swordtail driving me to drink

[noelberg]

I love swordtails to death ... literally, and I have an amazing male swordie, but he's a ladykiller... literally. Since I got my tank a month ago, I've had a swordie die every week! The first beautiful male I got died within 12 hours (was sick when bought). Introduced another male and a 2nd female, and the original female died a week later. The male (ladykiller) got along with the big female until I got a new orange female, then they both picked on the big female, who died on a Saturday night of a bacterial infection. LFS was closed Sunday so ladykiller picked on the orange female till she got a bacterial infection and died last night of it. SO now he has two females to chase, and I think one might actually be a late-developing male! GAH! I have 3 perfectly healthy glass cats and the swordies are the ones kicking the bucket - anybody ever have such swordtail troubles?

 

[HeatherSweetness]

I had a male and female gang up and pick on the other female until she died. I've never lost more than one,tho.

 

[guppymonkey]

If its the same male harassing all the females try to bring him back to the store and get an exchange. If it works you could end up with a better mannered swordtails instead (maybe).

 

[Never2Bknown]

I have precisely the same problems that you do! This is so interesting. It seems that every time I find a swordtail that I actually find worth buying, it dies not long after being bought. The only swordtail that I have now that has actually lasted a while is an absolutely monolithic female; four times the size your normal swordtail female. She is a marigold, so I bought a marigold male for her, but he was just too small and couldn't cut it...so he ended up dieing. Then I bought a brick-red that could actually do his job--but he died soon after he had done it. Then, in the past, I have also had several other swordtails, both male and female, die on me.
As for the the irritating-male problem, my only worry is that stupid little Endlers of mine, who, despite the two female guppies I put in for him, appears bound and determined to drive my female swordtail absolutely out of her mind! The annoying little fish simply won't let her be! In the meantime, I have been searching all of the fish stores that I can find looking for a good male swordtail that actually measures up to all of my standards...

 

[JoKeR]

Poor ladykiller cant find no one he likes

 

[noelberg]

In case anybody is interested in the final chapter of the ladykiller saga, here's the scoop:

This weekend he got something on his tail (a parasite or growth maybe?) and half an hour later it was gone ... along with a chunk of his sword. The tail continued to rot (despite treatments and water change) until it was completely gone and I had to euthanize him out of pity. I guess he got his just deserves in the end, but I hated to see him die. The surviving swords are peacefully munching algae off the side of my tank now ... hopefully the female is pregnant - think I see a gravid spot but not sure.

 

[jumpman]

So now your only problem is who took the chunk out of the sword??

 

[noelberg]

LOL yeah I have had NO luck with my swordtails. They're beautiful but I decided the remaining two are the last I get for a long time. I've had a better success rate with glass catfish