Green swordtail aquarium fish. Aquarium warriors are swordtails. Feeding and diet of swordtails

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

Description

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

The natural background color of males is light brownish-olive, with a green tint on the back. A two-millimeter red stripe runs along the sides, and below and above it there are two more narrow red stripes. The long lower ray of the caudal fin (sword) has a clear black edge. 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 colors of their body: black, red, olive, orange, yellow and their combinations (for example, a yellow body and black fins). Swordtails have also been bred with two swords - in the lower and upper parts of the tail.

The male's body (without the sword) can grow up to 8 cm, and the female's body up to 12 cm.

Swordtails live up to three to five years.

Optimal water parameters : temperature 22-24°C, dH 5-20°, pH 7.0-8.0. Requires strong aeration and filtration. Once a week it is necessary to replace the water by 1/3 of the volume. 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, serrated elodea, cabomba, vallisneria) are perfect for an aquarium with swordtails. But there must also be free space for fish to swim. You can float Riccia on the surface of the water.

Any peaceful fish will be suitable as neighbors. In a group, there are conflicts between swordtail males, so it is necessary that there are more females than males. In this case, there should be either one male or more than three individuals - aggression is dispersed, and not directed directly at each other between two males.

BREEDING

Swordtails belong to the viviparous family. A female is capable of giving birth to from 15 to 100 fry, or even more, at one time. The number of fry born depends on the age and size of the mother, as well as her living conditions. For successful reproduction before giving birth, the pregnant female is placed in a separate aquarium. So that the newly born fry can avoid the teeth of an adult female, small-leaved plants must also be placed there. aquatic plants to create life-saving algae thickets in a small body of water, which are so good for hiding from danger. Breeding does not require any special care from the aquarist.

It will be enough just to isolate the female from the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium during childbirth, and after giving birth, return her to her usual environment, leaving the swordtail babies to develop independently. At the time of birth, the fry are fully formed to begin an independent life. As soon as they are born, they immediately begin to tirelessly explore the space of the aquarium and actively feed. Kids are practically omnivorous, 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 sexual maturity occurs at 4-6 months.

COMPATIBILITY

Swordtails are not aggressive, peaceful fish. They are compatible with all similar fish: tetras, neons, minors, thornets, zebrafish, all poeciliids: guppies (can bite), mollies, etc. They are compatible with almost everything aquarium catfish– Corydoratuses (speckled catfish), acanthophthalmus, platidorus, ancistrus, sacbranch catfish, etc. Moreover, swordtails get along very well with peaceful and small cichlids, for example, with angelfish. It is not recommended to attach them to “veil” fish - they are slow and swordtails can “pinch” them by their beautiful, large fins. Not compatible with aggressive and large fish, for example, cichlids: acara, astronotus, diamond cichlids, etc.

What are the diseases and symptoms?

Diseases of swordtail aquarium fish have three main reasons:

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

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

A sick individual should be removed as soon as possible. Perhaps healthy people can be saved from infection.

Types and varieties

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

Lemon swordtail. This is an albino form of green swordtails, which is distinguished by its yellow-green body color. Low resistance during reproduction.

Bulgarian white swordtail. Another albino variety of swordtails. Bulgarian swordtails are stronger and more resilient than lemon ones.

Black swordtail. Hybrid of green swordtail and black pelicia. The body of the black swordtail is usually wider and shorter than that of the green one. The color is black, has a greenish or blue tint. Fish often suffer from melanosis (excess pigment), which makes them difficult to breed.

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

So named because of its three-color coloration. It has a white body color with several large bright red and black spots.

Rainbow Swordtail. The color resembles the Australian rainbow fish. The body is gray-green, has an orange tint. Along the body there are reddish-brown stripes. The fins of the fish are bright orange.

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

Sword bearer of Cortez. In nature, it lives in the Mexican rivers San Luis Potosi and Panico. 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 there is a dark brown zigzag stripe, reticulated scales of gray-yellow color, and a speckled dorsal fin. The sword is about 2 cm long, painted grayish-yellow.

Microswordtail. 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. It has a beige or olive-gray color with transverse stripes, maybe without stripes. On the root of the tail behind the pelvic fin there are rather large dark spots. Males have a transparent sword up to 5 mm in length.

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

Montezuma's Swordtail V natural conditions lives in Mexico. The length of the body of the female is 6-7 cm, the male is about 5 cm. The body is colored lilac color, the back has a brownish tint, along the body there are 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 spots.

CICHLIDS AQUARIUM FISH SPECIES PHOTO DESCRIPTION.

A distinctive feature of the fish is, of course, the “sword” - a long appendage at the tail.

The fish are medium in size. The male can grow up to 11 cm without the “sword”, and the female can grow up to 12 cm.

There are a lot of color variations: green, yellow, albino, spotted, red, etc. In nature they are green, fish of other colors are specially bred hybrids. Most fish have a stripe running along their body.

Swordtails: care and maintenance

Swordtails are unpretentious in keeping, easy to breed, so they can often be seen even among beginner aquarists.

Nutrition

Under natural conditions, fish feed on fine algae, so you need to choose food rich in fiber. It is preferable to buy flakes with a plant component, and use live food as a supplement.

For the main diet, flakes and granules with spirulina and algae tablets are suitable as fiber-containing products.

Swordtails eat any freeze-dried and dry food with appetite, and are not picky about live or frozen food. They eat daphnia, bloodworms, and artemia.

Requirements for keeping swordtails in an aquarium

The fish is active, so despite its small size, it requires enough space for comfortable swimming. It is recommended to purchase only one fish for an aquarium with a volume of 35 liters. To accommodate a family for breeding - 1 male and at least 2 females - a volume of 50 liters is required.

In terms of preferred water temperature aquarium swordtails unpretentious: they can live in the range from 18 to 28 degrees Celsius, but feel best at 23-35.

A regular water filter is sufficient for oxygen enrichment and purification.

It is worth considering that the activity of swordtails extends not only to swimming speed. They can easily jump out of the aquarium if it is without a lid and the water level is high. Therefore, the aquarium must be covered from above.

Fresh water must be added every week in a volume of up to 25%. No need to change often.

Fish love living vegetation, as they naturally live surrounded by it. The presence of plants helps in nutrition and promotes a calm state of the fish.

The most successful plants for an aquarium with swordtails are:

• riccia;
• Vallisneria;
• Cryptocoryne.

Do not fill the entire aquarium with plants so that there is open space for swimming.

Compatibility with other fish

The swordtail is a fish that can behave aggressively with others, and the males also fight among themselves. Therefore, it is better not to keep several males in one aquarium.

The reason for the aggression may lie in the insufficient volume of the aquarium. Pisces are not always unfriendly and can get along well with others.

But swordtails can live peacefully with almost everyone, medium-sized ones and some representatives of the veiled ones (,).

Sexual differences in swordtails

Determining the sex of a fish is very simple: only the male swordtail has the very “sword” that gave the fish its name; the anal fin is pointed.

A female swordtail without a “sword”, with a paler color and a wide anal fin. And she has a simply unique property: in conditions of a shortage of males, she can change sex!

Swordtails: breeding in an aquarium

Swordtails are very easy to breed in an aquarium. It is necessary that for one male there are two or three females.

The duration of pregnancy is 4-6 weeks. The period depends on the water temperature, light level and feeding habits. You can tell that her due date is approaching by the appearance of a dark spot near her anus.

At one time, from 15 to hundreds of fry are born. The frequency of spawning at optimal water temperatures can be monthly.

The main problem in breeding is to preserve offspring. Swordtail fry become food for their parents if this process is not controlled. In nature, fish never see offspring, so in an aquarium they are mistaken for food. To save babies, there are three options:

• Use a funnel-type depositor. The female remains in it, and the fry end up in a separate aquarium.
• Place the parents immediately after spawning in a separate aquarium.
• Use an aquarium for breeding that has a lot of dense plants that can protect the young.

After spawning, the female must be housed separately and fattened. Another interesting fact about females, besides the possibility of changing sex, is that she can then reproduce fry without a male. The female sometimes retains milk and self-fertilizes.

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Sword bearer - freshwater species viviparous fish belonging to the poeciliaceae family, the order of carp-toothed fish. Mollies also belong to this family. Swordtails got their name from a peculiar growth on their tail, similar to a sword. Swordtails were first described by Dr. I. Ya. Heckel in 1848 and in honor of the botanist doctor Karl Bartholomaus Heller, who discovered these fish, he named them Xiphophorus helleri.

In nature, swordtails live in the northern and tropical regions of Central America: Guatemala, Honduras, and southern Mexico. Here these small fish are found in high mountain reservoirs with stagnant or slowly flowing water, in streams and fast flowing mountain rivers, in their sources and lower reaches, in shallow water bodies: swamps, lagoons, ponds. They also inhabit fresh and brackish lakes in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Rio de Janeiro. From America, swordtails were brought to Europe, and later to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, immediately gaining great popularity among aquarium fish lovers along with, guppies and.

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The green swordtail lives in nature, which in an aquarium easily crosses with the platie. As a result of selection, hybrid forms of the most different colors: black, red, lemon, spotted, etc., forms with artificially enlarged dorsal and caudal fins appeared. Nowadays, natural swordtail can rarely be seen on sale, but there are many varieties of aquarium ones.

Under natural conditions, swordtail fish grow to impressive sizes: the length of a male without a “sword” is 10 centimeters, and a female is 13 centimeters. However, in aquariums, swordtails rarely grow to such sizes: the usual size of a female is 7 centimeters, a male is 4-5 centimeters.

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The swordtail fish is not demanding in terms of keeping conditions. Optimal temperature aquarium water- 24-26 °C. They tolerate a temporary decrease in temperature to 16 °C. The hardness of water in an aquarium can be in a wide range: dH 8-25°. And acidity is desirable - pH 7-8.

Almost any food can be used, both live - Koretra, Cyclops, and dry, canned, frozen. If necessary, a business trip or vacation, aquarium swordtails tolerate a lack of feeding for 1-2 weeks, without noticeable damage to their health. Especially if they grow in an aquarium, since they can feed on various algal foulings that grow on the leaves of aquarium plants or aquarium glass and small ones, shaking them out of the shell.

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Regularly, preferably at least once a week, about 30% of the water volume in the aquarium should be replaced with fresh water. also desirable. However, if the density of fish in the aquarium is low, it may be absent. When keeping swordtails, the aquarium should be covered with glass on top, because males can jump out of the water.

The swordtail is a fairly peaceful and calm fish. In a common aquarium they get along easily with neighbors of the same size and temperament, but in sedentary fish the fins can be damaged. It is not advisable to plant with fish that are significantly smaller in size, since swordtails can constantly terrorize them. Males can be aggressive towards each other. To avoid this, it is best to keep a group of males of more than two, naturally with at least as many females. Then their attention will not be focused on a single opponent, and there will be fewer fights. It is also necessary to have areas densely overgrown with plants that serve as shelters.

Breeding and reproduction

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These aquarium fish reach sexual maturity at 5 - 6 months. After which, in a common aquarium, they mate using the male’s genital organ, the gonopodium. Fertilization of the female swordtail is internal, like that of guppies. The female carries the fry for about 5 weeks. But you need to know that the maturation and course of pregnancy, as well as the quantity and quality of the litter, depend on the feeding and housing conditions. Up to 50 fry can be born in one litter.

Breeding or propagating swordtails is absolutely not a difficult task. It is similar to the reproduction of guppies and other livebearers. And we can say that it actually happens on its own.

Perhaps the most important rule that must be observed when breeding swordtails is concern for the survival of the young. Unfortunately, producers eat their own offspring, and given the fact that swordtail fry are quite large in size and bright color– this process simply turns into extermination.

To preserve the offspring, I densely plant the general, or better yet, spawning aquarium with aquarium plants. Plants are placed at the bottom of the aquarium, in the water column and especially densely on the surface. Thus, the young are provided with shelter “from evil parents” and most of them survive.

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To preserve the offspring, you can also use a special cage, which is designed like a funnel - the female remains in the funnel, and the swept juveniles fall out of the funnel into the spawning aquarium. Thus, initially the absence of contact between the breeder and the fry is ensured.

The third option for preserving offspring is spawning spawners immediately after spawning. This option is simple, but requires attention and timeliness from the aquarist.

The initial food for juvenile swordtails is live dust, cyclops, microworms, rotifers, and cut tubifex. After a week, the juvenile swordtails begin to be separated, weeding out the weak and defective.

The juveniles grow quickly; after two months, the males’ anal fin begins to change, and by the third month the “sword” begins to grow. When keeping swordtails different types random crossing occurs, as a result of which sometimes beautiful offspring can be obtained. An interesting fact about these fish is that the female swordtail can at some point become a male, i.e. change gender

Types and varieties

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

Lemon swordtail. This is an albino form of green swordtails, which is distinguished by its yellow-green body color. Low resistance during reproduction.

Bulgarian white swordtail. Another albino variety of swordtails. Bulgarian swordtails are stronger and more resilient than lemon ones.

Black swordtail. Hybrid of green swordtail and black pelicia. The body of the black swordtail is usually wider and shorter than that of the green one. The color is black, has a greenish or blue tint. Fish often suffer from melanosis (excess pigment), which makes them difficult to breed.

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

Calico Swordtail. So named because of its three-color coloration. It has a white body color with several large bright red and black spots.

Rainbow Swordtail. The color resembles the Australian rainbow fish. The body is gray-green, has an orange tint. Along the body there are reddish-brown stripes. The fins of the fish are bright orange.

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

Sword bearer of Cortez. In nature, it lives in the Mexican rivers San Luis Potosi and Panico. 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 there is a dark brown zigzag stripe, reticulated scales of gray-yellow color, and a speckled dorsal fin. The sword is about 2 cm long, painted grayish-yellow.

Microswordtail. 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. It has a beige or olive-gray color with transverse stripes, maybe without stripes. There are rather large dark spots on the root of the tail behind the ventral fin. Males have a transparent sword up to 5 mm in length.

Clementia's Swordbearer. Under natural conditions it lives in the Mexican Sarabia River. The fish are from 4 to 5.5 cm long, the female is much larger than the male. The body of the fish is silvery-blue with two red longitudinal stripes. The back is painted 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 Swordtail In natural conditions it lives in Mexico. The length of the body of the female is 6-7 cm, the male is about 5 cm. The body is painted lilac, the back has a brownish tint, along the body there are 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 spots.

Diseases

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In order to prevent not only the development of diseases in swordtails, but also to prevent infection of other aquarium fish that will cohabit with them in the future, it is necessary when purchasing to pay attention to the type of individuals being purchased. Signs indicating a disease in swordtail fish are sores on the body, white fluff or plaque, and a small rash of white or light brown color.

Swordtails get sick no less often than other fish. Diseases are divided into viral and fungal. The former are usually brought into the aquarium when new specimens are purchased, while the latter appear due to poor conditions.

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As a preventative measure, purchased swordtails can be placed in another aquarium for 1-2 weeks after treatment in salt water. This time is quite enough for the disease to manifest itself, if it exists. To prevent fungal diseases, aquariums need to be cleaned regularly.

It often happens that viral infections are introduced along with live food. Therefore, you need to buy it only in “trusted” places and rinse it before giving it to the fish. These measures will help prevent diseases in swordtail fish in the vast majority of cases.

But how to identify a fish that is already sick, because this sometimes happens. If the swordtail behaves sluggishly, its fin is downy on top, it does not swim to the food, the fins are separated or stuck together, a white coating has appeared on the body or fins, ulcers or swelling are visible, or if the fish lies on the bottom, swims on top and moves jerkily - this is signs of emerging disease.

First of all, when a sick swordtail is discovered, it must be separated from other fish and treatment must begin. It may vary depending on the disease. It is worth noting that most diseases in aquarium fish are the same and swordtails are no exception, so the treatment may be similar.

Today we will talk about one of the most popular fish that has won the hearts of many aquarists - the swordtail. This unpretentious creature has become a real find for those who are just starting to create their own underwater world. We will help you choose the species that is suitable for yours, advise you on suitable food, and also describe the conditions and breeding process.

Aquarium swordtail and its species

The swordtail is a very famous aquarium fish, native to the rivers of Central America and Guatemala.

The swordtail got its name because of the bizarre growth in the lower part of the tail, which during the development of the fish turns into something like a sword blade.

Both in nature and in aquarium conditions The swordtail grows up to 10–12 cm (depending on gender). Its growth can be stopped only by a small volume of the aquarium or bad conditions content.

Important! Body length is indicated without taking into account the caudal process.

They began to create different variations for the reason that the natural color of the fish is brown-olive. This color helps the swordtail in nature, but in the aquarium hobby such “gray” colors will not attract the attention of hobbyists. It is for this reason that, based on the “wild” swordtail, a natural variation of the fish, about 40–50 species were bred, which differ in the color of scales, fins or tail, body shape and eye color.

We present to your attention the most common types of fish.

A very interesting species, which is radically different from the “usual” variations of the fish in the absence of a “sword” and the elongated edges of the tail and fins. It is also worth paying attention to the inclusions of black color, which many associate with the color of a tiger shark.
Pineapple Swordsman Tuxedo. This variation combines three colors at once: red, black and, as the name suggests, pineapple. The species does not differ from the original form in body structure, only the color scheme was changed during the creation of the variety. A gold variant of the swordtail that only has a small line of black on the bottom of the "blade". Marigold has a body structure identical to the original fish.
A truly beautiful view that captivates at first sight. The fish has a flatter forehead compared to other variations, and the fin process extends at an angle close to 45°.

This species has two variations - red marble and neon marble, in which the main color of the fish changes, the inclusions remain black.
The fish's body is painted matte black so that you can see every scale on the swordtail's body. Different variations of the black swordtail differ in the color of the fins and tail, as well as the pigmentation of the eyes.
This species is interesting because in addition to the general color, the pigmentation of the eyes has also been changed. Before us is a frighteningly beautiful fish, the body of which is painted in different shades of yellow, and the abdomen is painted white.
Sword bearer Koi Kohaku. The red and white swordtail resembles a small goldfish in shape and volume of fins. It is worth noting that this species includes variations with pigmented red eyes, high fins or a lyre-shaped tail. Perhaps the most common type that can be found in literally every pet store.

Matte red with black stripes on opposite sides of the tail, the swordtail looks great in any aquarium. Thanks to this species, the swordtail gained its popularity.

After you have acquired the desired variation of the swordtail and happily take it home to introduce it to other fish in the aquarium, it is worth thinking about acceptable conditions of maintenance and care, which determine the effectiveness of the swordtail, life expectancy and desire to reproduce.

Important! High water temperatures in an aquarium lead to a marginal decrease in the amount of oxygen dissolved in it, so the higher the water temperature, the longer the aeration process (oxygen injection) must take place.

Therefore, when the temperature rises to 28–30 °C, it is worth cooling the water by adding some fresh water, or, if the aquarium is small, placing sheets of wet paper around the perimeter of the outer glass, which will help reduce the temperature.

Water requirements:

• hardness - 8–25°;
• acidity - 7–8.

Important! The easiest way to check the acidity of water is with litmus paper, which can be purchased at any pharmacy.

If you have insufficient water filtration or a large number of "residents", then you need to replace about a third of the water in the aquarium weekly.
However, if the aquarium is large and it is installed good system cleaning, then replacement can be carried out once a month, this will not affect the fish in any way.

Now let's talk about aeration. An air blower, even the smallest one, should always be present, since you will not be able to accurately calculate the required volume of water per fish. When the temperature rises strongly in the summer, the fish will simply begin to swim near the surface due to lack of oxygen.

Also, do not forget that almost all aeration systems are equipped with a filter, which will purify the water during operation of the unit. Therefore, it is better to play it safe once again and install an aeration system than to lose large quantity favorites.

Important! The aquarium should always be covered with glass, as swordtails love to jump out of the water.

How and what to feed the fish

The swordtail is unpretentious in terms of nutrition. To maintain a healthy appearance and the necessary physical activity, any dry food that is sold in paper packs (daphnia, cyclops, hamarus, etc.) is enough for him.

If possible, diversify the diet with live food, which should be fed into specially equipped feeders with a sieve funnel.
We recommend that you purchase small dry food that the fish can easily swallow at one time. It is advisable to buy not only pure daphnia or gamarus, but also any vitamin mixes or mixtures that have a positive effect on the growth and development of the swordtail.

It is better to feed swordtails three times a day, but if you notice that during the second feeding the fish are reluctant to consume food, then you can feed only in the morning or evening.

Important! During feeding, add as much food as the fish will eat in 10–15 minutes. Remove any leftovers immediately.

It is worth remembering that if the fish is constantly full, which cannot be the case in natural conditions, it will stop actively moving and will begin to hover at the bottom or near plants.
Therefore, it is worth giving such an amount of food so that your pets always remain slightly hungry. This condition will not harm their body, and the additional activity in search of food will amuse you and fill the aquarium with life.

The difference between a female and a male

The swordtail is a mysterious fish, since the male and female, as a rule, can be distinguished by the tail process, but in certain situations the fish can easily change sex, growing or shedding a “blade” and replacing the genitals.

There are two features that can be used to distinguish a male from a female: the caudal process and the anal fin. The male always has with him a large tail growth, which can reach the length of the body. Although females grow similar “blades,” they are several times smaller. The female most often does not grow a “sword”, so distinguishing her from the male is not difficult.

As for the anal fin, in the male it is elongated into a tube, and in the female it is rounded. This structure is not accidental, since the male uses the fin to fertilize the female.

However, all arguments related to gender are sometimes meaningless, since fish, being surrounded by a large number of “relatives,” can change gender at will.
This feature gives big problems both sellers and aquarists, since if you buy, for example, three females and one male, you can end up with three males and one female.

Males, as a rule, defend their territory and compete with each other, therefore, after such metamorphoses, the calm aquarium life can be interrupted by “gladiator competitions”, which will disturb all “tenants”.

For this reason, we recommend buying either a large “flock” at once, which will number about ten individuals, or taking only a couple.
However, even this option does not exclude the fact that all fish can become males or females.

Did you know? The female, who after metamorphosis has become a male, lays down material at the genetic level that affects the number of female individuals. As a result, up to 90% of “girls” are born.

Reproduction of swordtails

As mentioned above, the swordtail is an unpretentious fish, which also applies to reproduction.

Before moving on to the conditions under which the fish will happily reproduce, it is worth clarifying some details.
Firstly, the swordtail is a viviparous fish, therefore, you will not see any eggs on glass or stones. In some cases (large aquarium) you may not notice that the fish has already given birth, which slightly complicates the process of raising fry.

Reproduction of swordtails at home is easy even for novice aquarists, but in order for everything to go smoothly, follow our instructions exactly.
Swordtails are ready for reproduction already at 7–8 months of life, however, optimal conditions must be created for reproduction, which we will talk about later.

Let's start with water. Increased water temperature (26–28 ° C) and hardness of about 12 ° can encourage reproduction. The water in the aquarium should be fresh, clean, without turbidity or large amounts of waste.

Nutrition. A variety of foods will stimulate the reproduction process, which must include live food and various plant additives (especially if there is little live vegetation in the aquarium).

Important! A female, fertilized once, does not require repeated fertilization for further reproduction of offspring.

As soon as you notice that the female’s belly has begun to grow, immediately begin to arrangement of spawning grounds.
A three-liter jar with a wide neck or a small aquarium with a volume of up to 5 liters is quite suitable for this. A good option is a goblet-shaped single aquarium, which is often purchased for goldfish. Next, fill the vessel with settled, clean water (under no circumstances use distilled water) and move a small amount of small-leaved vegetation into it.

As a last resort, you can buy plastic algae with the same parameters or put a mesh washcloth on the bottom, which will serve as shelter for the fry in the first hours of life.
At the final stage, a pregnant female without a male is transplanted into the spawning area and fed live food until birth. Immediately after the fry appear, the female must be moved to a community aquarium.

Important! To get more males, the temperature in the spawning area needs to be reduced to 20–22° C, to get more females - raise to 30° WITH.

You look with joy at the fry that have just been born and think that the hardest part is over, but this is not at all the case. Small fish are very vulnerable, they need to be fed properly and monitor the temperature and aeration in the spawning area.

Feed. The initial food for fry can be represented either by a store-bought version or by regular dry crushed egg yolk.

However, it is worth remembering that store-bought food for fry will not pollute the water as much as homemade food, so monitor the condition of the water after each feeding and remove any leftovers in a timely manner.
Although you can use crushed live food to feed the fry, we strongly do not recommend doing this in the first weeks of life, since pathogenic organisms can get into the water along with the food, which will cause the death of the fry.

Temperature. In the spawning area, the temperature is not allowed to drop below 20 °C. The optimal water temperature will be between 22–28 °C.

If you follow all the rules, then the fry will grow quickly, and by the end of the first month of life they can be transplanted into a common aquarium.
This concludes our discussion of the topic of breeding swordtails and moves on to the rules of “neighborhood” in a common aquarium.

Did you know? Scientists from MacEwan University in Canada have proven that fish remember their feeding location for 12 days.

Compatibility with other fish

The swordtail is a peace-loving fish, for whose compatibility with other fish you can give it a big plus.

Despite their peaceful nature, swordtails can damage the fins of sedentary “neighbors.” These include “veil” fish. Also, swordtails will not give life to very small fish, like neons, which will constantly suffer from attacks from males. We wrote above that males divide territory and constantly conflict with each other. Eventually the weaker male will die from lack of food or injury.

To prevent this from happening, there must be a place in the aquarium where the fish can hide (a house, dense vegetation, a shell), and there must be two males.

That is, there must be either one male, or three or more. In this case, the number of females must be appropriate.
Using my experience, I can say that the swordtail gets along well with zebrafish, velifera, mollies and platies. As for small neons, swordtails are afraid to attack a large flock, so proximity is only possible if there are quite a lot of neons.

Disease resistance

Another advantage is resistance to diseases.

Immediately after purchase, swordtails are quarantined in the same three-liter jar for a week to determine whether they are healthy or require treatment.

Sometimes swordtails are affected by fungal diseases, which appear as white “fluff”. It appears both on the scales and on the tail and fins. The problem can be solved quite simply. You should dip the sick fish in salt water or a very weak manganese solution.

Important! If you are new to aquarium keeping, it is better to use a saline solution, as the wrong manganese solution can kill the fish.

Watch underwater world at least 30 minutes every day to identify the problem in time and solve it as soon as possible.

The swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) is a freshwater species of viviparous fish belonging to the family Poeciliidae, order of carp-toothed fish. This family also includes Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and Mollies (Poecilia latipinna). Swordtails got their name from a peculiar growth on the tail, similar to a sword (the word “Xiphophorus” comes from the words “xiphos” (sword) and “phoros” (to carry) (Greek). Swordtails were first described by Dr. I. Ya. Heckel ) in 1848, and in honor of the botanist Dr. Karl Bartholomaus Heller, who discovered these fish, named them Xiphophorus helleri. Therefore, they are sometimes called Heller's swordtails.

Under natural conditions, swordtails live in the northern and tropical regions of Central America: Guatemala, Honduras, and southern Mexico. Here, Xiphophorus helleri are found in high-mountain bodies of water with stagnant or slowly flowing water, in streams and fast-flowing mountain rivers, in their headwaters and lower reaches, in shallow water bodies: swamps, lagoons, ponds; inhabit fresh and brackish lakes (Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Veracruz and Rio de Janeiro). From America, swordtails were brought to Europe, and later to Russia at the very beginning of the 20th century, immediately gaining great popularity among aquarium fish lovers (along with platies, guppies and mollies).

The green swordtail lives in nature, which in an aquarium easily crosses with the platie. As a result of selection, hybrid forms of a wide variety of colors were bred: black, red, lemon, spotted, etc., and forms with artificially enlarged dorsal and caudal fins appeared. Nowadays, natural swordtail can rarely be seen on sale, but there are many varieties of aquarium ones.

Appearance of aquarium swordtails.

Under natural conditions, Xiphophorus helleri is a fairly large viviparous fish: the female grows up to 15 cm, the male is slightly smaller and reaches a length of about 10 cm (without the “sword”). In an aquarium, swordtails can reach such sizes only with very good conditions content. Typically, the length of the male’s body is from 5 to 8 cm.

The female swordtail differs from the male in its larger size. The body of the fish is elongated and slightly compressed from the sides. The male is much slimmer than the female. The mouth is upturned, adapted for feeding from the surface of the water. The main color of the male in nature ranges from yellowish-brown to olive-gray, the back has a greenish tint. The fins are greenish-yellow, with small reddish-brown spots scattered along the dorsal fin. A wide dark purple stripe with a red or blue edging runs along the entire body from head to tail, and two narrower stripes run parallel to it. The body of the female has a silvery sheen, but is not so brightly colored. In adult specimens, the “maturity spot” is clearly visible near the anal fin, and the tail is rounded. Characteristic feature Swordtails - males are long lower rays of the caudal fin, resembling a “sword”, which has a black edge and is colored in yellow-orange, green or reddish shades. The male is easy to distinguish from the female also by the structure of the anal fin, rolled into a tube - gonopodium.

Scientists have long been studying swordtails, because from the point of view of selection, this fish is very plastic, and it is easy to cross with other livebearers. As a result of breeding work, more than twenty varieties of swordtails with various colors have already been bred: Red, Black, Tuxedo, Calico (red with black and white spots), Koi, Berlin, Vienna , Simpson, Montezuma, Evelyn, flag, forked, olive, yellow, orange and their combinations (red body with black fins), gold, lemon, white albino, brindle (two types: red-mottled (red with black speckled) and black spots on a brown background (belly is light brownish-orange), marbled (white with black spots), lemon, red and green with black fins and others color varieties swordtails.

In addition to changing the color forms of the fish, forms with different fins were bred: lyre-shaped, three-lobed or veil tail and with an enlarged dorsal fin: high-finned (scarf-tailed), lyre-tailed and veiled. A variety of swordtails with swords in the upper and lower parts of the caudal fins has also been bred.

In the aquariums of European hobbyists, the exotic fish Swordtails (Xiphophorus Helleri) are a fairly old guest (they appeared at the beginning of the 20th century) and soon became one of the most popular inhabitants of home aquariums (along with catfish, guppies and gouramis). Swordtails are interesting and beautiful fish, cheerful and active. The unpretentiousness of keeping conditions and the ease of breeding of these viviparous fish attracts people to them and allows them to be recommended for beginner aquarium enthusiasts, and the selection diversity captivates experienced aquarists.

Swordtails can live and thrive in a small separate aquarium (on average, there should be at least 3 liters of water per 1 fish). If you are planning to breed swordtails and choose an aquarium to keep them, then you should pay attention to the length of the aquarium, since in longer aquariums (at least 30 cm) swordtails feel more comfortable. A general aquarium is also suitable for keeping a group of swordtails: spacious and elongated. The water level in a small aquarium is no more than 20 cm, and in a large one - about 30. Swordtails stay in the upper and middle layers of water. The type and color of the soil is not particularly important. Swordtails are warm-water fish; for their growth and reproduction, the optimal water temperature is 18° - 26 °C, although the fish are not very picky about temperature and tolerate fluctuations and short-term decreases even to 10°C well.

The water parameters for keeping and breeding swordtails are as follows: they prefer hard water dH 8 - 25°, preferably up to 15°; And acidity is desirable - pH: 7.0-8.0 °. Do not use driftwood (it lowers the pH). Swordtails love clean water, so the aquarium must always be kept clean and the water must be filtered. Regularly (at least once a week) it is necessary to replace one third of the volume of old water with fresh water of daily sediment, with a temperature a couple of degrees higher than in the aquarium. A complete change of water can be done in exceptional cases: in case of infectious diseases or mass death of fish. Experts recommend adding cooking or sea ​​salt(one tablespoon per 10 liters of water, but this is only possible when keeping species related to swordtails, and can be a problem when growing many plants). In addition, swordtails are very sensitive to the lack of oxygen in the water, so it is advisable to carry out aeration (enrichment with oxygen). However, if the aquarium is not too densely populated, it may be absent. In aerated aquariums, swordtails grow faster; when grown without aeration, they have a brighter color.

For an aquarium, it is advisable to choose small-leaved plants that reach the surface of the water (woolwort and Limnophila indica, hornwort, pinnate, Vallisneria, cryptocoryne, fern, floating plants with long roots). In the background, it is necessary to have dense thickets that will serve as the best shelter for pregnant females and fry (all types of myriophyllum, serrated elodea, isoztis, cabomba, and aponogeton leaves are suitable). It is advisable to place openwork green riccia on the surface, which forms picturesque islands.

When setting up an aquarium, it is necessary to alternate dense thickets of plants with free space for swimming and feeding fish (the front and middle of the aquarium should be free). The aquarium where swordtails live should be covered with a lid or glass on top, since they are very mobile, males sometimes frolic so much that they can jump out of the aquarium and die (swordtails, especially when courting females, make sudden movements, with vertical jumping) . An aquarium that is located in the sun must be fenced off from the light side with frosted glass, wax paper or tracing paper. The lifespan of swordtails is from three to five years.

Peculiarities of fish behavior in the aquarium.

Despite their formidable name, swordtails are quite peaceful and get along well with other non-predatory and peaceful fish of similar size and temperament that are not aggressive towards them. The exceptions are: slow fish with long fins (for example, veiled guppies), swordtails have a bad habit of biting their tails; fish that are significantly smaller in size (swordtails will constantly offend them). Male swordtails constantly fight with each other; there is a hierarchy between them (if you keep two males, the stronger one will pursue the weaker opponent). It is better to keep three or more males (this will divert the attention of the strong one), in which case there will be fewer fights.

All species of swordtails interbreed with each other, and this leads to the fact that they easily produce hybrids and mixed offspring: some of the fish become males, some become females. Not often, but there are also such luck when a completely new fish is born, not similar to others in color or shape of fins. As a result of such crossing, hobbyists have already obtained many colored varieties of fish. It is curious that these fish can interbreed with some other members of the family, which opens up wide opportunities for aquarists in breeding various variants of these viviparous fish. Hybrids are much larger than their parents, but reach sexual maturity much later.

Cases of another amazing feature of hybrid swordtails have been recorded: in the process of life, some females, even those who brought offspring, can be reborn (turning into males). The fact is that the response to uncomfortable conditions (during long-term maintenance without males, when the aquarium is overpopulated with females) is often a change in the sex of swordtails. In the female, a “sword” grows from the lower rays of the caudal fin, the lower rays of the anal fin are extended into a gonopodium tube, and the ability to bear offspring is lost. A female swordtail that has undergone a similar transformation is quite easy to distinguish. She retains the body shape typical of a female, and her fins are much less developed than those of the male. It is believed that such a male can produce offspring that are almost 80-90% female. The reverse transformation (male to female) does not occur.

Breeding swordtails in an aquarium.

Xiphophorus helleri is an aquarium viviparous fish of the carp-toothed family. Breeding swordtails is not particularly difficult. Just like guppies, mollies, platies, and gambusias, these fish do not spawn, but immediately give birth to live fry. When selecting swordtails for an aquarium, it is worth considering that females should predominate in number. It is preferable to keep swordtails in small flocks: one male and several females or more than three males and about a dozen females. If there are two males in a flock, then the strongest male will kill the weaker one. Swordtails become sexually mature at approximately 8 months, by which time the anal fin of the males lengthens and sharpens, turning into a gonopodium (copatory organ).

In the professional breeding of swordtails, breeding males are selected for the following characteristics: age of at least six months, large size (length about eight centimeters (without the “sword”)), activity, intensity of body color, original pattern of the caudal fin, shape of the fins and, if possible, the longest "sword". Females (about six months old) are selected from the offspring of the most productive breeders (pay attention to the brightness of the body color and the size of the caudal fin). Males and females intended for crossing are raised separately, young females are best mated with males of previous ones In an aquarium, swordtails quite easily produce hybrids, and if there are many varieties of swordtails and platies, they interbreed without problems, but you should not expect high-quality offspring from such reproduction, over time even the most beautiful shapes may degenerate.

You can breed swordtails all year round. No need to create special conditions For their spawning, a general aquarium is quite enough. Fertilization occurs inside the female and can last up to 2 days. The sperm of swordtails is a kind of “package”, entering the female’s body, they remain there for several months (one of them begins to develop, and the rest can cause the female to become pregnant later, when new eggs mature). At constant temperature water (26 - 27 ° C), and high-quality live food, one fertilization is enough for the female swordtail to spawn fry several times almost every month for quite a long time, without needing a male - until they are completely dispersed. This is not known to all aquarists (even experienced ones) and sometimes causes bewilderment: how does a female lay fry without a male? About " interesting position“The female can be guessed by the rounded tummy and the appearance of a dark spot on it. The duration of intrauterine development is about 40 days, at the most last days Before giving birth, the female’s tummy takes on a square shape.

But it must be taken into account that the course and duration of pregnancy, as well as the quality and quantity of litter depend on the conditions of detention (on the duration daylight hours, water temperature and quality of feeding), and on the individual properties of the female. The female swordtail, which is ready for spawning, must be transferred to a separate container, planted with a large number of small-leaved and floating plants, their presence will allow the offspring to take cover. This precaution is necessary because the female can immediately eat the newly hatched fry.

For professional breeding of swordtails, aquarists use special aquariums - spawning tanks with a false bottom or plexiglass aquariums (its top is covered with glass, which does not allow the female to “escape” from her temporary habitat), in the bottom of which slots are made. The fry, swept by the female, fall down and, falling through these slits, end up at the bottom of the spawning ground. Having risen to the surface for the first breath, they no longer end up in the cage in which the female is located. The number of fry at one time is on average about 50, for large non-hybrid females - from 100 to 200 (in the first offspring there are 25-30 fry, but then with each new hatching their number increases).

The female is separated from the fry after marking is completed and returned to the general aquarium (this is only possible if the female does not starve due to lack of food). You can place it in a separate small container and feed it intensively for several days. If you plan to breed swordtails in a community aquarium, it is advisable to plant small-leaved plants that form dense thickets in which the fry could hide from adult fish. You can use all types of myriophyllum, serrated elodea, isostis, cabomba, aponogeton leaves, vallisneria and others. If the birth occurred in a common aquarium, then it is advisable to carefully remove the fry (for this purpose, you can use a net with small cells), since swordtails hunt for fry and often eat them (if there are few plants in the aquarium, then only a small part of the offspring may survive ). Newborn fry are large and brightly colored, which makes hunting for them much easier.

Growing swordtail fry in an aquarium

Quite large (about 10 millimeters), fully formed fry with an absorbed yolk sac are born (usually in the morning). Having recovered at the bottom, they immediately begin to swim. The babies are well adapted to survival; at first they gather in a flock and stay in top layer water, hiding among the plants, rushing in all directions when danger approaches.

Noted interesting feature swordtails: the ratio of males and females in the litter depends on the temperature of the water when they are reared: at high temperatures(closer to 30°C) several times more males are born, at low temperatures (closer to 20°C) many more females are born. Fry need weekly changes of up to a quarter of the water volume, as they are demanding of cleanliness. Filtration and saturation of water with oxygen (aeration) is also necessary.

Starter food for newly born fry - nauplii of cyclops and brine shrimp, microworms, ciliates, nematodes, rotifers and other live food, for slightly older babies - cut tubifex, industrial food for fry of viviparous fish or boiled yolk chicken egg(if there is no live food, you can grind dry food into dust). A diet high in protein is required and the fry are fed frequently. With good and plentiful feeding, the juveniles grow very quickly and after about 3 months reach a size of about 5 cm. At this age, the first rays of the anal fin begin to lengthen in future males and a “sword” appears. To avoid uncontrolled mating, the fry should be placed in separate aquariums at this moment, separated by gender. The moment of onset of sexual maturity depends on the temperature at which the juveniles are reared (at the age of three to seven months). By the time of puberty, the anal fin of males begins to lengthen and sharpen, turning into a gonopodium (copulation organ).

Feeding the fish.

The life activity of swordtails, like other fish, depends on proper nutrition. In terms of food, they are unpretentious: they willingly take any food, still giving preference to live food: (cyclops, daphnia, bloodworms, tubifex, coretra, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae), they accept frozen, dry and combined food well. Swordtails also love vegetarian food. In order for the fish to have a bright color, it is necessary to include plant foods in their diet: algae, lettuce, spinach, nettles, peas, crushed oatmeal - if they lack such additives, they begin to eat the leaves of plants in the aquarium. If necessary (business trip or vacation of the owner), swordtails can easily tolerate the absence of feeding for up to 2 weeks without significant damage to their health. Especially if there are live algae in the aquarium, they can feed on various algal fouling on the leaves of aquarium plants or aquarium glass and small snails, pulling them out of their shells. If the aquarium contains only swordtails, then all uneaten food must be removed after five minutes, since swordtails only take food from the surface of the water.

Prevention of swordtail diseases in the aquarium.

When purchasing swordtails, you need to conduct a thorough inspection of them. It is important that there are no fish on the bodies white plaque, small rashes, ulcers - all this indicates the presence of diseases. For prevention, it is better to keep newly acquired fish in the aquarium in a salted “bath” (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter of water) for 15-20 minutes (this will help clean the outer covers of the fish from pathogenic microorganisms) . The health of the fish should be closely monitored.

Diseases can be caused by: violation of basic conditions of detention, cold, melanosis or infection brought in with food. If fluffy formations appear on the fish, it must be placed in a bath for 10-12 minutes (10 grams of salt per liter of water). After the bath, the fish should be placed for a couple of days in a weak solution of methylene blue at a temperature of 22-24 °C. For crushed scales and gill diseases, use trypaflavin. In case of contagious diseases (the fish becomes covered with white dots or bubbles), it is necessary to add a weak solution of trypaflavin and slowly raise the water temperature to 30 ° C. A good result is obtained by adding biomycin (a tablet in a bucket of water). Every other day, you need to re-apply a reduced dose of biomycin (a tablet for one and a half buckets of water). To avoid melanosis, only preventative measures are recommended (fish predisposed to melanosis should be kept at a temperature close to the minimum. Swordtails with large black spots sometimes develop malignant tumors, which can lead to death.

Clementia's sword bearer.

Appearance.

Under natural conditions it lives in the Mexican Sarabia River. The fish are from 4 to 5.5 cm long, the female is much larger than the male. The body of the fish is silvery-blue with two red longitudinal stripes. The back is painted olive-beige, the sword of the male is yellowish with a black edging (the length of the sword is about 3.5 cm). An aquarium with a capacity of 30 liters is better suited for their maintenance; it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness and freshness of the water. The female spawns from 20 to 50 fry.

Demina Tatyana Vladimirovna.