 cm in length, not counting the sword. When it comes to color, there is a lot more variation than just bright red.
General information
The black swordtail, officially Xiphophorus hellerii var Black, is a breeding form of the green Heller's swordtail. The name speaks for itself - the color of the fish is black. If you provide certain lighting, you can see blue-green reflections on the body. The scales also have an interesting tint, which can shimmer with a silver or orange tint.
It is impossible to find it in the wild, since this hybrid appeared as a result of long breeding work by crossing the green swordtail and multi-colored platie.
Black swordtails are very similar in appearance, size and body shape to other representatives of the species. But it is their color that distinguishes them. With the correct selection of lighting for the aquarium, you can observe the unusual, multi-colored shimmer of the scales of the swordfish.
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.
- Cuban - the dorsal fin is no less luxurious than the flag one, and the color is black and red.
Pygmy swordtail (Xiphophorus pygmaeus)
Pygmy swordtail
There are several more poorly studied species of swordtails. And all other swords are artificially bred breeds. Some of them are imitation of Montezuma and Alvarez swordtails, obtained artificially. Let's say the Berlin swordtail is a hybrid of Heller's swordtail and the red black-finned artificial breed of spotted platie Xiphophorus maculatus.
Maintenance and care
As mentioned above, the swordtail can withstand many of the challenges that befall fish in the “my first pets” category. Sooner or later, a person understands whether he wants to create truly comfortable conditions for the residents of the aquarium, or whether aquarium farming is not his occupation. What conditions help swordtails live long and not get sick? You will be surprised, but:
- The volume of the aquarium is from 50 liters for three fish (male and two females). It is better to plant part of the aquarium with long-leaved and broad-leaved plants. There must be room for swimming. Swordtails do not need shelters (grottoes, burrows, pipes).
- Temperature 21-25°C
- Hardness 6-20° (soft)
- Acidity 7.5 (neutral environment)
- Weekly water changes
- You need to siphon the soil 1-2 times a month
- Well-established filtration and aeration
- The aquarium must have a lid.
How long will swordtails live if their maintenance and care are close to these conditions, and not to what conditions are necessary? Up to 5 years. This is an average figure in the aquarium world, but for swordtails it’s quite good.
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.
Feeding swordtails
These are unpretentious fish in terms of food, you can safely switch them to dry food. It is especially good if the choice falls on high-quality food: it does not clog the aquarium and uneaten remains do not poison the water with nitrates. The main thing is that the food remains on the surface of the water as long as possible. Special flakes are designed specifically for fish that feed on the surface of the water.
If you are ready to feed bloodworms or tubifex, this is very good, since swordtails treat live food with more love, they grow faster on it and are less susceptible to disease.
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.
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
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.
How to determine gender
When it comes to swordtails, the question of how to determine the sex of fish has a simple answer. Males are brighter than females and have a sword on their tail. Females are paler and their tail does not have elongated rays. For those species that do not have a sword, the first rule is relevant: females are noticeably paler and more unsightly than males.
Sexual maturity occurs at approximately six months of age. From this period, fry may appear in the general aquarium. If the fish find the living conditions suitable, offspring will appear regularly. A once fertilized female can give birth to 50-100 fry for several months in a row with a frequency equal to the gestation period.
A pregnant female swims for 4 to 6 weeks. This period depends mainly on the water temperature. Before giving birth (which usually happens at dawn), she begins to swim especially restlessly, after which the fry are born. If an aquarist wants to preserve offspring, he will have to take care of the young. They can be left in a general aquarium, but provided with plenty of reliable hiding places in the form of dense vegetation. It is necessary to ensure that producers do not see the offspring, otherwise they will be regarded as food.
Special manipulations - cooling or heating the water, feeding with special food, shading or brightening the space - are not required for breeding swordtails. The main thing is that living conditions are close to ideal, then the reproduction process will start by itself.
Sex differences
In this matter, everything is “transparent” and there are no secrets - only the male has an extension in the tail - the so-called “sword”. In addition, like other viviparous fish, the anal fin in females is widened, while in males it is pointed.
There is one amazing phenomenon, the nature of which scientists have not fully understood. Sometimes females grow a sword and begin to act like males, courting the females assiduously! Naturally, in this case we are not talking about any offspring.
Diseases of swordtails
These fish begin to get sick under catastrophically unsuitable conditions. In general, these are fish with very strong immunity; hybrids have slightly weaker health. Common fungal aquarium diseases also apply to swordtails, however, sometimes it happens that other fish get sick, but these remain healthy. In the treatment of any disease, the main thing is timely and correct diagnosis. Medicines (methylene blue, brilliant green, costapur, bactopur, etc.) are tolerated quite easily.
The swordtail is an unpretentious resident of any aquarium of sufficient volume. Don’t forget to watch your fish, study their habits, characters, and preferences. The aquarium is there to enjoy it and learn to be better.
Price
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.
