Common name: Swordtail

Scientific name: Xiphophorus helleri

Family: Poeciliidae

Origin: Southern Mexico and Guatemala

Maximum size: 4" or about 10cm (including tail)

Minimum Tank Size: Around 10-15 US gallons

Care: An easy fish for beginners. Needs a temp. of 72-73*F (22-23* C.) Enjoy well-planted aquariums with plenty of room for swimming. They live in loosely grouped schools. Usually Keep 1 male for every 2 females. These fish come in a variety of colors as many other livebearers do. Some varieties include the oringinal wild-type which has olive-green backs, greenish-yellow sides, yellow belly, and a red band. There are also lyretail swords and Hi-fin swordtail varieties. They should be housed with other peaceful community fish such as other livebearers, tetra, plecostomus, among many others.

Feeding: Takes Tropical flake, frozen, live, and freezedried foods.

Sexing: Most likely the easiest fish to sex. Male swordtails have the lower caudal fins extended into a "sword," hence the name. Usually as long as the body, but with new varieties, some may be 3-4 times as long! The females are more rounded and do not have a "sword"

Breeding: These fish give birth to live young. The parents tend to eat their young. At least a day or so birth takes place. (There is usually inteval of little over 30 days between broods,) the adults should be placed in a breeding trap though which the fry can escape. The young can take fine powdered food immediately, and should be fed small amounts about 3 X a day after that. The Females can store sperm for long periods of time so even if you have no males in your tank your females still might continue to give birth every 2 months or so. (These fish seem like they are always pregnant!)

Comments: Very interesting and easy to breed fish, although they have a short life span as being inbreed over years. This can be avoided by getting a trio or more of wild swordtails and house them in a highly planted tank with medium to hard water, good lighting, varied vegetation and plenty of free swimming space.

Here's pic of my swordtails since i don't see the above picture coming up. I would also like to add that males grow larger than 4" when you include the sword which can extend 3 inches so that brings the males total size to 7 inches.

Males:


My big neon blue/high fin female at 4 inches:


This post has been edited by Lateral Line: Dec 18 2005, 09:29 PM

thought i would add a couple of pics for ref


male pineapple swordtail



Male tiger swordtail



Female pineapple swordtail