swordtail sex

[jjande2]

We purchased a pair of swordtails about a month ago and thought we got a male and female. However, the female seems to be growing a sword. Is this common? Is it bad to have two males in one tank?

 

[HeatherSweetness]

Yea my sword just did the same thing. I had a trio,and my biggest fattest female whom I thought might be pregnant finally turned into a boy overnight. It happens. You can keep them both in the tank,just make sure you have lots of plants and places to hide because most likely they will chase each other and pick. Do you have room for a female? If you do,I'd get one. They'll pick at each other more,tho. Just make sure they have places to dash and hide and they'll be allright.

 

[Sasha]

I had a female swordtail turn into a male! First I named her Olivia then I called him Herb. He grow a full length sword that was beautiful and I got pictures of him as a female than as a male. He didn't breed with my females through. I don't know why because I had four females in with him and he was the only male in the tank.

 

[noelberg]

Funny - I was just reading about this swordtail sex change phenomenon today before I came to the forums!

Apparently it's not all that uncommon. Some "fish experts" think that some males might just be late-maturing and grow their swords much later than the others. So you think you have a female and then *ZAP* she changes into a male. So it seems from my reading that scientists aren't really sure whether this is late swordtail puberty or if swordtails really do pull sex changes. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen with fish