Aquarium swordfish country of origin. Homeland aquarium fish swordsman. Cherry and tiger barbs

The swordtail (lat. Xiphophorus hellerii) is one of the most popular and unpretentious fish in the aquarium. The first swordtails appeared in aquariums back in 1864, and have not lost popularity since then. A long outgrowth on the lower fin in males, similar to a sword, gave it its name. But not only for this they love the swordsman - he is unpretentious, beautiful, very diverse in color and easily reproduces.

Swordtails are generally quite peaceful fish, well suited for community aquariums. But, they have very different characters, and he can be both quiet and timid, and a cocky bully. Especially males can be aggressive towards each other.

Habitat in nature

Homeland fish in Central America from southern Mexico to Guatemala. There are several colors of the original Xiphophorous helleri, which are considerably paler than the aquarium and breeding forms.

They live in nature in various reservoirs, both with running and stagnant water. They prefer shallow, abundantly overgrown places where they feed on various insects, algae and detritus.

In nature:

Description

swordsmen can grow quite large, males up to 11 cm, and females up to 12. But, usually in aquariums they are smaller, it very much depends on the type and conditions of detention. They live in an aquarium from 3 to 5 years.

As for coloration, it is difficult to single out any one form, although the most popular will be red with a black tail. And so they are red, green, black, albinos, spotted, yellow. enough to describe them all. difficult task. But, anyone who has ever seen an aquarium imagines what a swordsman looks like. This fish is so common.

Difficulty in content

One of the most popular fish for beginner aquarists. Unpretentious, not too big, just divorced. The disadvantages include the pugnacity of some males, especially among themselves.

Feeding the swordsmen

You can feed them flakes, live or frozen food, and other food for aquarium fish OK. Like all fish, swordtails need a varied diet. It is especially important to feed them plant foods that are high in fiber. The fact is that in nature, thin and fragile algae make up most of the diet of swordtails and other growths. In an aquarium, this amount of algae will be overkill, but you can always buy flakes with a plant component. You can make such flakes the basis of the diet, and live food as additional nutrition. Live food can be given any, swordtails are completely unpretentious.

Swordtails are very unpretentious in content. In an aquarium with a volume of 35 liters, you can keep one swordtail, but this is a very active fish and the larger the volume, the better. Remember that for breeding you need to keep one male and 2-3 females, but if there is 1 male and 1 female, then the male can drive her to death. And try not to buy several males in one tank, as swordtails have a pronounced hierarchy. The main male will always drive the rest, and these are fights, injuries, confusion.

Swordtails are quite unpretentious when it comes to temperature and can live at both 18C and 28C. Ideal would be 23-25C. Parameters such as hardness and pH are not very important for them, but they feel better in water of medium hardness and at pH 6.8-7.8.

It is desirable that the aquarium has filtration, an internal filter is quite enough. Required water changes to fresh, about 20% weekly. But keep in mind that in addition to being a very fast swordsman, he also jumps well. The aquarium must be covered, otherwise you risk finding a dried corpse.

How to decorate an aquarium - to your taste. The only thing is that it is desirable that it be densely planted with plants, since swordtails love such aquariums, and it is easier to hide from the aggression of males in the bushes.

Compatibility with other fish

Old males can attack other fish, but it depends on the individual. Some live quite peacefully for themselves, and some become violent. Aggression is promoted by cramped aquariums without plants. Here's what you don't need to do exactly, is to keep two or more males in the same tank. This leads to guaranteed fights. Who do they get along with? With viviparous: guppies, platies, mollies. They get along well with a variety of spawners: angelfish, gourami, neon, iris. But it’s better not to keep them with gold ones ... For gold ones, you need more cold water, and swords are restless neighbors.

Sex differences

It is extremely easy to distinguish a male from a female in swordtails. Only the male has a sword on the caudal fin, a long outgrowth for which the fish got its name. Also, in all viviparous, the anal fin of the male is pointed and narrow (gonopodium), and the female is wide.

Quite often it happens that a female swordsman suddenly grows a sword and becomes a male! At the same time, she behaves like a male, cares for other females, but is barren. The reasons for this phenomenon are not entirely clear.

Reproduction of swordtails

Swordtails are viviparous fish, that is, their fry appear not in the form of eggs, but fully formed. The male fertilizes the eggs inside the female's body, and she bears them until they are fully mature. Usually this period lasts 28-30 days. Actually breeding swordsmen at home is not easy, but elementary. The young male is constantly active and chasing the female, in fact, all you need to do is regularly remove her.

As with other viviparous (guppies, mollies), it is very easy to get fry from swordtails. The female can even give birth to fry without a male, the fact is that she can store the male’s milk in a frozen state and fertilize herself with them ... So if all of a sudden your female gave birth to fry, but there is no male in the aquarium, then this is exactly the case worked.

The female gives birth

Swordtails spores for reproduction and sometimes the only thing to do is raise the temperature in the aquarium to 25-27C. At the same time, the level of ammonia and nitrates should be kept as low as possible, and pH 6.8-7.8.

When the female gains weight, watch for a dark spot near her anus. When it darkens, and the female recovers significantly, then the time for childbirth will soon be. This dark spot is actually the eyes of a fully formed fry that show through her body. You can leave the female in the aquarium, but the fry will not survive very long, as other swordtails eat them very actively.

If you want as many swordtail fry as possible to survive, then it is better to transplant the female. Whichever option you choose, the main thing is that there are a lot of thick bushes in the aquarium. The fact is that the birth of a female swordsman is best in such thickets.

The fry of the swordtails are large, active and hungry. What to feed fry swordtails? You can feed with egg yolk, finely grated flakes and brine shrimp naupilii. It is better to add spirulina or flakes with fiber to the diet. The combination of spriulina + live food and your fry will grow very fast and bright.

Swordfish aquarium fish: content, compatibility, reproduction, photo-video review

The birthplace of the swordsmen is Central America (Southern Mexico and Guatemala). They live in reservoirs with stagnant and slowly running water, densely overgrown with a variety of aquatic plants.

Swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri) belong to the platy fish family. Xiphophorus helleri is translated from Greek as "xiphos" - a sword, "phoros" - to carry. The prefix "Helleri" was assigned to the swordsmen named after the German naturalist Karl Bartholomeus Geller, who first caught these fish in Mexican lakes and safely transported to Europe.

In 1848, these fish were first described by Dr. Johan Jakob Heckel, preparator at the Museum of Natural Sciences at the Imperial Natural History Office of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Vienna.

The body of the fish is elongated and laterally compressed. The mouth of the swordsmen is upturned and adapted for taking food from the surface of the water. The fish can reach a size of 10 cm (without the sword). The females are somewhat larger than the males, similar in shape to all other pecilia. In addition to the presence of a "sword" on the lower edge of the caudal fin, the male has a gonopodia - an anal fin transformed into a sexual organ.

scientific classification

swordsmen swordsmen:

Latin name:

Class: Ray-finned fish.

Squad: Carp-toothed.

Family: Pecilia.

Aquarium conditions:

Water temperature: 22 - 26 °С.

(tolerates a temporary drop in temperature up to 15 ° C)

"Acidity" Ph: 7,0 - 7,5.

Hardness dH: 6-20°

Aggressiveness: not aggressive 10%

Content Difficulty: light.

Sword Compatibility

Swordtails are not aggressive. They are compatible with almost all medium-sized peaceful fish. Among the best neighbors are tetras, minors, thorns, danios, all platy fish, etc. They are compatible with almost all bottom fish: corridors, acanthophthalmus, platidorus, ancistrus, sac-gill catfish, etc. They get along well with peaceful and not large cichlids, for example, with scalars.

Swordtails are not compatible with aggressive and big fish who will hunt them, for example, with cichlids (acaras, astronotus, diamond cichlids, etc.). In addition, it is not recommended to plant them with "veil" fish, because. they are slow and the swordsmen can “pinch” them by their fluttering fins.

Male swordtails show some intolerance and aggression towards each other. Cases of fights between males up to infliction of lethal injuries on each other were noted. Therefore, one aquarium should contain only one male, or several at once (but not a couple!), Plus the same or more females. In this case, the intraspecific aggressiveness of fish is markedly reduced. In this case, there are many local conflicts, but their intensity is relatively low, and the absolute winner, who then would not give anyone a pass, is not revealed. See article compatibility of aquarium fish.

Life expectancy of swordsmen

The life of swordtails, by aquarium standards, is medium-long. At good conditions content, they can live up to 5 years. You can find out how long other fish live HERE!

The minimum volume of the aquarium for swordsmen

Many novice aquarists keep swordtails in small aquariums. However, this is not entirely correct. In fact, swordtails are quite large fish. And taking into account the fact that swordtails are recommended to be kept in the proportion of 1 male / 2 or more females, the minimum size of the aquarium for them should be from 50 liters per harem family. Aquarium for swordsmen should be wide!!!

For information on how many fish can be kept in X liters of an aquarium, see HERE(at the bottom of the article there are links to aquariums of all sizes).

Requirements for the care and conditions of keeping the swordsmen

In some special conditions swordsmen do not need. In fact, maintaining optimal parameters aquarium water is their guarantee wellness. However, do not forget that:

1. Swordtails definitely need aeration and filtration, weekly replacement of up to 1/4 of the volume of aquarium water. It is worth noting that these fish do not need a lot of oxygen, and too frequent change (substitution) of aquarium water is not as beneficial for them as it is for other types of aquarium fish. Therefore, if you change the water less often, for example, once in 14 days, and not in 7, nothing bad will happen.

2. The aquarium must be covered with a lid, because. fish are nimble, they can jump out and die.

3. Like many fish, swordtails feel comfortable among living vegetation. As aquarium plants, it is recommended to use wallisneria, echinodorus, cryptocoryne, richcia, duckweed and other plants. The creation of thickets of plants imitates the natural habitat of fish.

4. When designing an aquarium, it is necessary to organize an open space for swimming in it. Swordsmen are excellent swimmers. Shelter swordsmen absolutely do not need.

Feeding and diet of swordsmen

Swordtails are unpretentious in food, they are omnivorous and prone to overeating. With pleasure they eat dry and freeze-dried food: flakes, granules, chips. They love live and frozen food (bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc.). Food is taken by the fish in all layers of the aquarium water. The food remaining on the surface and falling to the bottom will also not be left without attention.

The diet of swordsmen must include plant food: Spirulina flakes or granules, special algae tablets. In addition, they willingly eat algae from the walls of the aquarium, plants and decor.

Feeding aquarium fish must be correct: balanced, varied. This fundamental rule is the key to the successful keeping of any fish, be it guppies or astronotus. Article How and how much to feed aquarium fish talks about this in detail, it outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regimen for fish.

In this article, we note the most important thing - feeding fish should not be monotonous, the diet should include both dry food and live food. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the gastronomic preferences of a particular fish and, depending on this, include food in its diet either with the highest protein content or vice versa with herbal ingredients.

Popular and popular food for fish, of course, are dry food. For example, all the time and everywhere you can find on the aquarium counters the food of the Tetra company - the leader of the Russian market, in fact, the range of food of this company is amazing. Tetra's "gastronomic arsenal" includes both individual food for a certain kind fish: for goldfish, cichlids, loricariids, guppies, labyrinths, arowans, discus, etc. Also, Tetra has developed specialized feeds, for example, to enhance color, fortified or for feeding fry. Detailed information about all Tetra feed, You can find out on the official website of the company - Here.

It should be noted that when buying any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy feed by weight, and also store food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.

Varieties of aquarium swordsmen

The natural color of the swordsmen is gray-green. However, as a result of selection, it was bred a large number of swordsmen of various colors and shapes. The unpretentiousness in breeding and the ease of crossing have led to the presence today of more than two dozen accepted species of swordtails. Here are some of the most popular:

Bulgarian white swordsmen;

High-planed swordsman;

Mountain swordsman;

Green swordsman;

Red-speckled tiger swordsmen;

Red swordsman;

Lemon swordsman;

Lyretail swordsman;

Swordbearer of Hell;

Rainbow swordsmen;

Calico swordsman;

Black swordsman;

All types of swordsmen with a photo HERE.

Reproduction and breeding of swordsmen

Breeding and breeding swordtails is an absolutely simple task. It is similar to the reproduction of guppies and other livebearers. And, one might say, it actually happens on its own.

Sexual maturity in swordtails occurs at the age of 5-6 months. For breeding (and for their own comfort) it is recommended to keep fish in the proportion of one male to three females. In the process of "courtship" of the female, the male performs a kind of mating dance- shuttle movements back and forth.

Fertilization of mature eggs occurs inside the female. This process may take several days. An interesting feature is that once fertilized female swordsman can give birth to offspring several more times, even in the absence of a male.

The gestation period for a female is 4-6 weeks. This period depends on the parameters of the aquarium water, temperature, lighting and feeding.

The pregnant female has a full belly and has a "black spot of pregnancy" under the tail. It is believed that a few hours before the "delivery" the female's stomach becomes "square", the female begins to move more actively, "rush" up and down along the aquarium glass.

At one time, the female spawns from 15 to 100 or more fry. Spawning occurs, as a rule, in the morning.

With abundant nutrition and a water temperature of 26-27 ° C, childbirth can occur monthly.

In the photo, a male and female swordsman

Perhaps the most important rule that must be observed when breeding swordtails is concern for the survival of juveniles. Unfortunately, producers eat their own offspring, and taking into account the fact that swordtail fry are quite large and bright color– this process turns into a simple extermination. In nature, swordsmen never see their offspring, because. the fry is immediately carried away by the current. In the aquarium, the parents take the fry for food.

To preserve offspring, the aquarium is densely planted with aquarium plants. Plants are placed at the bottom of the aquarium, in the water column and especially densely on the surface. In this way, juveniles are provided with shelter "from evil parents" and most fry survive.

Also, to preserve the offspring, you can use special jigger, which are designed like a funnel - the female remains in the funnel, and the swept juveniles fall out of the funnel into the spawning aquarium. Thus, the absence of contact between the spawner and juveniles is initially ensured.

The third option for saving offspring is the jigging of producers immediately after spawning. This option is simple, but requires care and timeliness from the aquarist.

Photo juveniles, fry swordtails

After spawning, the female is removed and provided with abundant feeding.

The initial food for juvenile swordtails is live dust (nauplii, brine shrimp, cyclops, microworm, rotifers, cut tubifex).

A week later, juveniles of the swordtails begin to weed out - they are divided into strong and "pedigreed", and the weak and defective are destroyed.

Juveniles grow rapidly, after two months the anal fin begins to change in males, and by the third month the “sword” begins to grow.

An interesting fact from the life of these fish is that the female swordtail can at some point become a male, i.e. change gender. This occurs in conditions of "shortage" of males and is explained by the struggle for the survival of the species. The offspring from a pair of female + former female is almost 90% female.

Diseases and treatment of swordsmen

Swordtails are very persistent fish and can endure harsh conditions. However, like all living beings, such excellent health is not eternal. The key to successful keeping of fish is to ensure optimal conditions for aquarium water.

Swordtails are subject to all typical diseases of aquarium fish and there are no nuances in their treatment.

For the correct and correct treatment of swordtails, it is necessary to diagnose the disease, and then apply the necessary procedures.

This will help you Treatment and diseases of aquarium fish and sections of the site: FISH DISEASES are contagious, FISH DISEASES are not contagious, AQUA.MEDICINE.

Viviparous aquarium fish. Maintenance and breeding guide

livebreeding fishes

Popular swordfish video

Beautiful photos of swordsmen

My swordsman

One of the most popular exotic domestic fish is the old-timer of many aquariums and the favorite of not only experienced but also beginner aquarists - the swordtail. Many breeders have liked Xiphophorus Helleri for its cheerful disposition, mobility, variety of shapes, species and colors, as well as unpretentiousness to living conditions. Nevertheless, it won’t hurt to learn some of the subtleties of keeping and caring for these fish, and this article will help with this.

The homeland of the swordsmen are Central America, Southern Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. These fish have chosen there overgrown reservoirs with slowly flowing or stagnant waters.

In nature, only green swordtails are found, and all aquarium varieties are artificially bred by selection and crossing with platies.

The fish were brought to Europe by the doctor and botanist B.K. Geller. They got their name for the xiphoid outgrowth on the caudal fin, which only males have (translated from Greek, xiphos is a sword, phoros is to carry).

Description

Aquarium swordtails have a body of 5-8 cm, elongated and laterally compressed. Their mouths are slightly upturned to make it easier to take food from the surface of the water. Females are larger with a prominent abdomen and rounded fins, are duller in color, and do not have a sword on the caudal fin. With good care, these fish can please owners for up to five years, which is considered the average life expectancy.

Initially, swordtails were only brownish-olive with a silvery sheen, a pale reddish stripe along the body and a yellow, red or green sword. But today many varieties of black, lemon, red color have been bred, there are even spotted individuals. Breeders also experimented with fins, resulting in fish with elongated fins and even with two swords.

Behavior in the aquarium

The character of the swordsmen is peaceful, aggression towards representatives of themselves similar types they usually don't show up. Can be kept in the same container with neons, tetras, minors, thorns, zebrafish, guppies, mollies, different types catfish, angelfish, etc. It is undesirable to settle with veil fish, since the tails and fins of the latter are at risk of being plucked.

Swordtails should not be placed together with large aggressive fish such as astronotus, acara, cichlazoma and the like.

Within the species, skirmishes and fights can occur between males, especially if there are only two of them in the aquarium. Therefore, experienced aquarists recommend housing at least three male swordtails at the same time.

How to arrange a habitat?

When choosing an aquarium, it is better to stop at a wide version, with a volume of at least 30 liters. The calculation should be such that one fish has three liters of water. The length of the container is recommended to be at least 30 cm. A lid or glass is required on top, as swordtails are very nimble and can accidentally jump out.

As for the quality of water, it is better to stick to the temperature within 18-26 degrees, hardness 8-22 DH, acidity 7-8 pH.

The purity of the water is very important, so installing a filter will be useful. Regularly (about once a week) you need to replace the water by a third of the volume of the aquarium, before having stood it for about a day.

To prevent diseases of the swordsmen, experts recommend adding a tablespoon of sea or table salt for every 10 liters of water. But this is not always possible, as it can negatively affect other inhabitants of the aquarium and plants.

Fish do not tolerate a lack of oxygen in the water, so aeration is prerequisite their content.

Lighting should be good, but not in direct sunlight.

The soil can be taken in any color and texture.

As for algae, for the background it is better to arrange dense thickets of camomba, toothed elodea and the like. On the side of the aquarium, small-leaved and long Indian limnophila, glitter, and pinnate are planted. It is good to place Riccia on the surface of the water. The foreground should be free space for swimming and feeding.

You can decorate the aquarium with stones, grottoes, snags. But this is not necessary, since swordsmen do not need shelters.

What to feed?

Unpretentiousness in food is another of the advantages of these fish. But in order for their growth and development to be the best, nutrition should be diversified and alternated. What can be used?

1. Dry, live and frozen food (bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc.).
2. Vegetable food prepared independently (algae, spinach, nettle, lettuce leaves are scalded with boiling water and then crushed).
3. Non-standard top dressing: boiled egg yolk, crackers, dietary meat, squid or boiled fish. Of course, everything must first be crushed.

Remaining food should be removed so that the water in the aquarium stays clean longer.

About diseases

These fish don't get sick very often. The main causes of diseases of the swordsmen are non-compliance with the conditions of detention, colds and infections that have come in with food.

A salt bath (at the rate of one tablespoon of salt per liter of water) for 15-20 minutes will help treat your pet and prevent general infection in the aquarium. You can fix the effect of the bath by placing the fish for two days in a weak solution of methylene blue (temperature about 25 degrees).

For the treatment of diseases of the gills, scales, as well as for infectious individuals, trypaflavin and biomycin are used in solutions.

If the aquarium is overpopulated with female swordtails, then they can change their gender to male. At the same time, the xiphoid process grows in them and a gonopodium appears on the anal fin. Males do not have the gift of reincarnation.

Now, having studied the features of keeping and caring for swordsmen, even novice lovers of these fish will be able to create ideal conditions for your pets.

swordsmen

Swordfish - AQUARIUM FISH.

Everyone knows swordsmen, even those who have never encountered the aquarium world. The swordsmen gained such fame due to their wide distribution (we can say that they were included in the set of every young aquarist former USSR), and also thanks to a special sign - a tail fin in the shape of a sword. Actually, it was for this tail that the swordsmen got their name.

Optimal water parameters : temperature 22-24°C, dH 5-20°, pH 7.0-8.0. Requires strong aeration and filtration. Once a week, a 1/3 volume water change is necessary. It is recommended to add sea or table salt to the water: 1 tbsp. for 10 liters of water.

Dense thickets of small-leaved plants (for example, toothed elodea, cabomba, vallisneria) are perfect for an aquarium with swordtails. But free space for swimming fish should also be present. Riccia can be floated on the surface of the water.

Any peaceful fish will do as neighbors. There are conflicts between the male swordtails in the group, so it is necessary that there are more females than males. In this case, there should be either one or more than three males - aggression is sprayed, and not directed directly at each other between two males.

BREEDING Sword

Swordtails belong to the family of viviparous. The female at one time is able to give life from 15 to 100 fry, or even more. The number of fry born depends on the age and size of the mother, as well as on the conditions of her life. For successful breeding before childbirth, the pregnant female is placed in a separate aquarium. In order for the fry that were born to be able to avoid the teeth of an adult female, small-leaved aquatic plants must also be placed there in order to create saving thickets of algae in a small pond, in which it is so good to hide from danger. Breeding does not require any special care from the aquarist.

BLACK SWORDS

It will be enough just to isolate the female from the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium for the time of childbirth, and after giving birth, return her to her usual environment, allowing the sword-bearing babies to develop on their own. By the time of birth, the fry are fully formed to start an independent life. As soon as they are born, they immediately begin to tirelessly explore the space of the aquarium and actively eat. Kids are practically omnivores, but it is preferable to give them daphnia and cyclops. With proper feeding, the fry grow rapidly, by 3-4 months they already acquire a “sword”, and puberty occurs at 4-6 months.

COMPATIBILITY OF AQUARIUM FISH

Swordtails are not aggressive, peaceful fish. They are compatible with all similar fish: tetras, neons, minors, thorns, zebrafish, all platy fish: guppies (they can bite), mollies, etc. They are compatible with almost all aquarium catfish- corridors (speckled catfish), acanthophthalmus, platidor, ancistrus, sac-gill catfish, etc. Moreover, swordtails get along very well with peaceful and not large cichlids, for example, with scalars. It is not recommended to plant them with "veil" fish - they are slow and the swordsmen can "pinch" them by their beautiful, large fins. Not compatible with aggressive and large fish, such as cichlids: acara, astronotus, diamond cichlids

What are the diseases and symptoms?

Diseases of aquarium fish swordtails have three main reasons:

An attentive owner will notice the beginning diseases of swordtails during a daily inspection of aquarium fish. Here's what it's worth note:

• freezing in place, lying on the bottom;
• erratic swimming, swaying, rubbing against stones;
• loss of appetite;
• bloating;
• folding fins;
• cloudy and whitish spots on the body;
• cotton-like patches.

The diseased individual should be transplanted as soon as possible. Perhaps healthy people can be saved from infection.

Species and varieties

Green swordsman has a light olive-brown color with a greenish tint. Along the body there is one bright red stripe and several light ones. The body itself is narrow and flattened on the sides. The sword is beautifully bordered. Female swordtails are larger than males, have a paler color.

lemon swordsman. This is an albino form of the green swordsman, which is distinguished by a yellow-green body color. Not resistant to reproduction.

Bulgarian white swordsman. Another albino variety of swordtails. Bulgarian swordtails are stronger and more resistant than lemon ones.

Black swordsman. A hybrid of a green swordsman with a black pelicia. The body of the black swordsman is usually wider and shorter than that of the green. The color is black, has a greenish or blue tint. Fish often suffer from melanosis (an overabundance of pigment), which makes it difficult to breed them.

Red swordsman. The result of crossing a green swordsman with a red pelicia. It has a bright red body color.

Calico swordsman. So named because of the tricolor color. It has a white body color with several large bright red and black spots.

rainbow swordsman. It is similar in color to the Australian rainbow fish. The body is gray-green, has an orange tint. Along the body are reddish-brown stripes. The fins of the fish are bright orange.

tiger swordsman. So named because of the black spots on the background of the red body. Has a long black sword. Despite the dark spots, these fish rarely suffer from melanosis.

mountain swordsman. It has a creamy yellow color. Small spots and pale zigzag stripes are noticeable on the sides.

The swordsman of Cortes. In nature, it lives in the Mexican rivers San Luis Potosi and Paniko. The size of the fish is approximately 5 - 5.5 cm, females are larger than males. From the root of the tail to the eye - a dark brown zigzag stripe, scales mesh gray - yellow, dorsal fin speckled. The sword is about 2 cm long, painted grayish-yellow.

Microsword swordsman. Under natural conditions, it lives in Mexico in the Sotola - Marina River. The female reaches a length of 5 cm, and the male is about 4 cm long. It has a beige or olive-gray color with transverse stripes, it may be without stripes. There are rather large dark spots on the root of the tail behind the ventral fin. In males, the sword is transparent up to 5 mm in length.

Clementia's swordsman. Under natural conditions, it lives in the Mexican Sarabia River. The fish are 4 to 5.5 cm long, the female is much larger than the male. The body of the fish is silver-blue with two red longitudinal stripes. The back is painted in olive-beige, the sword of the male is yellowish with a black edging, the length of the sword is about 3.5 cm.

Montezuma's swordsman V natural conditions lives in Mexico. The body length of the female is 6-7 cm, the male is about 5 cm. The body is painted lilac color, the back has a brownish tint, along the body - 4-5 burgundy longitudinal stripes in the form of a zigzag and the same number of paler transverse stripes. The dorsal fin of the male is yellow, dotted with dark patches.

swordsmen

Swordtails belong to the family of viviparous toothy carps. The body is elongated, flattened laterally.

The natural background color of males is light brownish-olive, on the back with a green tint. A red two-millimeter stripe runs along the sides, and below and above it there are two more narrower red stripes. The long lower ray of the caudal fin (sword) has a clear black border. The color of the female is much paler, the body has a silvery sheen, the middle of the body is occupied by a wide stripe, and below and above this stripe there are two more narrow stripes 0.5 mm wide.

As a result of selection, swordtails have not only various forms fins, but also different body colors: black, red, olive, orange, yellow, and their combinations (for example, a yellow body and black fins). Swordtails with two swords are also bred - in the lower and upper parts of the tail.

The body of a male (without a sword) can grow up to 8 cm, and a female up to 12 cm.

Swordtails live up to three to five years.

Sword VIDEO

GUPPI ENDLER CONTENTS REPRODUCTION PHOTO COMPATIBILITY DESCRIPTION VIDEO.

SUMATRAN BARBUS BREEDING CONTENT DESCRIPTION PHOTO VIDEO.

This seemingly purely cognitive question has a practical application. Climate and living conditions in different regions the continent is very different, and therefore often some inhabitants of the reservoirs simply cannot exist together. Experienced aquarists try to settle in the same tank wards, which are suitable for almost the same temperature and hardness of the aquatic environment.

Origin of popular aquarium fish

It is simply impossible to describe all aquarium fish and tell where their distant homeland is. The number of species of these amazing creatures exceeds 21 thousand! Those amateurs who are interested in this article can find more information in reference books or catalogs. Only by the example of the five most common species, you can easily understand how wide the geography of the origin of the creatures that live in your aquariums.

black swordsman

Swordtails are known to all lovers of aquarium fish. These beauties are very popular among aquarists. Since they are different colors, they can decorate any aquarium. Not every type of fish can boast of such multicolor, swordtails are red, yellow, gold, calico (red with black and white spots), orange and even tiger. But the most noble color of the swordsman is black, velvet, and I want to talk about it.

The homeland of the swordtails is North and Central America, where they are found in wild nature, and only green in color, they love swamps, ponds, all bodies of water with stagnant water. At the beginning of the twentieth century, fish were brought to Europe, and then to Russia.

The black swordsman was bred artificially, by crossing black platies and green swordsmen, the species was bred in Russia in 1946 by aquarists V. M. Maranchak and G. V. Samokhvalov. In nature, black swordtails are not found.

These fish got their name because of the tail process in the form of a sword, its length reaches five centimeters. IN aquarium conditions the fish have enlarged dorsal and caudal fins.

Swordtails are viviparous fish from the carp-tooth family. These fish are easy to breed, as they do not spawn, but give birth to fry immediately. It is better to put the kids in a separate aquarium right away so that they do not die. Plant algae in the aquarium, fry swordtails prefer to hide in them at the beginning of their life path. In order for swordtail breeding to be successful, it is best to plant one male and several females in an aquarium. The aquarium should be elongated, the swordsmen love long swims, they mostly perform them in flocks.

Females grow up to 14-15 centimeters long, they are much larger than males, males are 8-10 centimeters, but they reach this size only in very good aquarium conditions. Swordtails love to stay in the upper layers of the water, they are heat-loving fish, but the water temperature should not exceed 25 ° C.

Swordsmen are very fond of clean water, therefore, it is necessary to have a filter in the aquarium and change one third of the water, once every two weeks. Basically, they are unpretentious in content, they can be advised for breeding beginner aquarists.

Aquarium swordtails should be kept in an aquarium closed from above, since swordtails are very mobile and sometimes jump out of the water, this is very dangerous for fish, as they can easily jump out of the aquarium and die.

Black swordtails are probably the most interesting and unusual of all swordtails, they swim like black velvet shadows in an aquarium and, undoubtedly, are an adornment of any aquarium.

If you decide to have fish at home, you can safely buy swordsmen, and of course, among them there should be a black swordsman, since you can watch him for hours, admiring his beauty.

Types of aquarium fish

The role of the aquarium in the apartment is interesting: a piece of the water element, placed in the interior of the dwelling of a city dweller, is a wonderful element of decor, as well as a means of relaxation after labor day full of stress. Aquarium fish, embodied in your apartment in miniature, will bring you a lot of joy. But when starting an aquarium, it is important to understand what types of aquarium fish will live in it and how.

Leafing through the catalog, delving into the photos and names of aquarium fish, first of all, you should decide on the purpose of the upcoming purchase: do you want to engage in breeding or start an aquarium for aesthetic reasons?

Selection takes a lot of time and effort, as certain types of aquarium fish need special conditions for reproduction. You also need to find out under what conditions this or that variety of aquarium fish will acquire the desired external parameters (temperature and hardness of water, lighting, and the nature of the food can significantly affect the appearance).

Creation " underwater world» with an aesthetic purpose - a somewhat different task from selection. Here, first of all, catalogs that present various types of aquarium fish in pictures will help you. However, even here, studying the photo and description of aquarium fish, you should choose the inhabitants of the aquarium, which require similar conditions of detention and are not part of the food chain each other. Failure to follow these principles will lead to disease and death of fish.

Many years of work by aquarists and breeders have led to the fact that it is impossible to mention all the names of aquarium fish even in a voluminous brochure. Therefore, below we present a table that includes short description the most common individuals.

Who will make friends with whom underwater

In order to have less contention in your aquarium, its inhabitants should not be crowded. For each fish up to 5 cm in size, you need 8-10 liters of aquarium volume, 10 cm in size - 15-20 liters, over 15 cm - 25-30 liters. These figures are not the "ultimate truth" and are given with some margin, but they should not be exceeded. Don't forget that the plants and soil in your aquarium also take up some space.

Remember that some types of aquarium fish can only give birth if there are no “foreign” neighbors nearby at all. In other words, it is not uncommon for a certain type of aquarium fish that can live in a common aquarium to breed only in a “species” home reservoir.

No matter how much you like the photos and names of aquarium fish from the catalog, new pets should not be added to a common aquarium if they are incompatible with those that already live in your home pond.

You can make a set of fish for the aquarium yourself using the table below.

Also a good solution would be to use one of the time-tested sets of aquarium fish.

Set No. 1: Aquarium with viviparous fish

Viviparous aquarium fish include Guppies, Mollies, Pecilia, Swordtails. 20-25 individuals can be placed in an aquarium with a volume of 100 liters. Viviparous coexist well with neighbors from the haracin family. They can also be combined with small-sized cyprinids (rasboras).

Most tropical aquatic plants will also thrive in such an aquarium.

Set No. 2: Aquarium with barbs

It is advisable to place 10-15 scarlet, green and cherry barbs in a 100-liter aquarium. You can also add Sumatran barbs, but be aware that they can damage the whiskers of snails and pluck the most delicate plants.

Set No. 3: Multi-species aquarium

Bottom. Catfish Corridors, schooling fish, so you can settle up to 5 pcs.

middle water layer. For this layer, you can choose barbs (cherry or green) in an amount of at least 6 individuals (4 males and 2 females).

Upper layer. Gourami - 2 individuals. The only difficulty with these fish is to determine the sex when buying.

For cleaning glass, you can purchase snails - 3-4 pcs.

This set is very well balanced. Such an aquarium can include many types of aquarium plants, and the biological balance in it will be very stable.

Set No. 4: Aquarium with goldfish

Goldfish are often prone to disease and need frequent water changes. Low temperature the water necessary for their maintenance will not allow most other representatives of the aquarium flora and fauna to settle with goldfish. For a 100 liter aquarium, one pair will suffice.

By studying the varieties of aquarium fish, over time you will be able to make a successful set on your own. You just need to show imagination and be attentive to your underwater pets.

Aquarium fish and their homeland, conditions for keeping aquarium fish.

Viviparous aquarium fish - what are they?

After acquiring your own artificial reservoir, every novice aquarist's first natural impulse is the desire to fill it with all kinds of fish. But with which ones to start?

Today in the world there are many different types of aquarium fish. And the simplest thing that is usually offered or advised in a pet store is viviparous aquarium fish. It is they who differ from other types of fish in that they are easier to maintain. Also, breeding them is not difficult. They also have very diverse offspring.

This happens by breeding and crossing different types of fish. For some reason, it has already developed that it is these so-called viviparous fish that are always the first to populate new aquariums. But you get so used to them that you start to get involved in them already. long years. Therefore, they occupy the first place among the aquatic aquarium world. Let us consider in more detail what these bewitching representatives of the underwater world are.

As mentioned above, viviparous aquarium fish, photos of which are quite often found in various aquarium magazines, are very easy to keep, and there are no problems with reproduction. So, for this it is enough just to create good living conditions. In addition, there is absolutely no need to purchase huge aquariums for them. They tolerate temperature changes very well. Also, viviparous fish perfectly adapt to hard water, which is very important.

They need a lot of space at the same time, and that there are dense thickets of plants. There are differences between male and female. As a rule, the female is somewhat larger than the male. It is very interesting to watch the female before the so-called "birth". The abdomen of the female becomes rectangular. It is better, of course, during pregnancy to place it separately from other fish.

The female releases live fry into the world. She does not lay eggs at all. Also, do not forget to create a separate container for it with the same conditions as in the aquarium. For example, many experts recommend filling it with plants. Fry, in order to fill their swim bladder with air, immediately float to the surface. In addition, newborn fish are very dexterous and skillfully survive among adult fish. From the first minutes of life, they can hide between thickets and provide themselves with food. There are also no problems with feeding the fry. They are not picky and eat almost any food.

Kinds

The most common and popular types of aquarium fish are viviparous. They constitute large group such fish. The list of such fish is very long. To better know which fish are viviparous, you need to get acquainted with the most common species and their names.

Guppy

This type of fish, photos of which can be seen below, is the most popular and most famous. Their homeland Latin America. They are very calm. They are very easy to keep. Not picky, tenacious and prolific. Breeding this type of fish is not particularly difficult. Therefore, for beginner aquarists, this is an excellent choice. There are many varieties, the photos of which are presented below, namely:

1. Skirts.
2. Fantail.
3. Lyrebirds.

All of the above varieties of Guppies will decorate any aquarium.

swordsmen

This fish, the photo of which can be seen below, got its name because of its tail, which is very similar to a sword. Their homeland is tropical reservoirs of Central America, Southern Mexico. She is also a viviparous fish. Also, like Guppies, it is safe for other fish. Swordtails are very beautiful and have a bright color. hallmark between female and female is their size. The female is somewhat larger in size than the male. She is also not as expressively bright as the male. Their body is elongated. There are many types of swordsmen, photos of which are presented below. So, they include:

• tricolor swordtails;
• flag swordsmen;
• veil-tailed swordtails;
• swordtails are green;
• black swordsmen;
• chintz swordtails.

Their maintenance and breeding does not require much effort. These fish differ from other fish in their mobility. Therefore, do not forget about the presence of a lid on the aquarium, as they can jump out.

Pecilia

These fish are native to South America. It is better to start a description of these fish with the fact that representatives of this species tolerate both fresh and low-salt water equally well. This type of fish is different species diversity and all sorts of colors. Males, on the other hand, differ from females in that they have a white-yellow color that turns into a bluish one. Females are brownish-gray in color, as shown in the photo below, and there are small reddish lines on the sides. Reproduction of these fish is very simple. The female in just one mark produces up to 80 fry. But unlike the Guppy and the Swordsman, Pecilia does not need to be planted in another container.

Pecilia is unpretentious and peaceful. You can feed the fish both dry and live food. The optimum water temperature is 23-25 ​​degrees. It also needs to be filtered. Keeps in flocks.

Varieties of Pecilia:

1. Pecilia chintz.
2. Pecilia lunar.
3. Pecilia red.
4. Pecilia tricolor.
5. Pecilia spotted.

Molliesia is native to South America. These fish, the photos of which are listed below, prefer slightly salty water. But by no means iodized. It is best to use special salt for aquariums. You just need to add the right and correct amount of salt. It can be 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon of salt per 10 liters of water.

Mollies have a flat elongated body shape. A bit like swordsmen. The back of the body ends with a rounded caudal fin. Their coloration is varied. There should be plenty of space in the aquarium, as the fish are very mobile. Just like swordtails, they are very playful and can jump out of the water. Therefore, the aquarium must be equipped with a lid. Representatives of this species breed as well as all viviparous fish. They eat a variety of foods. Varieties of Mollies:

• mollies black;
• sailing mollies;
• molliesia sphenops;
• freestyle mollies;
• velifera mollies.

And finally, I would like to say that no matter what viviparous fish is acquired, no problems are expected with it. The only thing that needs to be done is to observe the minimum conditions for keeping fish in an aquarium.

How to care for green swordsmen

The green swordsman, Heller's swordsman (lat. Xiphophorus helleri) is a beautiful freshwater fish of the Pecilia family. The birthplace of the green swordsmen is the reservoirs of the countries of Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras). These fish prefer mountain rivers with strong currents, lakes and swamps, as well as lagoons and ponds. Can adapt to life in brackish water. This species of swordsmen came to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, later it participated in selection to create other breeds.

Appearance Features

The green swordtail can breed with platies, resulting in many species different colors: black, red, lemon, spotted, brindle. Thanks to selection work, we got interesting shapes green swordsmen: with lyre-shaped fins, three-lobed fins, veil-tailed, scarf-finned, high-finned. Nowadays, it is impossible to buy a wild swordtail, so it is bred in aquariums and fish farms.

The body of the green swordsman is elongated, flattened on the sides. Males are slimmer than females. The average body size of fish is 10-12 cm. The mouth is upper, adapted to capture food from the surface of the water. The color of the scales of the natural form of the green swordtail is olive-gray or yellowish-brown, there is a strip with a greenish shimmer on the back. The fins of the fish are yellow-green, translucent, on dorsal fin there are small brown spots.

Look at the green swordsmen in the aquarium.

A horizontal dark purple stripe with a red or blue border stands out on the body, there are 2 more stripes parallel to it. In females, the body is characterized by a silvery tint, it is slightly faded in color. Adult fish are distinguished by a dark spot at the anal fin.

The lower rays of the caudal fin of the male are elongated; in females, the entire tail is single-lobed, round. The so-called "sword" of the tail is painted black, it can shimmer with green, orange or red. Females are larger than males. The gonopodium (anal fin) of the male is cone-shaped, in females it is rounded.

The green swordtail is a hardy fish that can live in water of different parameters. Recommended conditions of the aquatic environment: temperature 24-26oC, acidity 7.0-8.0 pH, hardness - 10-15o. One fish can live in an aquarium with a volume of 20 liters, but it is better to choose a more spacious tank - at least 50 liters per pair of fish. For breeding green swordsmen, you will need a spacious and long aquarium (1 meter wide) with a volume of 100 liters so that future producers can feel comfortable.

Green swordtails love the flow that can be created with a filter and water from a pump. Close the aquarium with a lid, leaving a narrow gap between it and the surface of the water. Leave free water space for swimming. Make sure these active fish did not jump out of the aquarium.

This type of fish has a peaceful and friendly disposition, they are suitable for a common aquarium where other types of fish live. 2-3 females should be settled per male, two males can fight in the same territory. Viviparous fish species are suitable as neighbors for swordtails: guppies, platies, mollies, iris. It is not recommended to settle them with slow and disproportionate fish, as well as veil-tailed and long-finned fish species.

Look at green swordtails with other fish.

Wild green swordtails can swim in brackish waters of lagoons and estuaries, so they tolerate salty aquarium water. Recommended proportions sea ​​salt: 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water. Consider the characteristics of plants and other fish - they also need to like salted water. Also, the health of these fish is negatively affected by a decrease in oxygen in the water, so aeration should be constant. Under good conditions, the fish will live from 3 to 5 years.

Aquarium plants, feeding rules

Plants with small leaves that reach the surface of the water are suitable as aquarium decorations: Indian limnophila, hornwort, vallisneria, pinnate, fern, cryptocoryne, floating plant species (green riccia, floating salvinia). On background tank, you can plant dense bushes of greenery, in which pregnant females and fry can hide (Elodea toothed, cabomba, isoztis, aponogeton, myriophyllum). As a soil, medium pebbles or sand (not colored) are suitable.

A full-fledged life activity of a green swordsman is possible under conditions of proper feeding with different types of food. Give these pets live food - brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, coretra, bloodworm, tubifex, insect larvae. You can feed them frozen, dry branded food and combination food.

Green swordtails will not refuse fresh plant foods, including: lettuce and spinach leaves, nettle and dandelion leaves (scalded with boiling water), boiled cereals (peas, millet, oatmeal). With a lack of fiber in the body, the fish will begin to gnaw on the leaves of aquatic plants. Swordtails will be able to endure a 2-week absence of food if the owner is absent during this time. However, under this condition, there should definitely be algae and living plants in the aquarium. They can collect algae from plants and decorations, find snails by pulling them out of their shells. After feeding, remove uneaten food in a timely manner so that it does not start to sour, forming harmful ammonia impurities. Remove leftover food with a net, or siphon the soil with a tube.

Aquarium fish. Sword-bearers.

Homeland of catfish, swordsman, barbus, guppies, angelfish and goldfish

Alex

There are a lot of catfish, hundreds of species are kept in aquariums. I have armored ones, the label is like this:
Corydoras speckled - Corydoras paleatus.
Family Callichthy catfish Callichthyidae.
Order Catfish - Siluriformes.
Homeland - shallow reservoirs of South America.
The swordsmen:
Ruby swordsman - Xiphophorus helleri.

Order Carp-tooths - Cyprinodontidae.
Homeland tropical South America.

Guppy - Poecilia reticulate.
Family Poeciliidae - Poeciliidae.
Homeland - shallow brackish reservoirs and estuaries of South America.
Angelfish from South America, barbs - from Southeast Asia, one of the species is called "Sumatra", gold fish- from China.

Under natural conditions, the swordtail lives in the waters of Central America, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras. These mobile fish inhabit ponds, lakes, lower reaches of rivers, reservoirs with stagnant or slowly flowing water. Swordtails were brought to Europe, and then to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, immediately gaining great popularity among lovers of aquarium fish.

By its popularity among aquarists swordsmen do not yield. The ease of keeping and breeding these fish makes it possible to recommend them both for beginners (along with or), and for experienced aquarium fish lovers.

Breeding swordtails of different species

At present, after many years of work of breeders, there are practically no purebred swordtails left in aquariums. As a result of crossing the swordsman with various types of platies, a large number of breeds of swordsmen of the most different colors and with various form fins.

By artificial selection were bred red, gold, lemon, black, brindle(combination of red and black colors), chintz(combination of red, black and white colors) and others color varieties swordsmen.

Grey-green aquarium swordtails, outwardly resembling the wild original form of these fish, are also the result of selection work.

Male and female swordtails

A characteristic feature of this species of aquarium fish, for which they got their name, is the presence of a xiphoid outgrowth of the lower part of the caudal fin in males. Source:

Female swordtails differ from males in larger sizes, not so bright colors and the absence of a "sword". Under natural conditions, females reach 10-12 cm, males - 8 cm.

In aquariums, swordtails, as a rule, do not grow to such sizes, but at the same time retain their natural forms and the ability to reproduce. The initial natural coloration of males can be judged by the so-called green swordsman, which has a silvery - olive color, and greenish in reflected light. A brown-red stripe runs along the entire body, including the head and tail fin, bordering the male's sword from above and below.

Aquarium for swordsmen

Swordtails in the aquarium

Swordtails are very unpretentious to the composition and volume of water in the aquarium, they tolerate fluctuations in water temperature quite well, although the temperature of 22-24 ° C is optimal for their growth and reproduction. Regularly, at least once a week, about 1/3 of the volume of water in the aquarium should be replaced. In addition, it is desirable from time to time to enrich the water with oxygen (aeration).

For an aquarium, it is advisable to choose small-leaved plants that form dense thickets in which fry could hide from adult fish. The most suitable for this may be kabomba, vallisneria, toothed elodea and others. On the surface of the water, it is desirable to let riccia - openwork bright green moss, forming picturesque islands. Dense thickets of plants must be alternated with free space for swimming fish.

Such mobile inhabitants of the aquarium as swordtails sometimes frolic so much that they can jump out of the water and die. To avoid this, the aquarium should be covered with glass.

Swordtails are quite peaceful with other fish species and get along well with them. When keeping a group of swordtails in an aquarium, it is necessary that there are more females than males. Often a stronger male starts chasing a weaker one. The vital activity of swordtails, like other varieties of fish, depends on proper nutrition. With regard to food, swordtails are unpretentious: they willingly eat any live food (cyclops, daphnia, bloodworm, tubifex), they perceive combined types of food quite well. Their diet should definitely include food of plant origin: algae, various varieties of lettuce, spinach, crushed oatmeal.

Reproduction of swordtails, pregnancy, fry of swordtails

Swordfish belong to the family of viviparous fish. The number of fry in a female swordtail depends on her age, size, living conditions and ranges from 15-20 to 100 or more at a time. Shortly before giving birth, a pregnant female swordtail should be placed in a separate aquarium or jar with a large number of small-leaved plants located on the bottom and on the surface of the water. The presence of a sufficient amount of algae will allow the fry to get lost among them and thereby avoid the teeth of the female, which can destroy them. After giving birth, the mother should be separated from the babies in a common aquarium.

This is one of the most popular fish in the aquarium for the novice and professional breeder. The fish is so unpretentious that sometimes only guppies and swordtails turn out to be in the aquarium for beginners. Perhaps even those people who have never started fish and are not going to do so know about them.

They appeared in human aquariums as early as 1864 and since then have become permanent residents of apartment reservoirs.

These fish got their name from sword-shaped tail in males. Outwardly, the fish are very cute, and their color is diverse. Swordtails are liked not only because of their unpretentiousness, but also because they breed easily and very rarely get sick.

Swordsmen cannot be named peaceful fish, A they show the most aggression towards each other. Sometimes there are instances of a very timid nature.

Swordtails feel best in aquariums with abundant vegetation and at the same time sufficient space for swimming. In addition, abundant vegetation helps the fry of these livebearers to hide.

Swordsman in nature

The birthplace of these cute fish is Central America. The range in the wild extends from Mexico to Guatemala. Wild swordtails are not as brightly colored as their domesticated relatives.

In their natural environment, swordtails prefer strongly overgrown shallow reservoirs with both running water and stagnant water. They feed mainly on insects, as well as plant foods.

These fish belong to the Pecilian family. They gained their fame thanks to the German biologist Geller, who caught them from the lakes of Mexico in 1848. As the first description of the swordsmen testifies, their body is arched and compressed on the sides, and their mouths are slightly upturned. The size of swordtails can reach ten centimeters in females and slightly less in males. The male also has a gonopobia - an anal fin. A distinctive feature from the rest of the Pecilia is the tail in the form of a sword.

The color of these fish can be very different. There are orange swordtails, black, red and even yellow. Sometimes the body of the fish is painted in one color, and the tail in another. The color of the male is always slightly brighter than that of the females. Males can be distinguished from females even by the caudal fin. In males, it is radiant. Thanks to their upturned mouth, it is easy for swordtails to get food from the surface of the water.

Types of aquarium swordtail

There are several types of fish with tails in the form of a sword:

• Bulgarian white is an albino fish. When breeding, it is unstable and often produces offspring that differ from the parents.
• Another albino, but only a lemon shade. Greenish fish very whimsical, and its breeding is problematic due to the complete absence of a guarantee when obtaining a result.
• is a hybrid from green swordsman and black picily. The color of the black swordsman is not matte, but with a green tint. This species is very problematic, as the hybrid often gets sick. The excess of pigment obtained by crossing is to blame for this.
• actually has a brown-olive color. On the body you can see red blotches in the form of stripes. His tail is beautifully edged in red.
• red pigment obtained from the swordtail by crossing the green swordtail and the red picilia.
• Tricolor painted in three shades: red, black and white, as the main one.
• The most disease resistant species is brindle. They have a black tail and a red body with black spots.
• yellow swordsman otherwise called mountainous. It has creamy zigzag stripes on the sides.
• Rainbow color in swordtails is rare and has several shades. Usually it is gray, orange and green, and red stripes on the sides.

As a result of the work of breeders, a lot of various types. These are Tuxedo, Hell Swordsman, Viennese, Evelyn, Berlin Swordsman and Koi. If you have several species of swordtails in your aquarium, then after a while you will notice what a variety of offspring can be obtained by mixing species. Sometimes there are such specimens that you want to select yourself. True, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to fix the result.

But, scientists have already managed to diversify this type of pecilia as much as possible. There are fish with veil fins, lobed and lyre-shaped. And the variety of colors is simply amazing.

This hardy fish is usually kept in a common aquarium with the rest of the inhabitants. The water in the aquarium should be enriched with oxygen, be constantly clean and alkaline. A water filter must be present. Rigidity in the range of 15–30, that is, moderate. The amount of water is at least fifty liters so that the fish have enough space for swimming. Change about a quarter of the water in the aquarium once a month.

Be sure to cover the aquarium with a lid or glass. These fish are distinguished by high jumping ability.

As for the neighborhood of swordtails with other fish, they get along well with mollies, catfish, minors and various tetras, and they most often show aggression towards each other. It is advisable to keep swordtails with fish of the same size as they are.

Swordfish breeders advise choosing an oblong, elongated aquarium so that pugnacious males can hide from each other.

Maintain a stable water temperature in the aquarium. These fish are sensitive to sudden changes and can get sick with a disease such as ichthyophthyrosis. You can detect the disease by the following signs: the fins of the swordsmen shrink, and the fish itself gravitates to the bottom where it scratches the body on the stones. Such signs occur with a sharp hypothermia of the water in the aquarium.

In order for them to feel comfortable, try to keep the temperature at least twenty-five degrees. To do this, there are aquarium heaters with a thermometer that will help you ensure proper care of the aquarium habitats during the winter and autumn months.

Feeding

For breeders aquarium swordsmen lucky, these fish are absolutely omnivores. They feed, as in the wild, on worms and crustaceans, phytoplankton and dry insects. The diet also includes plant foods in the form of algae. They are fed both fresh and frozen food such as daphnia, chironomids and brine shrimp. Excellent eat dry flakes and any other aquarium food. The only condition is that the food should be varied, and the menu should consist of at least three types daily.

The feeding regimen involves small portions, but several times a day.

Breeding

In order for the swordsmen to feel comfortable, the number of males should be constantly monitored. The males of these fish are prone to fights, during which they can even kill an opponent. If they are in a large spacious aquarium, preferably elongated and with abundant vegetation, then the chances of avoiding fights will become much greater.

They reproduce quite easily. As soon as the swordsmen reach the age of seven months, the mating season. Distinguishing males from females is easy enough. Male swordtails have a sword-shaped tail, while females have a short and regular tail. In addition, the female is always larger. Usually, one male and several females are selected for breeding.

Large breeders during breeding are guided by the following rules of keeping:

• Males and females must be at least six months old.
• The female is chosen from strong fruitful families.
• The male selected for breeding should be larger than the rest. Body length is desirable at least eight centimeters without a tail.
• Usually such males and females are planted at the age of three months and grown separately from the rest.
• Original, young females are crossed with already experienced males.
• Very often, the swordsmen enter into a relationship with the picilii. If you have these types of fish in your aquarium, you can expect hybrid offspring.

The sperm of the male can be stored in the body of the female for a long time and fertilize it more than once. The fact that the female is pregnant can be guessed by the rounded belly. Pregnancy lasts for forty days, after which small nimble fry are born. IN last days before giving birth, the female's abdomen becomes somewhat square.

Breeders breed swordtails for a whole year. Special conditions for breeding and maintenance are not required, the main thing is to plant the female on time after the appearance of fry. Otherwise, she will simply start eating them.

There are special spawning aquariums. They have a fake organic glass bottom. Through gaps in the bottom, the fry escape from their mother in the first minutes of life.

Usually in the first litter up to thirty fry are born, in the future their number sometimes increases, reaching one hundred and fifty pieces.

You can also breed fry in a common aquarium, provided there is abundant greenery, preferably floating on the surface of the aquarium. Unfortunately, their own fry are the favorite food of the swordsmen. They literally hunt them and very often from total Newborns are left with fifteen percent of fry.

Tips for care and maintenance:

• Feed your fish regularly. Even if the food is over, you can give cereals. Usually, in the absence of food, swordtails switch to eating algae. If you want to keep your aquarium vegetation beautiful, don't let your fish get hungry.
• Swordtails will not breed at constantly low temperatures in an aquarium. Maintain temperature regime at twenty-seven degrees. To do this, you should get a special aquarium heater with a thermometer.
• Aquarium is best to choose an elongated shape.
• Mix the water in the aquarium every month about one quarter of the total volume.
• Cover the aquarium with a lid to keep jumping swordtails from jumping out.
• Get plenty of greens. The fry will hide in it. Among the plants must be duckweed or pistia.

Diseases and their prevention

Inspect the fish before buying. There should be no wounds, rashes or incomprehensible plaque on the surface of their body. Be sure to carry out a preventive procedure. To do this, run the fish in salted water for twenty minutes. Water is salted in such a way: for one liter of liquid, a tablespoon of salt. The fact is that microbes from the previous aquarium can be on the body of the fish, and with the help of salt they die.

Common fish diseases are colds, as well as infection melonosis. You can determine it by fluffy neoplasms on the body of the fish. It is treated as follows: the fish is placed in water with a solution of methylene blue at a water temperature of no more than twenty-three degrees. A solution of biomycin or tripoflavin is excellent for any infections. In the instructions for medicine There is a description of the use and dosage.

The ease of care and unpretentiousness of swordtail fish allows everyone, even inexperienced aquarium holders, to successfully keep them. The content of these fish does not require the creation of special conditions. I'm clean enough fresh water and constant feeding. The ability to coexist in the same aquarium with any other inhabitants of the aquarium and the high breeding ability are only a small part of the advantages of this species.

For the first time, the sword-bearers were relocated to the aquarium in 1864. Thanks to the scientist Geller, from Germany, they successfully crossed from South American waters to the laboratories of Europe, and also got their name Xiphophorus helleri (Geller's swordtail in Latin).

Belonging to the family of Pecilian fish, outwardly they have differences between the female and the male. The sexual characteristics of the male are the presence of a sword-like rear fin. The elongated body has a slight compression on the sides. Since both in nature and in a domestic pond, feeding occurs from above, the mouth of the fish is formed, turned up, for convenient food intake.

The body of the male is slightly smaller than that of the female. And also the structure of the anal fin differs between the sexes. The maximum body length in a female can reach 8–10 cm, in a male it is 2 cm less. The homeland of the swordsman has predominantly warm climate, therefore, the optimal water temperature for this species of ray-finned fish must also meet these requirements (more on this below).

In the event that the number of females in the reservoir dominates, then they can change sex. A sword-like fin grows on the caudal fin and the rounded anal fin turns into a gonopodium - flat and sharp. Mutated individuals are even able to perform their sexual function, but more than half of the offspring in this case will be female.

We talk more about it in a separate article.

The multi-colored bright coloration was bred as a result of laboratory studies, in the process of crossing them with other types of platies. The coloration can vary considerably: lemon yellow, red, spotted or even black.

In nature, these individuals are not found in any other color than green.

homeland of the fish

The homeland of the fish is in the fresh waters of South America, Mexico, Honduras or Guatemala, where the current is slow or completely absent.

How long do swordtails live in aquariums

The average life expectancy at home is five years. Since in nature they live in densely overgrown reservoirs, you need to purchase plants for the aquarium. They will create a hiding place for the fry and dim the bright daylight.

Compatibility

Compatibility with other fish is good. They can live with other representatives of their kind, and even predatory catfish are not afraid of them. Although among themselves, males can be aggressive. But such behavior is characterized more often by rivalry for the female, both in nature and in the aquarium, reproduction remains in the first place. In order for the males to get along with each other, it is not necessary to settle only two individuals in the reservoir, it is better to have more of them, but the number of females in the aquarium should be equal to them. They will not get along only with those aggressive and predatory waterfowl that are larger than them and can simply eat small fish. These may be cichlids, which include akara or astronotus.

Swordtails are fish that are loved by aquarium owners for their unpretentious care. The homeland of the fish is South America and therefore the aquarium with swordtails must meet a few simple requirements:

• the water temperature should be maintained at 20–26 °C, with a maximum and short-term decrease, possibly up to 15 °C;
• the acidity of the water should be at the level of 7–8 pH, which can be easily determined using special test strips;
• control of water hardness, which can range from 8 to 25 DH;
• provide aeration and water purification;
• perform a standard water change of 1/3 of the total volume.

Aquarium swordfish can live in both salt and fresh water, so aquarium water can be salty to get along with other inhabitants. Caring for swordtails does not require effort, here, the main thing is not to overdo it and remember that these fish do not like light, they are used to living among dense thickets.

Feeding

No special feed required. Fish can eat "from the common table", along with all other inhabitants of the reservoir. A varied diet will allow them to develop, grow active and healthy.

When feeding swordtails, you need to consider several options:

1. Specialized dry food, frozen bloodworms or daphnia.
2. Self-cooked food from plant ingredients - algae or spinach, as well as scalded with boiling water, to soften, nettle or lettuce leaves.
3. Additional dressing in the form of boiled egg yolks or crushed crackers.

In feeding, it is also better to keep a measured mode, since the swordtail is a voracious fish. A few days of diet will be useful and help to avoid the occurrence of the disease against this background. After abstinence, feeding is better to start slowly so as not to provoke overeating.

In the absence of a filter, you need to remove the remnants of food yourself, otherwise the water will quickly deteriorate, and for the swordsmen, as well as for other types of platies.

Diseases

Diseases of swordtails are rare. But still, if the owner does not care enough, this unpretentious swordsman fish can get sick. And also with food, infections can get into the water, with which the inhabitant of the aquarium subsequently becomes ill, and the appearance of the individual will immediately tell about it.

You can determine that a pet is unhealthy by several signs:

• the swordsman lies at the bottom or froze in one place;
• the fish looks restless, rubs against stones, randomly rushes around the pond, sways;
• no appetite;
• the abdomen swells;
• fins folded;
• white or cloudy spots on the body;
• shreds of gun.

Buying new pets should be done responsibly and carefully. For example, the presence of a rash or sores, a small fluff on the body or plaque indicate that a new swordtail in the aquarium will cause other individuals to become ill.

The swordsman is prone to disease and fungal disease. In this case, treatment is simple if only those fish that can exist in salt water are in the reservoir. For every one liter of the aquarium, you need to dilute one tablespoon of salt without a slide.

If the swordtail lies at the bottom or froze, then this may indicate not only the introduction of any infections with food, but also hypothermia of the individual. Colds will go away in a few days if you keep the water cool at all times.

The swordsman needs to be separated from others as soon as possible. In this way, other individuals can be saved. Infected fish should not be allowed to lie in the water even for one day. In these cases, it is necessary to treat with solutions of tripaflavin or biomycin.

Conclusion

Aquariums are fun activities. Swordtails are fairly easy to keep, so you can enjoy them for a long time in your aquarium! And any disease can be prevented in advance, you just need to monitor your aquarium.

Latin name:

Xiphophorus helleri.

Class: Ray-finned fish.

Squad: Carp-toothed.

Family: Pecilia.

Aquarium conditions:

Water temperature: 22 - 26 °С.

(tolerates a temporary drop in temperature up to 15 ° C)

"Acidity" Ph: 7,0 - 7,5.

Hardness dH: 6-20°

Aggressiveness: non-aggressive 10%

Content Difficulty: light.

Everyone knows swordsmen, even those who have never encountered the aquarium world. The swordtails gained such fame due to their wide distribution (we can say that they were included in the set of every young aquarist of the former USSR), as well as due to a special sign - a tail fin in the shape of a sword. Actually, it was for this tail that the swordsmen got their name.

The birthplace of the swordsmen is Central America (Southern Mexico and Guatemala). They live in reservoirs with stagnant and slowly running water, densely overgrown with a variety of aquatic plants.

Swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri) belong to the platy fish family. Xiphophorus helleri is translated from Greek as "xiphos" - a sword, "phoros" - to carry. The prefix "Helleri" was assigned to the swordsmen named after the German naturalist Karl Bartholomeus Geller, who first caught these fish in Mexican lakes and safely transported to Europe.

In 1848, these fish were first described by Dr. Johan Jakob Heckel, preparator at the Museum of Natural Sciences at the Imperial Natural History Office of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Vienna.

The body of the fish is elongated and laterally compressed. The mouth of the swordsmen is upturned and adapted for taking food from the surface of the water. The fish can reach a size of 10 cm (without the sword). The females are somewhat larger than the males, similar in shape to all other pecilia. In addition to the presence of a "sword" on the lower edge of the caudal fin, the male has a gonopodia - an anal fin transformed into a sexual organ.

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Sword Compatibility

Swordtails are non-aggressive. They are compatible with almost all medium-sized peaceful fish. Among the best neighbors are tetras, minors, thorns, danios, all platy fish, etc. They are compatible with almost all bottom fish: corridors, acanthophthalmus, platidorus, ancistrus, sac-gill catfish, etc. They get along well with peaceful and not large cichlids, for example, with scalars.

Swordtails are not compatible with aggressive and large fish that will hunt them, for example, with cichlids (akara, astronotus, diamond cichlazoma, etc.). In addition, it is not recommended to plant them with "veil" fish, because. they are slow and the swordsmen can “pinch” them by their fluttering fins.

Life expectancy of swordsmen

The life of swordtails, by aquarium standards, is medium-long. Under good conditions, they can live up to 5 years. You can find out how long other fish live

The minimum volume of the aquarium for swordsmen

Many novice aquarists keep swordtails in small aquariums. However, this is not entirely correct. In fact, swordtails are quite large fish. And taking into account the fact that swordtails are recommended to be kept in the proportion of 1 male / 2 or more females, the minimum size of the aquarium for them should be from 50 liters per harem family. Aquarium for swordsmen should be wide!!!

See how many fish you can keep in X liters of an aquarium (at the bottom of the article there are links to aquariums of all sizes).

Requirements for the care and conditions of keeping the swordsmen

The swordsmen do not need any special conditions. In fact, compliance with the optimal parameters of aquarium water is the key to their well-being. However, do not forget that:

1. Swordtails definitely need aeration and filtration, weekly replacement of up to 1/4 of the volume of aquarium water. It is worth noting that these fish do not need a lot of oxygen, and too frequent change (substitution) of aquarium water is not as beneficial for them as it is for other types of aquarium fish. Therefore, if you change the water less often, for example, once every 14 days, and not at 7, nothing bad will happen. This rule is appropriate for a stable buy balance and

2. The aquarium must be covered with a lid, because. fish are nimble, they can jump out and die.

3. Like many fish, swordtails feel comfortable among living vegetation. As aquarium plants, it is recommended to use wallisneria, echinodorus, cryptocoryne, richcia, duckweed and other plants. The creation of thickets of plants imitates the natural habitat of fish.

4. When designing an aquarium, it is necessary to organize an open space for swimming in it. Swordsmen are excellent swimmers. Shelter swordsmen absolutely do not need.

Feeding and diet of swordsmen

Swordtails are unpretentious in food, they are omnivorous and prone to overeating. With pleasure they eat dry and freeze-dried food: flakes, granules, chips. They love live and frozen food (bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc.). Food is taken by the fish in all layers of the aquarium water. The food remaining on the surface and falling to the bottom will also not be left without attention.

The diet of swordtails must necessarily include plant foods: flakes or granules with spirulina, special algal tablets. In addition, they willingly eat algae from the walls of the aquarium, plants and decor.

Feeding aquarium fish must be correct: balanced, varied. This fundamental rule is the key to the successful keeping of any fish, be it guppies or astronotus. The article talks about this in detail, it outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regimen for fish.

In this article, we note the most important thing - feeding fish should not be monotonous, the diet should include both dry food and live food. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the gastronomic preferences of a particular fish and, depending on this, include food in its diet either with the highest protein content or vice versa with herbal ingredients.

Popular and popular food for fish, of course, are dry food. For example, all the time and everywhere you can find on the aquarium counters the food of the Tetra company - the leader of the Russian market, in fact, the range of food of this company is amazing. Tetra's "gastronomic arsenal" includes both individual food for a certain type of fish: for goldfish, for cichlids, for loricariids, guppies, labyrinths, arowans, discus, etc. Also, Tetra has developed specialized feeds, for example, to enhance color, fortified or for feeding fry. You can find detailed information about all Tetra feeds on the official website of the company -

It should be noted that when buying any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy feed by weight, and also store food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.

Varieties of aquarium swordsmen

The natural color of the swordsmen is gray-green. However, as a result of selection, a large number of swordtails of various colors and shapes were bred. The unpretentiousness in breeding and the ease of crossing have led to the presence today of more than two dozen accepted species of swordtails. Here are some of the most popular:

Bulgarian white swordsmen;

High-planed swordsman;

Mountain swordsman;

Green swordsman;

Red-speckled tiger swordsmen;

Red swordsman;

Lemon swordsman;

Lyretail swordsman;

Swordbearer of Hell;

Rainbow swordsmen;

Calico swordsman;

Black swordsman;

All types of swordsmen with a photo .

Reproduction and breeding of swordsmen

Breeding and breeding swordtails is an absolutely simple task. It is similar to the reproduction of guppies and other livebearers. And, one might say, it actually happens on its own.

Sexual maturity in swordtails occurs at the age of 5-6 months. For breeding (and for their own comfort) it is recommended to keep fish in the proportion of one male to three females. In the process of "courtship" of the female, the male performs a kind of mating dance - shuttle movements back and forth.

Fertilization of mature eggs occurs inside the female. This process may take several days. An interesting feature is that a once fertilized female swordtail can give birth to offspring several more times, even in the absence of a male.

The gestation period for a female is 4-6 weeks. This period depends on the parameters of the aquarium water, temperature, lighting and feeding.

The pregnant female has a full belly and has a "black spot of pregnancy" under the tail. It is believed that a few hours before the "delivery" the female's stomach becomes "square", the female begins to move more actively, "rush" up and down along the aquarium glass.

At one time, the female spawns from 15 to 100 or more fry. Spawning occurs, as a rule, in the morning.

With abundant nutrition and a water temperature of 26-27 ° C, childbirth can occur monthly.

In the photo, a male and female swordsman

Perhaps the most important rule that must be observed when breeding swordtails is concern for the survival of juveniles. Unfortunately, producers eat their own offspring, and taking into account the fact that swordtail fry are quite large in size and brightly colored, this process simply turns into extermination. In nature, swordsmen never see their offspring, because. the fry is immediately carried away by the current. In the aquarium, the parents take the fry for food.

To preserve offspring, the aquarium is densely planted with aquarium plants. Plants are placed at the bottom of the aquarium, in the water column and especially densely on the surface. In this way, juveniles are provided with shelter "from evil parents" and most fry survive.

Also, to preserve the offspring, you can use special jigger, which are designed like a funnel - the female remains in the funnel, and the swept juveniles fall out of the funnel into the spawning aquarium. Thus, the absence of contact between the spawner and juveniles is initially ensured.

The third option for saving offspring is the jigging of producers immediately after spawning. This option is simple, but requires care and timeliness from the aquarist.

Photo of a pregnant female swordsman, or rather born

Photo juveniles, fry swordtails

After spawning, the female is removed and provided with abundant feeding.

The initial food for juvenile swordtails is live dust (nauplii, brine shrimp, cyclops, microworm, rotifers, cut tubifex).

A week later, juveniles of the swordsmen begin to weed out - they are divided into strong and "pedigreed", and the weak and defective are destroyed.