Swordtails

The Swordtail is a very popular live bearing fish. These fish can be found in most pet stores. They can be found in a variety of colors and mix well with other live bearing fish. There are also several ornamental Swordtails available at local pet stores. Some popular varieties are Red Swordtails, Tuxedo and Wagtail Swordtails.

Swordtails are peaceful community fish and mix well with other community fish of similar size. Male Swordtails are aggressive towards other males. They demonstrate the most aggression of the four popular live-bearers. Because of this aggression it is best to keep only one male and several females or keep five or more males to divide the aggression of the dominant male.

Tank set up for Swordtails should be a minimum of a 20 gallon tank. Be sure to provide an open area for swimming with several plants around the edges. Water temperature should be kept above 72 degrees.

Breeding Swordtails is not very difficult. In a well-kept aquarium a male Swordtail will spend quite a bit of time follow females around in order to spawn with them. Just place a male in a tank with a couple females and in about four to five weeks the female will give birth to several dozen fry. Be prepared to provide protection to the fry though. Mother Swordtails often try to eat the fry right after birth. Plants and commercial breeding traps are good ways to separate fry from the mother at birth.

Swordtails are not too picky when it comes to feeding. They will accept all types of flakes, frozen foods and algae tablets. They are very easy to keep and very easy to breed. They mix very well with Platys and Mollies. A Swordtail fish is a great choice for a community tank.

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