Swordtail - In Progress

[Lydia]

Submit

Common name - Swordtail
Scientific Name - Xiphophorus helleri
Native geographical area - Central America
Native habitat - Streams
Maximum Size - 4 inches (11 centimeters)
Minimum Aquarium Size - 20 gallons (76 litres)
Natural & captive Diet - Omnivore. Not a picky eater, will eat flakes, small live food (mosquito larvae, etc.), bottom feeder pellets, lettuce, pretty much anything small enough.
Tank zone - Everywhere
Tank set-up - Planted with large open spaces.
Temperament & compatibility - Docile, although males tend to fight other male swordtails a lot. The females tend to pick flight over fight. Compatible with most community fish.
Hardness range - 9-20 dH
Optimal hardness - 15 dH
pH range - 7-8.3
Optimal ph - 7.4
Temperature range - 68-82°F (20-28°C)
Optimal temperature - 78°F (26°C)
Salinity range - Can stand small amounts of salt
Optimal salinity - Freshwater
Photoperiod - 10 hours
Seasonal changes critical? No
Hardiness & Lifespan - Very hardy. Lifespan is about 4 years.
Physical description - Can be many different colors, including but not limited to: orange, red, black, and green. The most common color for domesticated swordtails seems to be orange; for wild ones the most common color is green. On the bottom of their tail fin, males have an extension that is shaped like a sword, hence the name. Females lack this extension, and are typically larger than males. Their body shape is similar to that of a platy, except swordtails are longer. Have an upturned (superior) mouth.


Activity peak - Diurnal
Habits - Swordtails like swimming among plants but also like some open space. Every once in a while they might swim up close to the edge of a plant leaf and then jerk their body very quickly along the edge, almost like they are scratching an itch, which they very well could be.
Spawning notes - Very easy to spawn. They are livebearers and do not normally need anything besides good water conditions to induce spawning. Babies need to be removed from the main tank, otherwise they will get eaten by the parents. If it is not possible to remove them, put in a lot of plants and the babies will hide in them. Swordtails can have a lot of babies at once; up to 100. The babies, which grow up slowly, can be fed finely crushed flakes, although live foods like brine shrimp would be better.
Other notes - Swordtails are easy to keep and not picky. They can withstand a pretty wide range of water parameters as long as they are gradually introduced into them. One peculiarity is that they have 3 sex chromosomes:W,X & Y, and tend to change sexes a lot more than most other livebearers. It's generally regarded as a matter of incomplete dominace, or later age of onset of the alleles. They can be cross-bred with platies. While X. helleri is the most common swordtail of the pet trade, there are a few other species not so commonly seen.

[Damon]

That is very well written. Keep it up!!!

[Fishboy93]

Im not sure but did you mention that they can be cross bred with platys? Other than that good job.

[Lydia]

Thanks Simpte .

Fishboy93: I did forget to put that. Thanks for reminding me!

[fishfreaks]

Lydia, you added this to the official section, right?

[Lydia]

Yes I did. So I guess this can be deleted huh.

[fishfreaks]

Originally Posted by Lydia

Yes I did. So I guess this can be deleted huh.

haha yup.

[eon17]

LOL 20g minimum is wrong theycan go in a 10g easy

[Scuba Kid]

No, actually swordtails are pretty active and get too large for a 10 gallon. That would be too cramped IMO.

[Pac-Man]

Scubas right- swordtails grow to 4 inches.

[Christine]

I split up my swordtail babies and put some in my 20g and some in my 55g. The difference in growth was dramatic. In no time, the ones in the 55g looked like they could be the parents of the ones in the 20g. I feel guilty keeping them in a 20g now.