Swordtail aquarium fish. Aquarium warriors - swordtails What size aquarium is needed for swordtails

It will be very useful for aquarium fish lovers to learn how to properly keep and care for their pets. We'll talk about swordtails. Swordtail - from the Latin Xiphophorus hellerii - one of the most common, revered and unpretentious fish home maintenance. This aquarium fish very active, playful and pleasing to the eye with a variety of different colors.

To a large extent, this is the merit of the male. Its unusual appearance is significantly elongated caudal fin(in its lower branch) resembles a sword in its shape, which was the basis for calling this fish a swordtail. So that the fish can only please their owners, it is important to have answers to the following questions:

General information about aquarium fish of the species in question.
Keeping swordtails at home and caring for them.
Breeding in home aquariums.
Caring for the fry.

General information about aquarium swordtail fish

IN natural conditions found in water bodies of Central America and Mexico. This fish, along with Immolinesia, guppies, and pilizia, is the most common and revered by aquarists. Habitat of swordtails – natural bodies of water. They feel comfortable in bodies of water with both standing and running water. These fish prefer shallow places overgrown with dense vegetation. It was there, and in large quantities, are found, necessary for swordtails, favorite “food”.

The aquarium swordtail and those living in natural conditions are noticeably different in color. Natural swordtail males have an olive, light brown coloration, with a greenish tint on the back. The female is paler in color and has a silvery body. Dark stripes are noticeable on the body. Despite the difference in color, “wild” fish easily mate with aquarium fish and produce healthy offspring. Swordtails belong to the ray-finned genus, the poeciliaceae family, and the order Cyprinodontiformes. The bodies of these fish are elongated and flattened laterally. Hybrid forms of fish can have the most a varied palette of colors:

dark to black;
shades of red;
spotted;
olive;
orange;
yellow;
various combinations of these colors.

The swordtail fish, photos of which are presented, amaze the eye with their unusually beautiful and graceful colors.

Keeping swordtails, care at home

The swordtail is a rather peaceful, calm aquarium fish. But it is still undesirable to house it with fish of significantly smaller size. Smaller inhabitants of the aquarium will be disadvantaged by this species. If the neighbors are of equal size and similar temperament, then the fish do not conflict. In fish with a melancholic character and leading a sedentary lifestyle, swordtails can eat fins.

Males are intolerant of each other if there are only two of them in the aquarium. To calm them down, you need to buy at least one more male. However, we should not forget that in this case, it is necessary to increase the number of females accordingly. Then the attention of sword-bearing males will not be drawn to their only rival, which is why their aggressiveness will noticeably decrease.

It is advisable to have areas in the aquarium overgrown with vegetation. They will be used by fish as a means of shelter. Aquarium swordtails are unpretentious and therefore keeping them in home aquariums does not cause any difficulties or special problems. Nevertheless a number of conditions must be met:

Feeding pets

In the case where swordtails are the sole owners of the aquarium, immediately after feeding it is necessary remove all remaining food from the aquarium. This is a necessary operation, otherwise the water in the aquarium will become excessively polluted. You should try to diversify the diet of swordtails. Particularly important for these aquarium fish is the fiber contained in plant foods, since under natural conditions algae are one of the main food sources.

In small aquariums, it is irrational to grow so much algae, so instead you need to purchase flakes with plant content. They may well become the main dish in the diet of aquarium swordtails, and live food can be used additionally. And any of its varieties.

The fish we are considering, in this regard, are absolutely not whimsical. Experts recommend combining elements of plant and animal origin in the diet. The diet of swordtails may include:

Thus, the issue of nutrition does not become a problem at all, because the “menu” of swordtails is varied and unpretentious.

Breeding swordtails in home aquariums

Breeding and keeping swordtail fish in home aquariums is not difficult. These fish reproduce without problems. If you raise the temperature in the aquarium to 25–27C, then the reproduction process will become much more intense. First, the owner needs to learn distinguish male and female by species. It's not difficult at all. It is in the male that the lower tail of the tail resembles a sword in its outline. It is important to know that for normal reproduction you should have two to three females in the aquarium for one male. The swordtail can lead one female to death. The male is constantly active, ready to reproduce and persistently pursues the female.

The fertilized female carries the eggs in her abdomen until the moment of spawning. As a rule, the gestation period lasts about 40 days. All you have to do is carefully monitor the process and place it in a timely manner. right moment. If you notice that the female has become very plump, you need to keep an eye on the dark spot near the anus. Its darkening signals the approaching moment of “birth”. In fact, this is not a spot, but the eyes of the fry, which are visible through the swollen skin of the female’s abdomen. If the female is left in the aquarium during spawning, then few fry will survive - they will be eaten by other fish or by the swordtails themselves. If there is enough dense vegetation in the aquarium, then a significant number of fry will be able to hide and survive.

After spawning, the female needs return to the main aquarium. In the breeding of swordtails there are several interesting moments. The first is that when the temperature rises to 30 °C, ten times more females are born than males. When the water temperature drops to 20 °C, the opposite is observed. Second, swordtails have the ability to change gender. The third point is that the female is capable of becoming fertilized and bearing offspring even in the absence of a male for several months.

Fish crossing with each other different breeds give mixed offspring. There are cases of fish appearing completely different from others in color and shape of fins. The photo perfectly demonstrates how the aquarium swordtail fish can differ significantly, according to appearance, from their “relatives”.

Caring for fry

Both adult swordtail fish and fry are not particularly difficult to care for and maintain. In the diet of young animals be sure to include more protein. From this point of view, the best fit:

Young animals need to be fed often. Swordtail fry are usually large, energetic and always ready to eat. Suitable for additional feeding of fry egg yolk, ground flakes, naupilia, brine shrimp. If you periodically give it to young animals mixture of spriulin and live food, the fry will grow rapidly, the colors will become bright, and their movements will be energetic.

Having read the article to the end, you are obviously convinced that the process of keeping, caring for, and growing swordtails is not particularly difficult and even a novice aquarist can do it. But even for this little work you will get great pleasure watching these unique, colorful fish.

One of the most popular exotic pet fish is an old-timer in many aquariums and a favorite of not only experienced, but also novice aquarists - the swordtail. Many breeders liked Xiphophorus Helleri for its cheerful disposition, mobility, variety of shapes, types and colors, as well as unpretentiousness to living conditions. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to learn some of the subtleties of keeping and caring for these fish, and this article will help with that.

The homeland of swordtails is considered to be Central America, Southern Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. These fish have chosen overgrown reservoirs with slowly flowing or stagnant waters there.

In nature, only green swordtails are found, and all aquarium varieties artificially bred through selection and crossing with platies.

The fish were brought to Europe by the doctor and botanist B.K. Geller. They got their name from the sword-shaped growth on the caudal fin, which is found only in males (translated from Greek xiphos - sword, phoros - to carry).

Description

Aquarium swordtails have a body of 5-8 cm, elongated in length and laterally compressed. Their mouth is slightly upturned to make it easier to take food from the surface of the water. Females are larger with a noticeable abdomen and rounded fins, are duller in color and do not have a sword on the caudal fin. With good care, these fish can please owners for up to five years, which is considered average duration life.

Initially, swordtails were only brownish-olive with a silver sheen, a pale reddish stripe along the body and a yellow, red or green sword. But today many varieties of black, lemon, red colors have been bred, there are even spotted individuals. Breeders also experimented with fins, resulting in fish with elongated fins and even two swords.

Male swordtail of natural color.

Behavior in the aquarium

The character of swordsmen is peaceful, aggression towards their own representatives similar types they usually do not show it. Can be kept in the same container with neons, tetras, minors, thorns, zebrafish, guppies, different types of catfish, angelfish, etc. It is not advisable to house with veiled fish, since the tails and fins of the latter run the risk of being plucked.

Swordtails should not be placed together with large aggressive fish such as astronotus, acara, cichlasomas and the like.

Within a species, skirmishes and fights may occur between males, especially if there are only two of them in the aquarium. Therefore, experienced aquarists recommend housing at least three male swordtails at the same time.

How to arrange a habitat?

When choosing an aquarium, it is better to choose a wide version, with a volume of at least 30 liters. The calculation should be such that there are three liters of water per fish. The length of the container is recommended to be at least 30 cm. A lid or glass is required on top, since swordtails are very nimble and can accidentally jump out.

As for the quality of water, it is better to keep the temperature within 18-26 degrees, hardness 8-22 DH, acidity 7-8 pH.

The purity of the water is very important, so installing a filter would be a good idea. Regularly (about once a week) you need to replace the water by a third of the volume of the aquarium, after leaving it for about a day.

To prevent diseases of swordtails, experts recommend adding a tablespoon of sea or table salt for every 10 liters of water. But this is not always possible, as it can negatively affect other inhabitants of the aquarium and plants.

Fish do not tolerate a lack of oxygen in water, so aeration is a prerequisite for keeping them.

Lighting should be good, but not in direct sunlight.

Koi colored swordtail.

The soil can be taken of any color and texture.

As for algae, it is better to arrange dense thickets of cabomba, serrated elodea and the like for the background. On the side of the aquarium, small-leaved and long-leaved Limnophila indica, glitterwort, and pinnate are planted. It is good to place Riccia on the surface of the water. The foreground should provide free space for swimming and feeding.

You can decorate the aquarium with stones, grottoes, and driftwood. But this is not necessary, since swordtails do not need shelter.

What to feed?

Unpretentiousness in food is another advantage of these fish. But in order for their growth and development to be optimal, the diet should be varied and alternated. What can I use?

Dry, live and frozen food ().
Plant foods prepared independently (seaweed, spinach, nettles, lettuce are scalded with boiling water and then chopped).
Non-standard feeding: boiled egg yolk, crackers, squid or boiled fish. Of course, everything needs to be crushed first.

Swordtails are not only omnivores, but also prone to overeating, so they will not be harmed fasting days and even a week-long hunger strike.

Leftover food must be removed so that the water in the aquarium remains clean longer.

Fork-tailed swordtail.

About diseases

These fish do not get sick often. The main causes of diseases of swordtails are non-compliance with living conditions, colds and infections acquired with food.

After purchasing new pets, you need to especially carefully check them for the presence of plaque, fluff, rashes or sores on their bodies. If any of the above is present, then the fish is sick.

A salt bath (at the rate of one tablespoon of salt per liter of water) lasting 15-20 minutes will help treat your pet and prevent general infection in the aquarium. You can consolidate the effect of the bath by placing the fish for two days in a weak solution of methylene blue (temperature about 25 degrees).

To treat diseases of the gills, scales, as well as for infectious individuals, trypaflavin and biomycin are used in solutions.

Female with upper tail.

If the aquarium is overpopulated with female swordtails, then they can change their gender to male. At the same time, they grow a xiphoid process and a gonopodium appears on the anal fin. Males do not have the gift of transformation.

Now, having studied the features of keeping and caring for swordtails, even novice lovers of these fish will be able to create ideal conditions for your pets.

Everyone knows swordtails, even those who have never encountered the aquarium world. Swordtails gained such fame due to their wide distribution (we can say that they were included in the kit of every young aquarist former USSR), as well as thanks to a special feature - the tail fin in the shape of a sword. Actually, it is for this tail that swordtails got their name.

Description

Swordtails belong to the family of viviparous toothed carps. The body is elongated, flattened laterally.

The natural background color of males is light brownish-olive, with a green tint on the back. A two-millimeter red stripe runs along the sides, and below and above it are two more narrow red stripes. The long lower ray of the caudal fin (sword) has a clear black edge. The color of the female is much paler, the body has a silvery sheen, the middle of the body is occupied by a wide stripe, and below and above this stripe there are two more narrow stripes 0.5 mm wide.

As a result of selection, swordtails have not only a variety of fin shapes, but also different body colors: black, red, olive, orange, yellow and combinations thereof (for example, a yellow body and black fins). Swordtails have also been bred with two swords - at the bottom and the top of the tail.

The male's body (without the sword) can grow up to 8 cm, and the female's body up to 12 cm.

Swordtails live up to three to five years.

Optimal water parameters : temperature 22-24°C, dH 5-20°, pH 7.0-8.0. Requires strong aeration and filtration. Once a week it is necessary to replace the water by 1/3 of the volume. It is recommended to add sea or table salt to the water: 1 tbsp. for 10 liters of water.

Dense thickets of small-leaved plants (for example, serrated elodea, cabomba, vallisneria) are perfect for an aquarium with swordtails. But there must also be free space for fish to swim. You can float Riccia on the surface of the water.

Any peaceful fish will be suitable as neighbors. In a group, there are conflicts between swordtail males, so it is necessary that there are more females than males. In this case, there should be either one male or more than three individuals - aggression is dispersed, and not directed directly at each other between two males.

BREEDING

Swordtails belong to the viviparous family. A female is capable of giving birth to from 15 to 100 fry, or even more, at one time. The number of fry born depends on the age and size of the mother, as well as her living conditions. For successful reproduction before giving birth, the pregnant female is placed in a separate aquarium. So that the newly born fry can avoid the teeth of an adult female, small-leaved aquatic plants must also be placed there to create life-saving algae thickets in a small reservoir, in which it is so good to hide from danger. Breeding does not require any special care from the aquarist.

It will be enough just to isolate the female from the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium during childbirth, and after giving birth return her to familiar environment, leaving the swordtail babies to develop independently. At the time of birth, the fry are fully formed to begin independent life. As soon as they are born, they immediately begin to tirelessly explore the space of the aquarium and actively feed. Kids are practically omnivorous, but it is preferable to give them daphnia and cyclops. At proper feeding the fry are growing at a fast pace, by 3-4 months they already acquire a “sword”, and puberty occurs at 4-6 months.

COMPATIBILITY

Swordtails are not aggressive, peaceful fish. They are compatible with all similar fish: tetras, neons, minors, thornets, zebrafish, all poeciliids: guppies (can bite), mollies, etc. They are compatible with almost everything aquarium catfish– corydoratus (speckled catfish), acanthophthalmus, platidorus, ancistrus, sacbranch catfish, etc. Moreover, swordtails get along very well with peaceful and small cichlids, for example, with angelfish. It is not recommended to attach them to “veil” fish - they are slow and swordtails can “pinch” them by their beautiful, large fins. Not compatible with aggressive and big fish, for example, cichlids: acara, astronotus, diamond cichlids, etc.

What are the diseases and symptoms?

Diseases of swordtail aquarium fish have three main reasons:

An attentive owner will notice the beginning of diseases of swordtails during daily inspection of aquarium fish. Here's what it's worth pay attention:

freezing in place, lying on the bottom;
erratic swimming, rocking, rubbing against rocks;
loss of appetite;
bloating;
folding fins;
cloudy and whitish spots on the body;
cotton-like shreds.

A sick individual should be removed as soon as possible. Perhaps healthy people can be saved from infection.

Types and varieties

Green swordtail has a light olive-brown color with a greenish tint. There is one bright red stripe and several light ones along the body. The body itself is narrow and flattened on the sides. The sword is beautifully edged. Female swordtails are larger than males and have a paler color.

Lemon swordtail. This is an albino form of green swordtails, which is distinguished by its yellow-green body color. Low resistance during reproduction.

Bulgarian white swordtail. Another albino variety of swordtails. Bulgarian swordtails are stronger and more resilient than lemon ones.

Black swordtail. Hybrid of green swordtail and black pelicia. The body of the black swordtail is usually wider and shorter than that of the green one. The color is black, has a greenish or blue tint. Fish often suffer from melanosis (excess pigment), which makes them difficult to breed.

Red swordtail. The result of crossing a green swordtail with a red pelicia. It has a bright red body color.

So named because of its three-color coloration. Has white body with several large bright red and black spots.

Rainbow Swordtail. The color resembles the Australian rainbow fish. The body is gray-green, has an orange tint. Along the body there are reddish-brown stripes. The fins of the fish are bright orange.

Tiger swordtail. So named because of the black spots on the background of the red body. Has a long black sword. Despite dark spots However, these fish rarely suffer from melanosis.

Mountain swordtail. It has a creamy yellow color. Small spots and pale zigzag stripes are noticeable on the sides.

Sword bearer of Cortez. In nature, it lives in the Mexican rivers San Luis Potosi and Panico. The size of the fish is approximately 5 - 5.5 cm, females are larger than males. From the root of the tail to the eye there is a dark brown zigzag stripe, gray mesh scales yellow, speckled dorsal fin. The sword is about 2 cm long, painted grayish-yellow.

Microswordtail. Under natural conditions it lives in Mexico in the Sotola-Marina River. The female reaches a length of 5 cm, and the male is about 4 cm. It has a beige or olive-gray color with transverse stripes, maybe without stripes. On the root of the tail behind the pelvic fin there are rather large dark spots. Males have a transparent sword up to 5 mm in length.

Clementia's Swordbearer. Under natural conditions it lives in the Mexican Sarabia River. The fish are from 4 to 5.5 cm long, the female is much larger than the male. The body of the fish is silvery-blue with two red longitudinal stripes. The back is painted olive-beige, the sword of the male is yellowish with a black edging, the length of the sword is about 3.5 cm.

Montezuma's Swordtail In natural conditions it lives in Mexico. The length of the body of the female is 6-7 cm, the male is about 5 cm. The body is painted lilac, the back has a brownish tint, along the body there are 4-5 burgundy longitudinal stripes in the form of a zigzag and the same number of paler transverse stripes. The dorsal fin of the male is yellow, dotted with dark spots.

CICHLIDS AQUARIUM FISH SPECIES PHOTO DESCRIPTION.

This is one of the most popular fish in the aquarium of the beginner and professional breeder. The fish is so unpretentious that sometimes newbies have only guppies and swordtails in their aquarium. Perhaps even those people who have never owned fish and have no intention of doing so know about them.

They appeared in human aquariums back in 1864 and since then have become permanent inhabitants of apartment ponds.

These fish got their name thanks to sword-shaped tail in males. Externally, the fish are very cute, and their colors are varied. I like swordtails not only because of their unpretentiousness, but also because they reproduce easily and very rarely get sick.

Sword bearers cannot be called peaceful fish, A They show the greatest aggression towards each other. Sometimes you come across specimens of a very timid nature.

Swordtails feel best in aquariums with abundant vegetation and at the same time sufficient space for swimming. In addition, abundant vegetation provides shelter for the fry of these livebearers.

Swordtail in nature

These cute fish are native to Central America. Range in wildlife distributed from Mexico to Guatemala. Wild swordtails are not as brightly colored as their domesticated relatives.

IN natural environment Swordtails prefer heavily overgrown shallow reservoirs with both running and standing water. They feed mainly on insects, as well as plant foods.

These fish belong to the Poeciliidae family. They gained their fame thanks to the German biologist Geller, who caught them from the lakes of Mexico in 1848. As evidenced by the first description of swordtails, their body is curved and compressed at the sides, and their mouth is slightly upturned. The size of swordtails can reach ten centimeters in females and slightly less in males. The male also has a gonopobium - an anal fin. Distinctive feature from the rest of the poeciliids is a sword-shaped tail.

The color of these fish can be very different. There are orange swordtails, black, red and even yellow. Sometimes the body of a fish is colored one color and the tail another. The color of the male is always a little brighter than that of the females. You can even distinguish males from females by their caudal fin. In males it is radiant. Thanks to their upturned mouth, swordtails can easily get food from the surface of the water.

Types of aquarium swordtail

There are several types of fish with sword-shaped tails:

Bulgarian white is an albino fish. When breeding, it is unstable and often produces offspring that differ from its parents.
Another albino, but only lemon-colored. Greenish fish very whimsical, and its breeding is problematic due to complete absence guarantees when obtaining results.
is a hybrid obtained from the green swordtail and black picilia. The color of the black swordtail is not matte, but with a green tint. This species is very problematic, since the hybrid often gets sick. The excess pigment obtained during crossing is to blame for this.
actually has a brown-olive color. You can see red patches in the form of stripes on the body. Its tail is beautifully edged with red.
Red pigment in the swordtail, obtained by crossing the green swordtail and the red picilia.
Tricolor painted in three shades: red, black and white as the main one.
The most disease-resistant species is brindle. They have a black tail and a red body with black speckles.
Yellow swordtail otherwise called mountain. It has creamy zigzag stripes on the sides.
Rainbow The color of swordtails is rare and has several shades. They are usually grey, orange and green, with red stripes on the sides.

As a result of the work of breeders, a lot of different species were obtained. These are, such as Tuxedo, Hell's Swordtail, Vienna, Evelyn, Berlin Swordtail and Koi. If you have several species of swordtails in your aquarium, then after a while you will notice how diverse the offspring can be obtained by mixing species. Sometimes you come across specimens that you want to select yourself. True, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to consolidate the result.

But scientists have already managed to diversify this species of Poecileidae as much as possible. There are fish with veil fins, lobed and lyre fins. And the variety of shades is simply impressive.

This hardy fish is usually kept in a community aquarium with other inhabitants. The water in the aquarium must be enriched with oxygen, constantly clean and alkaline. A water filter must be present. Hardness ranges from 15–30, that is, moderate. The amount of water is at least fifty liters so that the fish have enough space to swim. Change about a quarter of the water in the aquarium once a month.

Be sure to cover the aquarium with a lid or glass. These fish are characterized by increased jumping ability.

As for the proximity of swordtails to other fish, they get along well with mollies, catfish, minors and various tetras, and most often show aggression towards each other. It is advisable to keep swordtails with fish of the same size as them.

Breeders of swordtails advise choosing an aquarium with an oblong, elongated shape so that pugnacious males can hide from each other.

Maintain a stable water temperature in the aquarium. These fish are sensitive to sudden changes and can develop a disease such as ichthyophthirosis. The disease can be detected by the following signs: the fins of swordtails contract, and the fish itself gravitates to the bottom where it scratches its body on the rocks. Such signs occur when the water in the aquarium is suddenly supercooled.

In order for them to feel comfortable, try to maintain a temperature regime of at least twenty-five degrees. For this purpose, there are aquarium heaters with a thermometer that will help you ensure that your aquarium is properly cared for during the winter and autumn months.

Feeding

Breeders of aquarium swordtails are lucky; these fish are absolutely omnivorous. They feed, as in the wild, on worms and crustaceans, phytoplankton and dry insects. The diet also includes plant food in the form of algae. They are fed both fresh and frozen foods such as daphnia, chironomids and brine shrimp. Great for eating dry cereal and any other aquarium food. The only condition is that the food must be varied, and the daily menu must consist of at least three types.

The feeding regimen involves small portions, but several times a day.

Breeding

In order for swordtails to feel comfortable, the number of males should be constantly monitored. The males of these fish are prone to fights, during which they can even kill their opponent. If they are in a large, spacious aquarium, preferably elongated and with abundant vegetation, then the chances of avoiding fights will be much greater.

They reproduce quite easily. As soon as swordtails reach seven months of age, mating season. It is quite easy to distinguish males from females. Male swordtails have a sword-shaped tail, while females have a short and regular tail. In addition, the female is always larger. Usually one male and several females are selected for breeding.

Large breeders during breeding are guided by the following maintenance rules:

Males and females must be at least six months old.
The female is selected from strong fertile families.
The male selected for breeding must be larger than the others. Body length is desirable at least eight centimeters without tail.
Typically, such males and females are separated at the age of three months and raised separately from the rest.
First-born, young females are crossed with already experienced males.
Very often, swordtails come into contact with picilians. If you have these types of fish in your aquarium, you can expect hybrid offspring.

The male's sperm can be stored in the female's body. for a long time and fertilize it more than once. You can tell that a female is pregnant by her rounded belly. Pregnancy lasts for forty days, after which small, nimble fry are born. IN last days Before giving birth, the female's belly becomes somewhat square.

Breeders breed swordtails all year long. Special conditions for breeding and maintenance are not required, the main thing is to transplant the female on time after the appearance of the fry. Otherwise, she will simply start eating them.

There are special spawning aquariums. They have a false bottom made of organic glass. Through gaps in the bottom, the fry escape from their mother in the first minutes of life.

Usually in the first litter up to thirty fry are born, later their number sometimes increases, reaching up to one hundred and fifty pieces.

You can also breed fry in a community aquarium, provided there is plenty of greenery, preferably floating on the surface of the aquarium. Unfortunately, their own fry are the favorite food of swordtails. They literally hunt for them and very often from total number Fifteen percent of newborns remain.

Tips for care and maintenance:

Feed the fish on time. Even if you run out of food, you can give oatmeal. Usually, in the absence of food, swordtails switch to eating algae. If you want to keep your aquarium vegetation beautiful, do not let your fish feel hungry.
Swordtails will not breed if the temperature in the aquarium is constantly low. Support temperature regime at twenty-seven degrees. To do this, you should get a special aquarium heater with a thermometer.
It is best to choose an elongated aquarium.
Mix about one quarter of the total volume of water in the aquarium every month.
Cover the aquarium with a lid to prevent jumping swordtails from jumping out.
Have plenty of greenery. The fry will hide in it. Among the plants there must be duckweed or pistia.

Diseases and their prevention

Inspect the fish before purchasing. There should be no wounds, rashes or strange deposits on the surface of their body. Be sure to carry out a preventive procedure. To do this, place the fish in salted water for twenty minutes. Water is salted in the following way: for one liter of liquid, a tablespoon of salt. The fact is that the fish’s body may contain microbes from the previous aquarium, and with the help of salt they die.

Common diseases of fish are colds, as well as infectious disease melonosis. It can be identified by the fluffy growths on the fish’s body. It is treated as follows: the fish is placed in water with a solution of methylene blue at a water temperature of no more than twenty-three degrees. A solution of biomycin or trypoflavin is excellent for any infections. In the instructions for medicine There is a description of use and dosage.

Aquarium lovers should be well aware of the fish called the swordtail. Swordtails are aquarium fish, but their habitat is not limited only to beautiful glass containers; they can freely live in open water bodies. In 1848, Dr. I.Ya. Heckel named these beauties in honor of the famous botanist K.B. Heller - Xiphophorus helleri. And in the same year, for the first time, I provided nature lovers with a description of these fish.

Swordtails belong to the poeciliaceae family, the order of carp-toothed. They prefer fresh water and belong to the viviparous species. On their tails they have a growth resembling a sword, thanks to this sword the fish got their name - swordtails.

What do swordtails look like - aquarium fish

Swordtails live for four to five years and during this time can reach sizes of 8-12 cm. This is the length of the body without a sword. This applies to males, since nature has not awarded females with such an interesting property. The size of the fish largely depends on the size of the aquarium; in natural conditions they can grow up to 13 cm; when kept in an aquarium, the average length of the swordtail is 4-7 cm. The body is elongated and laterally flattened. Thanks to selection, swordtails can delight us with a wide variety of colors and fin shapes. These fish come in black, red, yellow, and orange colors; in addition, the colors on their body can be beautifully combined. For example, a red body and black fins. There are swordtails that have one sword at the bottom of the tail and another sword at the top.

Swordtails in nature

Swordtails look very beautiful in an aquarium, but in nature they are no less beautiful, perhaps this beauty is facilitated by the natural atmosphere of reservoirs. Nowadays you can buy aquarium swordtail any color, there is a large selection, but fish of natural color are hard to find in pet stores. Natural look It’s not very bright, but it doesn’t lose its charm because of it. Males are naturally light brown in color with a greenish back. There is one red stripe on the sides, and one more thin red stripe above and below this stripe. The sword is edged in black. Females in nature look dull against the background of males: the body has a silvery sheen, there are three stripes on the barrels, one of which is wide and two narrow, like the males, only paler. Finishing the conversation about natural swordtails, I would like to trace their path to Russia. At first, swordtails traveled from America to Europe; at the beginning of the 20th century, these fish were brought to Russia, they immediately won sympathy and confidently took their place among aquarium fish.

Types of swordtails

There are many different species of swordtails. Swordtails (aquarium fish), if their different species are kept together, can mate, as a result of which very beautiful fry with interesting colors can be obtained. In some cases, to the great joy of the aquarium owner, new look. Among those already existing, I would like to note some that are especially distinguished by their beauty. The lemon swordtail, for example, is distinguished by its beautiful yellow-green color. Unfortunately, such fish do not reproduce well. Another species of swordtail with an unusual color is the calico swordtail. They called it that because of its white color with black and red spots. The tiger swordtail looks very beautiful in the aquarium. This fish is painted red with black spots, and also has a strict black sword. Each species is beautiful and capable of delighting aquarium fish lovers.

There are some types of fish that are very difficult to care for, but this does not happen to everyone. For example, if you have a swordtail aquarium fish, keeping such a beauty will give you more pleasure than hassle. One pair of such residents will require at least 6 liters of water. The water temperature should be 23-25 degrees, hardness - dH 8-25, acidity - pH 7-8. It is recommended to add 1 tablespoon of table spoon or sea salt. Once a week you need to change the water by 1/3 of the volume. Swordtails also love thickets of algae; Vallisneria or serrated elodea are ideal for this purpose.

When filling the aquarium with plants, be sure to leave plenty of room for your pets to swim around freely. One more thing important rule! The nimble swordtail (fish), the maintenance of which will not pose any problems, should live in an aquarium with a lid. Males are really very playful, sometimes they jump out of the water and can die.

Swordtails (fish): who do they get along with in the same aquarium?

An aquarium is a large glass house with many neighboring fish. Each neighbor has his own character. Small aquatic inhabitants can be calm, but they can also be cocky. Handsome swordtails (fish): who do such nimble neighbors get along with? They like to be neighbors with peaceful, kindly fish, since they themselves are calm. In one aquarium it is better to keep fish of the same size and with the same peaceful character. It is not recommended to introduce fish that are too slow and have large fins; swordtails will definitely bite them, and they will also not give rest to fish that are smaller in size than themselves. In one aquarium you need to keep more females than males, there should be one male, or there should be more than three. Otherwise, there will be fights in the glass house.

How and what to feed

Feeding swordtails will also not cause much trouble and will not take much time. Swordtails are fish whose care will not be difficult even for people who often go on business trips. If you have to leave the house for a long time, they can go without feeding for two weeks. It is still not recommended to leave them unattended for so long, but if necessary, it is possible. During this time, swordtails will feed on small snails or algal formations on glass or plant leaves. The rest of the time, any food is suitable for swordtails: dry, frozen, canned. We should not forget that fish need live food, such as tubifex, bloodworms, and daphnia. It is also a good idea to include nettles, peas, spinach, different types salad If a fry appears in your aquarium, then you need to increase the amount of protein in the food. Use rotifers, microworms, and Cyclops nauplii for this. The newly hatched young animals need frequent feeding.

How do swordtails reproduce?

Swordtails are viviparous, so breeding them is not difficult. At 5-6 months, your aquarium will already have swordfish ready for mating.

Reproduction must be carried out under supervision so as not to lose the fry. After all, parents strive to eat their offspring immediately after birth. If you take all measures for the safety of the cubs, then the swordtail (female fish) can give birth to up to 50 fry at a time.

Mating and bearing offspring

Mating of swordtails occurs using the male's genital organ. The swordtail (male fish) lays eggs in the abdomen of the female. This process may go unnoticed by the owner, but if you nevertheless notice that mating has taken place, then note the time, and in five weeks you will have a replenishment in the aquatic kingdom. While carrying fry, you need to carefully monitor the temperature in the aquarium and the quality of food; the health of the newborn fish and even what gender they will be born will depend on this. If the water temperature is about thirty degrees, then the ratio of females to males will be 1:10, but if the water is about twenty degrees, then the ratio will change to reverse side. Try to place the female in a separate container 3 days before giving birth, or just a glass jar. You will notice the approach of childbirth by a noticeably rounded abdomen.

How to preserve newborn fry

In order to preserve the fry, there are different ways. You just need to be careful, do everything quickly and in a timely manner, then you will save the kids from careless and cruel parents. All methods are simple! You can immediately place the female in a common aquarium after spawning, because small swordtails are born completely ready for life. They immediately swim and eat on their own. If you did not have time to deposit the female, you can prepare in advance a special device for spawning, similar to a funnel. When the fry are born, they fall through the funnel into the aquarium for spawning, and the female remains in the funnel. There is a method that suits all cases. The spawning aquarium should have a lot of algae both at the bottom and at the top. These algae will serve as a shelter for the kids, where they can hide from their parents. With proper maintenance, at the age of two months the youngsters will begin to experience sexual changes, and at the age of three months it will be possible to distinguish males from females. At this time, the “boys” will begin to grow a sword.

What do swordtails get sick with and how to prevent it

Fish, like all living things, sometimes get sick. Swordtails are also susceptible to various diseases. Fish whose diseases are known to their owner are safer. After all, if you are familiar with the problem and were able to notice it in time, then it is much easier to deal with it. Swordtails can get sick viral disease or fungal. If you purchased new fish, then you risk introducing an infection into the aquarium with it. Therefore, a new acquisition must be quarantined for 10-12 days. If the fish is sick, then during this time the disease will make itself felt. Immediately after purchase, place the swordtail for 20 minutes in a jar of salted water (take 1 tablespoon of salt for 1 liter). During this time, harmful microorganisms will die. To avoid fungal diseases, you need to thoroughly and regularly clean the aquarium and promptly remove food debris from it. Buy live food only from sellers you know and trust. With live food you can also bring it to your fish viral infections. If, nevertheless, your pet gets sick, then urgently transfer it to another aquarium and begin treatment. If you hesitate, you will lose not only one sick fish, but other inhabitants of your aquatic world may become infected from it.

Curious about the life of swordtails

If you carefully observe the life of fish, you will notice many interesting things. Swordtails are aquarium fish whose history contains many interesting facts. Did you know that a female swordtail, due to certain circumstances, can change gender and grow a sword? After this, she will behave like a male, pester other females, fight with males, but will not be capable of fertilization. Nature sometimes jokes a little and presents interesting surprises!