Swordtails....beginners question

[johnmcca]

Hello.
I'm interested in putting Swordtails into my community tank. However I'm not at all interested in breeding. So my question is....is there anything wrong with just having a group of females (perhaps five or six)? Hopefully still a happy tank?
Also my local fish store doesn't have many varieties. Are there any UK breeders online, or particular shops who have a special interest in Swordtails.
Thanks,
John.

 

[Wills]

Hi John, what sort of tank do you have and what fish are already in there? Swordtails ideally like hard water and at the lower end of the temperature scale for community tanks so its just something to consider.

Getting just females is no garuntee that you wont get babies either as some females are already pregnant in the shops when you get them...

As for shops that specialise in livebearers there are a few specialist traders on ebay - depending on how you feel about shipping fish. Or where abouts in the UK are you? North, south, Scotland, Wales etc? Just wondering if anyone can point you in the direction of a good shop to help you out.

Wills

 

[johnmcca]

Thanks for the reply Wills. We have a Juwel Lido 200. At the moment we only have a dozen Cardinal Tetra, a Male Betta (which probably raises another question?), and a Bristlenose Plec. So plenty room I think, and hoping that some Swordtails would make a nice colourful addition. We live in the East Midlands. Temperature currently a tad over 25 degrees.

So perhaps an all female group would be perfectly happy !

I did think that a male Betta might get aggressive sharing with one of the 'Hi-fin' types of swordtail. Or would it not be particularly bothered? If anybody has an opinion please let me know.
Thanks
John.

 

[Wills]

The tricky thing is the Betta, they dont always do great long term in a big tank like yours. With their fancy finnage they are much better suited to life in a 5-10 gallon tank with a weak filter.

Do you know your ph and ideally your water hardness? If you dont have a test kit you should be able to find this info on your water providers website.

The reason I ask this is that Cardinals and Swordtails have opposite needs in a tank, caridnals like soft water and a below neutral ph and swordtails will like harder water with an above neutral ph - it would be good to know what your water is like before you choose what sort of fish to add in.

Depending on where you are in the East Midlands you should check out Wharf Aqautics in Pinxton - one of the best shops in the country.

Wills

 

[snork6]

Why not go with a group of male soward tails? They are usually prettier and not as large as the females (so that means you could have more) plus there would be no risk of fry.