Odd Swordtail Behavior

[Antinerf]

This may sound cruel, but since the parents can't eat the fry and I can't sell them or give them away should I just take them out and deprive them of water? This will kill them more or less quickly, and the bodies can be easily disposed of... almost animal cruelty, but it seems I have no choice.

Your recommendation to keep two (or three?) males seems like the best option and will allow me to prevent a species-tank scenario, I'd like my aquarium to be more varied than this.

After all, that's how it was originally- just two males, and they got along very well. Should I let the adult females run their course, or should I kill them now to stop future births? I will probably want to save three fry males so I can have three swordtails after my adult male dies.

 

[Byron]

As I say, this is a dilema.
 
Swordtails have an average lifespan of 3-4 years.  The females if left will continue to produce batches of fry about every month from now on.  I know how I feel when I am forced to euthanize fish, and I cannot bring myself to recommend this when fish are healthy.  Though it is something I have had to do.
 
I was thinking, an outside pond would work if you are in a warm area now.  Provided there is no chance of the fish moving to native waters of course.  But a pond in someone's garden is an option.
 
Byron.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

This may sound cruel, but since the parents can't eat the fry and I can't sell them or give them away should I just take them out and deprive them of water? This will kill them more or less quickly, and the bodies can be easily disposed of... almost animal cruelty, but it seems I have no choice.

Your recommendation to keep two (or three?) males seems like the best option and will allow me to prevent a species-tank scenario, I'd like my aquarium to be more varied than this.

After all, that's how it was originally- just two males, and they got along very well. Should I let the adult females run their course, or should I kill them now to stop future births? I will probably want to save three fry males so I can have three swordtails after my adult male dies.

 
 
The adults WILL eat the fry.  
 
 
I've kept mixed genders of livebearers in my time (years ago as a teen), and if you have enough fish then the fry that survive will be few and far between.  Generally, any fish will seek to eat the fry, especially when they are at their smallest.  And keeping the swords with some fish that are predatory, will help with that.
 
 
What size tank do you currently have, and what are the water parameters?   There are many fish that are compatible adult swords which will eat keep the fry numbers down.

This may sound cruel, but since the parents can't eat the fry and I can't sell them or give them away should I just take them out and deprive them of water? This will kill them more or less quickly, and the bodies can be easily disposed of... almost animal cruelty, but it seems I have no choice.
 

 
FYI...
 
There are far better ways of euthanizing a fish than this.  If it ever comes to that, please ask for assistance, and we can help you with that.   But, now is not the time for that.

 

[Antinerf]

Suggestion: It appears that the first fish, the one mentioned in the first post, may actually be the father? This temporarily reduces the chance of future insemination since I know he is far less dominant. If he stays like this and the females eventually stop reproducing (they can't keep going off one mating session forever...) I could have a larger window of time for the fry to grow.
Eventually, though, I'd like to have a more varied species tank. Are there any last-resort, more humane (I don't think I can bring myself to kill them) solutions? I don't know anyone in the aquarium hobby other than myself in my immediate or extended family.
Also to answer Byron's question, I live in NY and the current temperature outside is -7 degrees Celsius, high was around five degrees Celsius. For other various reasons a pond is not an option.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The females can produce fry for roughly 6 months after the initial copulation.  
 
 
 
Please tell me what size tank you have.  I have a few fish in mind that could help your fry problem, but it depends on your tank size. 

 

[Antinerf]

36 gallon bowfront, well-planted. Marineland bio-wheel filter. The little grass plants I show at the beginning are easy hiding places under their grids for placement, and for idea of size you can see the females at the end of the video.

http/youtu.be/qufjoV3TTpE

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, one solution with a 36 gallon, would be a shoal of dwarf neon rainbowfish.
 
 
You could also mix in some MALE ONLY Mollies which would work to keep the fry numbers down.  
 
 
A SINGLE kribensis cichlid would be a possibility, as well for you, I do believe.

 

[Antinerf]

Don't mollies need a little saltwater? I'm not sure I'm ready to step it up to that level yet. Also, rainbowfish grow to six inches, don't they? That limits their maneuverability and doesn't solve the problem of all the places these fish can hide. Lastly, this tank seems too small in terms of area for cichlids once you factor in all the plants and centerpiece.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Don't mollies need a little saltwater? I'm not sure I'm ready to step it up to that level yet. Also, rainbowfish grow to six inches, don't they? That limits their maneuverability and doesn't solve the problem of all the places these fish can hide. Lastly, this tank seems too small in terms of area for cichlids once you factor in all the plants and centerpiece.

 
 
There's a few misconceptions here, I'll tackle them one by one.
 
 
Mollies and salt.  No, mollies DO NOT REQUIRE SALT.  Mollies are best kept in HARD water, meaning that there is a fair amount of minerals dissolved in the water, but that doesn't need to be 'salt', although they are one of the few fish that can actually thrive in full freshwater or full marine, and have been found in both in the wild.
 
Rainbowfish: Yes, SOME rainbowfish can grow that size and are highly active and require the space you claimed.  But, I did not recommend just any rainbowfish, instead I recommended specifically DWARF neon rainbowfish, which grow to 2-2.5 inches and require far less space, as such.  These fish prefer higher pH and hardness than many other fish.
 
 
CIchlids: Again, the recommendation is to a specific fish specie, not to the larger group.  And I am not suggesting 'cichlids', but offering a single krib as a possibility.  A pair of kribs would be a problem in the tank, in case of a spawning situation for them, when they can get very territorial and aggressive.  And even a pair of males would be territorial with each other.

 

[Antinerf]

Based of off chain stores and LFS near me, I would think then that a single molly would be the best option since I don't have local access to the other two. I cannot directly assess hardness in my tank but if high resistance to pH change is a characteristic (even with that pH down I used to use) then oh boy do I have some hard water.

Note: I don't do that anymore, and wow that's really interesting (about the mollies)! I imagine they're extremely hardy. Are they livebearers, and can they interbreed with swordtails? If they can (like swordtails and platies) then that's an issue.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Based of off chain stores and LFS near me, I would think then that a single molly would be the best option since I don't have local access to the other two. I cannot directly assess hardness in my tank but if high resistance to pH change is a characteristic (even with that pH down I used to use) then oh boy do I have some hard water.

Note: I don't do that anymore, and wow that's really interesting (about the mollies)! I imagine they're extremely hardy. Are they livebearers, and can they interbreed with swordtails? If they can (like swordtails and platies) then that's an issue.

 
 
I'd suggest a trio of males (you do know how to identify males, right?), rather than a single.  (The colors don't matter for the mollies: black, silver, dalmation, creamsicle, etc.)
 
 
No, mollies and swords cannot interbreed, they are a different genus, which is why I recommended them.

 

[Antinerf]

Thank you! Unfortunately I do not know how to identify males or females of most common aquarium fish, it's just easier for the swordtails since I can clearly see if they have a swordish tail or not. Despite 2 years of experience the problem is during that time I kept a very small number of fish. The first time it's gone over two is when I got the two females.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Google 'gonopodium'.
 
 
You want to make sure that YOU can ID them yourself and not just rely on the LFS to get them for you.  You want to know for yourself that you have males.  LFS staff have been known to mess that up, and remember, you are the boss.  Don't buy the fish, if you aren't 100% certain of what they are.

 

[Antinerf]

Ahh I see now! I was wondering originally if it was only for swordtails or something when I saw it on my male. I'm pretty sure my PetSmart sells black mollies. Since you're recommending them can I assume they are:

1) Mid to bottom swimmers most of the time?

2) Avid fry hunters?

Thanks,
Antinerf

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Mollies are avid FEEDERS.  They are gluttons.  They look to eat pretty much constantly.  As such, be sure that you don't over feed.  They will constantly appear 'hungry'.  I've heard it said, "A hungry fish is a happy fish."  The key is that they need to eat far less than we think.  And with the potential for fry, feedings should be fairly sparse.  Tiny amounts 5 times a week is sufficient.  They will also nibble at plants, rocks, etc, looking for stuff to eat (which means they will be searching in the hiding places for fry).
 
So, they are a good choice at fry control... And they can handle the water parameters you have.