Swordtails: species (description and photo). Varieties of aquarium swordtails Red swordtail

Today I will talk about unusual fish - swordtails, which have a long tail, like a sharp sword. I will share information on how to properly care for them, what to feed them and how to breed them. I will describe the most common types of these fish: green, red and black. I’ll also tell you the secret of who they get along with in the aquarium and how to treat swordtails if the fish gets sick.

Habitats and characteristics of the swordtail fish

IN natural environment Only green swordtails live.

In nature, the swordtail lives in Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and Central America. These fish live both in rivers with strong flows and in swamps.

But in aquariums they are crossed from the same species, and as a result, fish appear that have a variety of colors: red, lemon, black and even spotted.

What does it look like

In the wild, female swordtails, like other fish species, are larger in size. They reach a length of 12 cm, and males - 8 cm.

The male can be distinguished by his elongated tail, which resembles a sword.

Thanks to this tail, the fish got their beautiful name. In addition, over time, the anal fin in males develops into a gonopodium - that’s what they call male organ fish, with the help of which they reproduce.

Another peculiarity of the swordtail is that if there are many females in the aquarium, they will change sex, they will also have a gonopodium, and such fish will be able to play the role of dad. It’s just that the brood of this offspring will contain mostly females.

Types of swordtails

Swordtails have several artificially bred species. The most common of them include:

green;
red;
black.

Let's start with the green swordtail, which, as mentioned above, lives in nature. It is also called Geller's swordtail. It was introduced to Europe in the 20th century, and over time, breeders used it to breed other species.

Today, wild swordtails are not commercially available; they are successfully bred on fish farms. Nature has endowed these fish with an olive-gray or yellow-brown color. They have a greenish stripe on their back. Females do not look so bright and are distinguished by a simple silver color.

The artificially bred red swordtail also has an attractive appearance. This fish is either completely red or this color is combined with black and white shades of individual parts of the body and fins.

There are also swordtails that have the so-called carrot color; they are the least valued.

Popular are those with ruby or blood red color.

It was released in Russia in 1946.

And finally, the black swordtail. Breeders G.V. Samokhvalov and V.M. Maranchak successfully crossed a black platie and a green swordtail. The result was an incredibly beautiful swordtail, which has a black velvet color.

Conditions for keeping and caring for fish in an aquarium

Although these fish are not very demanding in maintenance and care, they still have some requirements:

Swordtails love warm water , the temperature range of which is in the range of 24-26 degrees. But they will still endure a drop in degrees to 16.
Make sure you have availability covers, because males like to jump out of the aquarium.
Don't forget about changing the water - 30 % the entire volume is replaced 1 time per week.
It is necessary to plant dense areas of plants, since the fish need such cover.
As for aeration, if the aquarium is not overcrowded, it does not need to be installed.
A suitable water acidity level for swordtail is pH 7-8.

What to feed

Swordtails are also not picky in their diet. They eat with pleasure:

bloodworm;
Daphnia;
cyclops;
tubifex;
koretru.

Other dry foods are also suitable for them. If you need to leave for a week or two, then don’t worry, the swordtail will find something to profit from.

These fish eat algae deposits that form on the leaves and walls of the aquarium.

They will also help you overcome the invasion of snails, since swordtails love to pull babies out of shells and feast on such food.

Compatibility with other aquarium fish

Although this is peaceful fish with good compatibility, but still it is better not to place swordtails next to fish species that are significantly smaller in size, since they will chase them.

Breeding and reproduction

Swordtails are viviparous fish, therefore no one will have problems with their reproduction at home. If you do not want to overpopulate your aquarium, then you don’t even have to put the fish in a separate spawning tank, since the fry hide in the leaves of plants and their survival rate is high.

When it is necessary to breed fry for sale, then the pregnant female should be removed and provided with good food. If you don’t even notice that the fry have been born, a well-fed female will not touch them.

All types of swordtails can interbreed.

Pregnancy in an aquarium fish lasts about 5 weeks. Then a large female representative can give birth to about 50 fry.

Babies are also not picky eaters; they can be fed:

chopped tubifex;
nematodes;
Artemia;
mashed food;
chicken yolk.

Temperature influences the development and sex of fry.

At high temperature the brood will produce more males, and if low, more females. Puberty in fish it occurs at 5-7 months.

Diseases and treatment at home

Although swordtails are more resistant to diseases than other fish, they are still susceptible to fungal and viral diseases.

White plaque on the swordtail is evidence of a fungal disease

Remember, to prevent the infection from spreading, you should be especially careful with newly acquired fish. They should not be launched immediately community aquarium. You need to quarantine for a couple of weeks.

If you notice that a fish has appeared on its body white coating- this means that the swordtail has undergone fungal disease. To treat it, salt or manganese baths are used.

Things are worse with viral diseases. There are a lot of them, so treatment depends on the specific disease, which can only be determined by a specialist.

If you properly care for your fish and provide them with a balanced and nutritious diet, then nothing will threaten them. You will have strong and healthy offspring that you can admire for as long as you like.

Among aquarium inhabitants, the swordtail fish is considered the most unpretentious. Reproduction at home is easy. This is because Xiphophorus helleri can adapt to any environment. In nature, spawning occurs in winter, but in captivity - all year round. This species is peaceful, only some males can show aggression towards their fellows, so they can be kept together with other species.

Swordfish can breed at home throughout the year

Swordtails are viviparous. The fry are born ready for a full independent life. The population can be propagated under certain conditions. Maintenance greatly influences the quality and quantity of cubs born. For getting good offspring The diet of adults should contain not only plant food, but also animal food. You should not include a lot of algae in it, as they are often a source of nitrates and ammonia. Protein food will help you get healthy fry.

When breeding swordtails at home, you need to follow some rules. The water should be changed regularly: once a week, at least by ¼. Its temperature during this period should be made several degrees warmer.
Swordtail fish do not lay eggs; live fry are born immediately
In order for a female to give more offspring, the water must be High Quality. The high oxygen content encourages fish to mating games. You can't do without internal filtration. The walls of the aquarium should be quite high, there is a lid on top, otherwise during active games the swordtails may jump out.
The number of females and males in the offspring depends on the water temperature. So, at 24 degrees it will be born more girls, and at 25 - boys.

Favorable conditions for obtaining offspring:
Setting the temperature depending on the desired result.
Acidity should not go beyond 7-8 pH.
Let's assume a water hardness level of 10−12.
The content of nitrates and ammonia should be normal.

Female swordfish can self-fertilize at any time without the direct participation of males.
The frequency of appearance of new offspring is directly related to the conditions under which swordtails are kept. Experts recommend keeping 3 females and 1 male in one aquarium. Females can bring fry without the participation of boys, so even after she is transplanted into a separate container, she can become pregnant. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the fish retains part of the milk and is randomly fertilized at any time.
To prevent other inhabitants of the aquarium from devouring the fry, it is recommended to transplant the female before giving birth. It can be placed in a special depositor, which is located inside a common container. When breeding swordtails, it is worth considering that their color will be much brighter than that of the offspring in wildlife.
Differences between females and males
Only newly born swordtails are barely distinguishable by gender. Their gender is not clearly expressed. The first signs of belonging to one sex or another appear only at 3, and sometimes at 6 months. Moreover, some female swordtails reproduce in the aquarium as early as 3 months.

By 3 months, female swordtails are able to bear offspring
It is quite easy to distinguish adult females from males. The male has a long sword on its tail, a growth that is the genital organ. It is with the help of it that reproduction occurs aquarium fish OK swordtails. This is not the only difference. Males also have a pointed anal fin; in females it is not so thin.
Fish can change sex throughout their lives. This is because they do not have a chromosome that is responsible for gender. Such a transformation occurs only if the species is threatened with extinction. By changing sex, swordtails try to increase the population. In captivity, if there is no male left in the aquarium, one of the females may become one.
For full reproduction at home, it is not recommended to use such an individual. Such a male will produce only female offspring. A female transformed into a male not only copies the behavior of boys. She loses the opportunity to bear and give birth to fish.

Signs of pregnancy
Typically, females reach full maturity by 8 months, but there are exceptions. By this time you need to create everything the necessary conditions for spawning and start breeding. The fertilization process in swordtails lasts differently. It depends on how many times the female has already mated. If this is her first time, the maximum period is 2 days. Pregnancy lasts from 4 to 6 weeks.
What does it depend on exact date gestation:
Diet quality and feeding frequency.
Temperature indicators of water in the aquarium.
Lighting.

It is almost impossible to visually determine the pregnancy of a female swordtail fish.
The process of fertilization of eggs with the male's milk occurs inside the female. Determining that a fish is pregnant is extremely difficult. Only an experienced specialist can do this. Moreover, the probability of confusing a female bearing fry with a large fish is high.
Signs of a pregnant swordtail and its appearance:
By the end of the gestation period, the belly of the individual becomes visible and large.
You can see outlines on the stomach. It is square in shape.
There is a dark spot in the anal fin area.

Birth of fry
You can understand that labor is beginning by the individual’s thrashing around the aquarium. Her stomach becomes square. Most often, swordtails give birth in the morning. The number of fry born at a time can reach up to 200 pieces. Newborn fish should be left in a container with their mother.

One female swordtail can bring up to 200 fry at a time
Reproduction of swordtails in an aquarium can occur constantly. To do this, the water temperature should not fall below 26 degrees. If the owner cannot place the pregnant female in a separate container or compartment, dense bushes in the aquarium will be required. They are needed so that the woman in labor can hide there at the most crucial moment. Male fry born in an aquarium should not remain there forever. As soon as they reach sexual maturity, they need to be removed.
Raising offspring
The offspring of swordtails require good and high-quality nutrition. They are very active and quite large. The first week of existence is extremely important for the health of the fry. This period determines the life expectancy of the individual and its other characteristics, therefore, from birth, the fish require proper care.
Aquarists recommend that all breeders select individuals. The smallest and weakest must be destroyed, leaving the strong, beautiful and active. During life, the growth of swordtails does not stop. But its intensity decreases over time. The amount of food needed depends on the size, growth rate and age of the fish.

The first week of development of a swordtail fry affects its overall lifespan
Poor living conditions lead to a deterioration in the appearance of the swordtail. Its color changes and defects appear on its fins, so it is very important that the aquarium is spacious for active swimming. It should contain a sufficient number of different plants.
Nutrition for newborn fish
At first, you will have to feed the fry at least 4 times a day. After 2 months, food is reduced to 3 times.
Among the essential products for fry are:
Naupilii of Artemia.
Chicken or quail egg yolk.
Spirulina.
Special fiber-containing flakes.

For rapid growth and bright colors, it is recommended to combine food of animal origin with spirulina. The diet should include enough fiber, because in the wild their food mainly consists of plants. To ensure complete nutrition, you should use vegetable flakes. You can feed your fish not only with fresh food. Frozen food is also suitable.

Important additives in the diet of swordfish fry are spirulina and yogurt.
Egg yolk is a favorable environment for the proliferation of harmful microorganisms, so you need to be careful when using it. The offspring will not live long in polluted water. At the same time, its frequent change is a great stress for young animals, so the volume of yolk in the diet should be minimal.
You can use yogurt as a top dressing. It does not pollute water and is extremely beneficial for young organisms. To prepare food with this component you will need boiling water. It is mixed with curdled milk, and after curdling, casein flakes are caught. It is washed in water and put into the aquarium.

Swordfish are easy to breed at home.
You can prepare food in stock. It can be stored for no more than 4 days in the refrigerator. It is unacceptable to use stale products. Food for fry should be of the highest quality possible. With age, their diet becomes more varied.
Swordfish are excellent for breeding at home. They get along well with other inhabitants of the aquarium. The mating process can be carried out both in a common container and in a separate one. Individuals are easily fertilized. To do this, you just need to provide the necessary living conditions.

Swordtails are viviparous aquarium fish. They are one of the most popular aquarium inhabitants. To have offspring, you need to know how to distinguish a male swordtail from a female. Let's try to figure this out.

What does a male swordtail look like?

Determining the sex of a swordtail can be problematic. There are a number of differences between representatives of opposite sexes.

The male swordtail has a sword-shaped tail

Let's consider distinctive features males:

The tail is sharp, that is, the caudal fin is elongated, in the form of a sword. In the female it is shorter.
Males are active and aggressive. If a small aquarium is dominated by male representatives, then fights are possible.
The fin at the end of the abdomen is elongated, in the form of a tube. It is the reproductive organ through which the female is inseminated.

The photo shows that the male swordtail is slightly smaller than the female. It grows up to 11 cm in length. The colors of both sexes are the same. Standard color- green. There are also red fish with a black tail, yellow and spotted ones. There are a lot of varieties of swordtails, so it’s problematic to describe everything.

Errors in identifying a male swordtail

When identifying the sex of a swordtail, there are a number of problems that lead to an incorrect conclusion, namely:

Do not try to distinguish fish by color. They are the same. When swordtails are crossed with other viviparous fish, hybrid species with a completely new color appear.
Sexual characteristics are formed in fry at the age of 2 months, but until 4 months it will not be possible to accurately determine the sex of the fish. Before this period, secondary sex reassignment occurs; a female can become a male.

Don’t rush to conclusions, observe the behavior of the fish.

Determining the sex of a swordtail is difficult, but possible. First of all, pay attention to the tail fin. If you cannot determine whether it is a female or a male, contact a pet store. They will tell you there.

One of the most beloved and frequently encountered aquarium inhabitants is swordtail fish. Anyone who encountered underwater life for the first time, as a rule, was the first to become acquainted with them. Every young amateur since Soviet times

Union could distinguish swordtail aquarium fish from other aquatic inhabitants without any problems. What distinguishes the swordtail from all other fish is its appendage in the tail area, which in its entirety resembles a sword, hence its name. They have an elongated body and a blunt nose. In their natural habitat, fish can reach up to 12 centimeters.

Females are usually slightly larger male swordtail fish and differ from them in the absence of a sword. In nature, swordtails have lemon yellow or green and turquoise shades. But most often on photo of swordtail fish you can find red ones with black fins.

In the photo there is a red swordtail fish

This is the most widely used color for them. Females, as usual, are slightly paler than males. The entire body of the swordtail shimmers in a bewitching silvery sheen. Adults swordtail fish females have a distinctive feature from young ones - in the area of the anal fin, a spot appears in them during puberty, which indicates that the fish is already at the age when it can produce swordtail fry.

Swordtails in nature

IN swordtail fish in the aquarium occurs quite often. It can also often be observed in nature. Their homeland is Central America. A wide variety of bodies of water are suitable for these. They feel great and comfortable both in standing and running water. The main thing is that there are more thickets in it, which help them hide from various troubles and find suitable food for themselves.

Pictured is a calico swordtail

Features of keeping the swordtail

It must be clean and oxygenated. A small internal filter will be enough. It is advisable to change the water once a week. If there is no desire and opportunity to change it all, you need to change at least 20% of the water. It should be remembered that there should not be more than one male swordtail in the aquarium.

Otherwise, there is always a male leader among them, who constantly oppresses and drives away all other males, creating chaos and mayhem in the aquarium. Females, on the contrary, it is better to have several. Otherwise, a restless male can drive one female to the point of exhaustion.

Temperature aquarium water not important. Swordtails feel good both at 18 degrees and at 28. But they do best at average temperature 23 degrees. It is also desirable for the water hardness to be medium.

The aquarium in which swordtails live must be covered. They are excellent swimmers and divers and can jump in the water so much that they fall out of their territory, and this threatens their death if it is not noticed in time.

Everyone decorates the aquarium according to their own taste and discretion. But the presence of thick algae is a must. Only in such conditions will the swordtail be comfortable and happy; they will not be afraid of the aggression of males, because it will be possible to easily hide from them in dense plants. But it is also important that the water contains open space for easy swimming of fish.

Compatibility of the swordtail in an aquarium with other fish

Swordtails are wonderful neighbors. They get along easily with their brothers. There are, of course, exceptions among them. Sometimes adult representatives of this species show aggression and hostility towards other inhabitants of the aquarium.

All small-sized fish and not too aggressive can get along with swordtails without any problems. It is better not to place large and aggressive ones near them. Too slow aquarium fish are also undesirable neighbors of swordtails. Their slowness irritates them, and they begin to slowly mock their neighbors, biting their luxurious fins.

Diet of the swordtail

They are omnivores and unpretentious fish. Both in nature and in captivity, they are not particularly picky in their food. In nature, the swordtail eats with pleasure all types of plant foods, including worms and insects that catch its eye.

For aquarium swordtails Fresh and frozen food and dry flakes become the preferred food. The diet of these fish should never be monotonous. Balance and variety should be maintained.

In the photo there is a tiger swordtail fish

When purchasing food for all types of fish, you need to pay attention to the production date and expiration date of the product. It is better not to give preference to loose food, because it is not known how long ago it was opened and whether the right conditions its storage.

Reproduction and lifespan of the swordtail

Reproduction of swordtail fish uncomplicated. They are viviparous, which means that the female swordtail does not spawn, like many others, but carries the fry within herself until they are born. Pregnancy lasts about a month, from which 20 to 200 swordtail fry are born.

At the beginning of life they face many dangers. They may be attacked by other fish. Therefore, the aquarium should have enough vegetation to create secluded places for swordtail fry. These reach sexual maturity and are ready for childbearing at the age of about a year.

Swordtails should not go on hunger strikes; they need to be fed well and constantly, otherwise the adults may eat their fry themselves. All foods containing a lot of protein are very beneficial for swordtail fry. good and balanced diet promotes their rapid growth.

Pictured is a swordtail koi

Already at four months of age, male swordtails grow a sword, thanks to which the female can be distinguished from the male. Interesting and distinctive feature The difference between female swordtails and other fish is that they can change sex. This happens for various reasons, mainly due to certain living conditions.

It is easy to distinguish such females from others. They are dull like all other females, but have more developed fins. The lifespan of these fish is from three to five years. Buy swordtail fish at affordable price You can find it at any pet store, market or aquarium keeper.

Swordtails are rightfully considered to be popular aquarium fish among beginners and experienced aquarium hobbyists. Tropical reservoirs of Central America, Guatemala and Southern Mexico are considered their homeland. There the fish have adapted to live as in mountain rivers with rapid currents, as well as in calmer rivers, lakes and sea lagoons. They first came to Europe in 1907. They got their name from the characteristic lower ray on the caudal fin, reminiscent of a sword.

Swordtail fish belongs to the family of viviparous, carp-toothed poecilids. As a rule, due to their unpretentiousness to maintenance, calm nature and excellent compatibility, swordtails are among the first to begin settling in the home mini-ponds of novice aquarists. But these are not their only advantages.

As can be seen in our photo of aquarium fish swordtails beautiful enough to become a real decoration for any aquarium. They are naturally endowed with original appearance and bright colors. These representatives of the carp-toothed family have a dense, slightly elongated body, flattened on the sides. When the right conditions are created, the fish can reach up to 15 centimeters in length. At the same time, like other representatives of the aquarium, sexual dimorphism is clearly visible in them.

How to identify a male swordtail from a female

Determining the sex of swordtail aquarium fish is not difficult. This can be done if you carefully examine all representatives of this poeciliid species. As a rule, females are larger. Their body length can vary between 12 - 15 centimeters. Outwardly, they, like female guppies, are not expressive. Their color is not as bright and expressive as that of male swordtails. In addition, females lack a long ray on the caudal fin. Males are smaller fish, with body length ranging from 8 to 12 centimeters. At the same time, they have a very impressive appearance with a long lower sword on the tail.

A characteristic feature of swordtails in an aquarium overpopulated with females is their ability to change sex. At the same time, female swordtails acquire a “sword” and gonopodium. As a rule, the offspring from such transformed males are exclusively female. At the same time, adult fish have a distinct mark of maturity.

Existing species of swordtails

Speaking about the species diversity of aquarium swordtails, it is impossible not to notice that it is very rich. Wild species fish have a simple olive color. Representatives of artificial selection live in our aquariums. The so-called hybrid forms were obtained through numerous crossings. The result of such enormous work was fish of various colors (black, red, yellow, green, etc.) with various forms caudal fin.

You can see the existing varieties of swordtails found at pet markets in our photo gallery.

Veiled swordtails	Flag swordtails	Green swordtails


		Male and female swordtails

In total, there are about 23 species of swordtail aquarium fish. The most popular of them are:

Black swordtail. The result of crossing a green swordtail with a black platie. It has a deep, rich black color and a long, narrow beam.
Red swordtails. One of the first types of artificial selection. Due to their intense bright red color, the fish are also called ruby fish.
Calico swordtails. The fish are triple colored. On the white graceful body there are red and black spots that have smooth transitions from one color to another.
Rainbow swordtail fish have brownish-red stripes alternating with white stripes on their bodies.

There are also Bulgarian, black-tailed, lyre-tailed and mountain swordtail fish, photo which are available on this page. They also have no less expressive tails, colors and body shapes.

Since the fish are unpretentious, keeping swordtails in an aquarium is no more difficult than. The volume of water is calculated based on 3 liters per individual. That is, a couple will need only 6 liters. In this case, the water should have a comfortable temperature range (24-26°C). Its hardness can have a wide range from 8o to 25o. But acidity is best kept within 7-8pH. Once every 7 days, a water change will be required. It is produced at 1/3 of the volume of the aquarium.

But it’s best to choose an aquarium long enough and spacious enough to swordtail fish could calmly swim and frolic. A mandatory attribute of a home pond is a lid. These representatives of poeciliids are quite mobile, and therefore can jump out of the water during their games.

Swordtails will definitely need vegetation in the aquarium. Vallisneria, cobomba or Indian limnophila are quite suitable as such. When arranging the environment for your pets, you must leave a place free from vegetation. The fish just need to swim from time to time. But to preserve the fry, you can place Riccia on top.

It's all in feeding species of swordtails just as unpretentious. The following can be used as live food:

Daphnia;
Bloodworm;
Koretru;
Tubifex;
Cyclops.

Canned and frozen food can also be given. At the same time, the fish tolerate a 14-day fast quite calmly. If it is present in the aquarium, then during your absence they will be able to calmly eat green food.