Fighting Male Swordtails

[orangefish]

I have 2 male swordtails and no females, that have recently started to fight. They are doing the typical stance of shaking their bodies with their dorsal fins right up, and occasionally they'll take a nip at each other. They can't stand being near each other without fighting, but I have recently noticed that 1 of the swordtails doesn't want to fight anymore, and is spending a lot of his time hiding or at the top of the water where he hopes the other 1 can't find him. The swordtails only fight with each other, none of my other community fish.
I'm really not sure what to do- I tried rearranging the decor and plants as I thought it was just a terrortorial thing, but that didn't work. Is there anything else I could do apart from taking 1 of them back to the fish shop? Would the fish shop even take an agressive fish? Thanks!

 

[helterskelter]

This is a common problem with swordtail, just out of interest what size is your tank?

These are very active fish and need plenty of room to display. However it sounds like sub-male has submitted to the alpha male but he's determined to show his dominance still.

With guppies and platies you can keep just males but swords, their more hard-wired for show between males, getting 3-4 females will hopefully take the interest off the sub-male.
But your need a large tank ideally 3ft plus giving the males plenty of space.

Or returning one may be the better option if your short of space.

 

[roadmaster]

I have 2 male swordtails and no females, that have recently started to fight. They are doing the typical stance of shaking their bodies with their dorsal fins right up, and occasionally they'll take a nip at each other. They can't stand being near each other without fighting, but I have recently noticed that 1 of the swordtails doesn't want to fight anymore, and is spending a lot of his time hiding or at the top of the water where he hopes the other 1 can't find him. The swordtails only fight with each other, none of my other community fish.
I'm really not sure what to do- I tried rearranging the decor and plants as I thought it was just a terrortorial thing, but that didn't work. Is there anything else I could do apart from taking 1 of them back to the fish shop? Would the fish shop even take an agressive fish? Thanks!

Is typically what male swordtails do. In a 55 gal tank or larger, you might be able to keep more than one male swordtail but in smaller tanks it is common for male swordtails to eliminate the competition for what they percieve tov be the right to be the dominant fish.
Placing four or five females in the tank can help but also increases the likelihood that you will soon have swarms of fry.
Floating plants on the surface can also help by giving sub-dominant fish as well as fry, somewhere to hide,escape to.

 

[orangefish]

Ah thanks My tanks a 2 foot but I have another tank, and I'm looking to get a 3 foot too. Looks like I may have to take them back to the shop; I didn't realise they needed that much space. I don't have room for the females either. Thanks

 

[helterskelter]

Its a common problem but most people dont think a small fish like them need so much space to thrive.

Good luck with perhaps getting a larger tank. Personally the larger the better

 

[orangefish]

Its a common problem but most people dont think a small fish like them need so much space to thrive.

Good luck with perhaps getting a larger tank. Personally the larger the better

Yeah, they were one of my first fish too :L Do you think I will need to get rid of both of them? I've been looking for a bigger tank for ages, but I cannot find one to save my life!

 

[marcus_pro]

I have 2 male swordtails and no females, that have recently started to fight. They are doing the typical stance of shaking their bodies with their dorsal fins right up, and occasionally they'll take a nip at each other. They can't stand being near each other without fighting, but I have recently noticed that 1 of the swordtails doesn't want to fight anymore, and is spending a lot of his time hiding or at the top of the water where he hopes the other 1 can't find him. The swordtails only fight with each other, none of my other community fish.
I'm really not sure what to do- I tried rearranging the decor and plants as I thought it was just a terrortorial thing, but that didn't work. Is there anything else I could do apart from taking 1 of them back to the fish shop? Would the fish shop even take an agressive fish? Thanks!

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I am have a similar problem - got a 40 gallon tank, have 2 sword tailmales, and 4 swordtail females. At first when I introduced the swordtails in the tank, I just put the two males in the tank, and they were very friendly. In about two days, I found out that swordtail males thrive better with females around and they reproduce like crazy! I went and got 4 females. After introducing the females, it took about 5 days before one male swordtail became the 'dominant' one in the tank. So dominant that anytime the 'sub-dominant' fish comes out of his 'hiding place' he will be chased, pecked, rammed etc. back to this corner, or hiding spot. The 4 females will also swim around witht he dominant male, but occaisionally visit the 'sub-dominant' male. Seems like a bunch of grade 8's in my fish tank. lol. Me personally don't like bully's - so I tried to discipline the 'dominant' male, but he's too high up on his horse, I'd probably have to kill him to get him to stop bothering and chasing the 'sub-dominiant' male.

Any suggestions?

 

[OldMan47]

A male that has decided to express dominance can be a real pain in the backside. He will relentlessly chase other male swordtails even though they present no threat to him. That leaves the subordinate males badly stressed in a small tank where there is no place for them to retreat. A male swordtail is just barely comfortable in a 2 foot long tank in my experience. Don't forget that a mature male can swim backward in your tank faster than most other fish can swim forward. A 2 foot long tank is tiny compared to that level of activity and speed.
One strategy used by swordtails is to remain looking like a female until they are big enough to take on that dominant male. I have had groups of 6 males that I thought were all females as long as a year after they were born. One by one over the next 2 years they revealed their true sex. Imagine my surprise to find that I had an all male "breeding colony" of wild type swordtails.

 

[marcus_pro]

A male that has decided to express dominance can be a real pain in the backside. He will relentlessly chase other male swordtails even though they present no threat to him. That leaves the subordinate males badly stressed in a small tank where there is no place for them to retreat. A male swordtail is just barely comfortable in a 2 foot long tank in my experience. Don't forget that a mature male can swim backward in your tank faster than most other fish can swim forward. A 2 foot long tank is tiny compared to that level of activity and speed.
One strategy used by swordtails is to remain looking like a female until they are big enough to take on that dominant male. I have had groups of 6 males that I thought were all females as long as a year after they were born. One by one over the next 2 years they revealed their true sex. Imagine my surprise to find that I had an all male "breeding colony" of wild type swordtails.

Well thanks for the reply, but I do have some bad news. Like I was saying, 2 swordtail males, and 4 swordtail females. Recently I had noticed that the dominant male attacked the sub-dominant male so bad, that he ripped his tail fin, and swordtail off!! - unable to swim properly, he died in about 2 days. (found him being sucked to the water filter tube) - now, I don't know when, but I recently noticed that there are only THREE females in the tank!! the fourth one has 'vanished' - I have no idea what is goign on, seems like an unsolved mystery. As of right now, every fish in the tank seems cool. - I suspect the dominant swordtail went crazy and killed the sub-dominant male and 1 of the females.


- also read that swordtails thrive better in trio's 1 male, and 2 females but 3 males and 6 females. NOT EVER 2 males and and 4 females.

 

[OldMan47]

That other missing fish that you thought of as a female may well have been a "sneaker" male. The males are not really fooled by the sneaker males but often just don't notice them as a threat because they are too busy tending to the real females.

 

[marcus_pro]

That other missing fish that you thought of as a female may well have been a "sneaker" male. The males are not really fooled by the sneaker males but often just don't notice them as a threat because they are too busy tending to the real females.

So then, are you suggesting that the dominant male killed/ate the missing fish?? whether it be male or female doesn't really matter, its missing!!! I have no clue, do the dominant males eat their own kind???

 

[OldMan47]

I have never seen swordtails eat other adult fish but I have often seen fish being chased that would try to escape by jumping out of the water. In a river or stream, it might be a very successful strategy but in our tanks it can mean landing in some place and drying up before being found.