Green swordtail aquarium fish. Swordtail aquarium fish

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 only be stopped by a small capacity of the aquarium or poor conditions.

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.

Very interesting view, which is radically different from the “usual” variations of the fish by 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, whose body is painted in different shades of yellow, and its abdomen is colored White color.
Sword bearer Koi Kohaku. The red and white swordtail resembles the shape and volume of fins goldfish small sizes. It is worth paying attention to the fact that this type suggests variations with pigmented red eyes, tall 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.

The sword bearer does not require special conditions that can hit your pocket or take away a large number of time.

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.

Temperature in the aquarium. The optimal water temperature is 24–26 °C, but the fish feels great at lower temperatures (about 19–21 °C).

In winter, the temperature can be reduced to 16 degrees, but in such conditions the fish will not reproduce. Both too low and too heat water has a detrimental effect on the general condition.

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. With a strong increase in temperature in summer time the fish will simply begin to swim near the surface from 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's better once again play it safe and install an aeration system rather than lose a large number of pets.

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.

A hungry fish is very active and will immediately swim to the feeder when it sees you. Therefore, after short observations, you can create an optimal feeding schedule.

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.

Secondly, many fairly friendly fish, even when well-fed, are not averse to eating the “live food” that swims around them. It is for this reason that you should not keep a pregnant female in a community aquarium until she gives birth.

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 take distilled one) and move a small amount of small-leaved vegetation there.

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 possible only if there are 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.

This concludes our discussion of the beautiful aquarium fish that has won many hearts. Use our instructions to maintain the necessary conditions, since most diseases affect weakened individuals who suffer from hypothermia or poor quality food.

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

In every home where there is a child, sooner or later conversations about pets begin. Several times a day, the baby asks his parents for a bird, a dog, or a kitten... He wants to look after and watch someone, feed the pet, play with him and take him for a walk, show off his new friend to his friends. But what to do if the apartment is too small for a dog, dad is allergic to cat fur, and mom just can’t stand the shrill sounds made by a parrot?

Fish

A great solution is to get an aquarium! There is a minimum of hassle with the fish, and the whole family will receive maximum aesthetic pleasure! In addition, you can admire these bright tropical creatures endlessly. Such contemplation of home underwater world calms, gives and has a beneficial effect on the psyche.

Plus, the aquarium will add a rich touch to the decor of the room, and your child will look after its inhabitants, thus getting used to discipline and responsibility. Moreover, a modern “house” for fish can look like anything! The aquarium can easily be selected so that it fits harmoniously into general style children's room Be sure to take your baby with you to the pet store, let him, like an adult, help you choose a tank of the desired shape and size and find residents for it. In addition to fish, you can purchase leisurely snails, a variety of algae, as well as all kinds of paraphernalia - decorative locks and gracefully curled shells. As for the choice of pets themselves, it is better to start with unpretentious species of fish, such as guppies, mollies, zebrafish, barbs, neons...

Swordtails

Come back later for more pampered angelfish, funny shrimp and slow-moving telescopes if you like. Explain to your child that first you need to learn how to handle simpler fish. Naturally, in any case, consultation with the seller is necessary. He will make sure that there are no predatory and peaceful fish; will recommend food, soil, decorations, and a net; will tell you which compressors, filters and lighting devices are most convenient to use.

Surely, the list of inhabitants proposed by him will also include the swordfish.

These unpretentious fish (usually bright red or black) with beautiful pointy tails are ideal as your baby's first pets. Firstly, they do not require special housing conditions, secondly, they easily get along with other types of fish, and thirdly, they are viviparous. The reproduction of swordtails in an aquarium, one might say, occurs almost by itself. Imagine how much joy a child will have when he sees the first fry that will grow before his eyes!

Reproduction of aquarium fish

So, the choice has been made - swordtails. Their reproduction is a fairly simple process. The fish reach sexual maturity at the age of 6-8 months. The female swordtail is larger, the male is smaller, but only he has the famous long tail in the form of a sword, for which, in fact, this species received its name. Therefore, it will not be difficult to distinguish them and understand how many “boys” and “girls” there are in the aquarium. It is better to have more females than males. There is one more detail: if there are only two males, they can behave aggressively towards each other and often fight.

Therefore, let either there be one, or four or more - then their attention is scattered, and aquarium swordfish They will behave much calmer. Please consider this nuance when purchasing them.

To get offspring, you need to maintain a stable water temperature, make sure that the filter works well, and there are areas shaded by algae where the fry can hide. Moreover, it is desirable that the plants be different - both those that are planted in the ground and those that float on the surface (duckweed, riccia, pistia).

About once a week, or as it evaporates, you should carefully add a certain amount of clean water to the aquarium. Just, God forbid, not from the tap!

First, it must stand for at least three days, and only then can this water be used. Of course, from now on it is the child’s sacred duty to feed the fish on time. Swordtails eat mainly live food, such as bloodworms, tubifex, daphnia or cyclops. However, they will not disdain combined types of food and crushed oatmeal, and they may even pinch algae.

Aquarium swordfish will not disappear, even if you decide to leave them for a week, for example, to go on vacation to the village. They will be able to find food at the bottom of the aquarium and its walls, among pebbles and on plants. But this does not mean that they can be left to their own devices without looking into the aquarium for 2-3 weeks.

Features of keeping fish

When biological balance is established in the “fish house”, the swordtails get used to each other, and their reproduction will take place without outside interference. One fine day, the child will simply notice that one, or even several females have noticeably “rounded up”, become pot-bellied and slower. Explain to him that the fish will soon have babies. What a joy it will be!

Pregnancy lasts about a month and a half, and after this time a whole flock of fry is born. There can be 15-20 of them, or much more, sometimes the number reaches up to a hundred. These are fully formed fish, only small and translucent. They swim independently, feed, have an instinct of self-preservation - they hide in the branches of algae, swim under decorative decorations. However, if you want to save all the fry, at first they still need to create special conditions. So, shortly before giving birth, it is better to resettle a pregnant female from other inhabitants of the underwater world.

Important Note

Suitable for this purpose small aquarium or even a regular glass liter jar washed with baking soda. There you need to pour some of the settled water and some of the water from the aquarium, plant a couple of plants. It is desirable that the algae be small-leaved and of both types - ground and floating, then it will be easier for newborns to hide in them. Let the child carefully, using a special net, catch the expectant mother and quickly launch her into the prepared temporary home.

After the offspring are safely born, the female must be returned back to the aquarium, since she can destroy unwary fry with her sharp teeth. It is better to feed newborns with Cyclops and Daphnia. When the fish in the jar grow a little, they can be placed with the rest of their relatives.

In fish such as swordtails, reproduction under favorable conditions - stable water temperature, good lighting, live food - can occur every month. The fry quickly turn into sexually mature individuals. So, already at 3-4 months, males will acquire a sword tail, and after a couple of months, full-fledged adult swordtails will swim in the aquarium. The reproduction of fish will begin again... However, if pregnant females are not resettled in another container, a law of nature will operate in which not all fry will survive, but only the most dexterous and nimble.

A little conclusion

They are such unpretentious swordfish. Their reproduction, as you already understood, practically does not require any correction, and if you give them free rein, the inhabitants of your underwater world will multiply to such an extent that you can give fry to all your friends and relatives. We wish you success in breeding them!

This is one of the most popular fish in the aquarium of the beginner and professional breeder. The fish is so unpretentious that sometimes newbies have only guppies and swordtails in their aquarium. Perhaps even those people who have never owned fish and have no intention of doing so know about them.

They appeared in human aquariums back in 1864 and since then have become permanent inhabitants of apartment ponds.

These fish got their name thanks to sword-shaped tail in males. Externally, the fish are very cute, and their colors are varied. I like swordtails not only because of their unpretentiousness, but also because they reproduce easily and very rarely get sick.

Swordtails cannot be called peaceful fish, but They show the greatest aggression towards each other. Sometimes you come across specimens 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 provides shelter for the fry of these livebearers.

Swordtail in nature

The homeland of these cute fish is Central America. Range in wildlife distributed from Mexico to Guatemala. Wild swordtails are not as brightly colored as their domesticated relatives.

IN natural environment Swordtails prefer heavily overgrown shallow reservoirs with both running and standing water. They feed mainly on insects, as well as plant foods.

These fish belong to the Poeciliidae family. They gained their fame thanks to the German biologist Geller, who caught them from the lakes of Mexico in 1848. As evidenced by the first description of swordtails, their body is curved and compressed at the sides, and their mouth is slightly upturned. The size of swordtails can reach ten centimeters in females and slightly less in males. The male also has a gonopobium - an anal fin. Distinctive feature from the rest of the poeciliids is a sword-shaped tail.

The color of these fish can be very different. There are orange swordtails, black, red and even yellow. Sometimes the body of a fish is colored one color and the tail another. The color of the male is always a little brighter than that of the females. You can even distinguish males from females by their caudal fin. In males it is radiant. Thanks to their upturned mouth, swordtails can easily get food from the surface of the water.

Types of aquarium swordtail

There are several types of fish with sword-shaped tails:

Bulgarian white is an albino fish. When breeding, it is unstable and often produces offspring that differ from its parents.
Another albino, but only lemon-colored. Greenish fish It is very whimsical, and its breeding is problematic due to the complete lack of guarantee when obtaining results.
is a hybrid obtained from the green swordtail and black picilia. The color of the black swordtail is not matte, but with a green tint. This species is very problematic, since the hybrid often gets sick. The excess pigment obtained during crossing is to blame for this.
actually has a brown-olive color. You can see red patches in the form of stripes on the body. Its tail is beautifully edged with red.
Red pigment in the swordtail, obtained 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 speckles.
Yellow swordtail otherwise called mountain. It has creamy zigzag stripes on the sides.
Rainbow The color of swordtails is rare and has several shades. They are usually grey, orange and green, with red stripes on the sides.

As a result of the work of breeders, a lot of different species were obtained. These are, such as Tuxedo, Hell's Swordtail, Vienna, Evelyn, Berlin Swordtail and Koi. If you have several species of swordtails in your aquarium, then after a while you will notice how diverse the offspring can be obtained by mixing species. Sometimes you come across specimens that you want to select yourself. True, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to consolidate the result.

But scientists have already managed to diversify this species of Poecileidae as much as possible. There are fish with veil fins, lobed and lyre fins. And the variety of shades is simply impressive.

This hardy fish is usually kept in a community aquarium with other inhabitants. The water in the aquarium must be enriched with oxygen, constantly clean and alkaline. A water filter must be present. Hardness ranges from 15–30, that is, moderate. The amount of water is at least fifty liters so that the fish have enough space to swim. 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 characterized by increased jumping ability.

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

Breeders of swordtails advise choosing an aquarium with an oblong, elongated shape 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 develop a disease such as ichthyophthirosis. The disease can be detected by the following signs: the fins of swordtails shrink, and the fish itself gravitates to the bottom where it scratches its body on the stones. Such signs occur when the water in the aquarium is suddenly supercooled.

In order for them to feel comfortable, try to maintain a temperature regime of at least twenty-five degrees. For this purpose, there are aquarium heaters with a thermometer that will help you ensure that your aquarium is properly cared for during the winter and autumn months.

Feeding

For breeders aquarium swordtails Lucky for you, these fish are absolutely omnivorous. They feed, as in the wild, on worms and crustaceans, phytoplankton and dry insects. The diet also includes plant food in the form of algae. They are fed both fresh and frozen food such as daphnia, chironomids and brine shrimp. Great for eating dry cereal and any other aquarium food. The only condition is that the food must be varied, and the daily menu must consist of at least three types.

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

Breeding

In order for swordtails 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 their opponent. If they are in a large, spacious aquarium, preferably elongated and with abundant vegetation, then the chances of avoiding fights will be much greater.

They reproduce quite easily. As soon as the swordtails reach seven months of age, mating season. It is quite easy to distinguish males from females. 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 maintenance rules:

Males and females must be at least six months old.
The female is selected from strong fertile families.
The male selected for breeding must be larger than the others. Body length is desirable at least eight centimeters without tail.
Typically, such males and females are separated at the age of three months and raised separately from the rest.
First-born, young females are crossed with already experienced males.
Very often, swordtails come into contact with picilians. If you have these types of fish in your aquarium, you can expect hybrid offspring.

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

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

There are special spawning aquariums. They have a false bottom made of organic glass. 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, later their number sometimes increases, reaching up to one hundred and fifty pieces.

You can also breed fry in a community aquarium, provided there is plenty of greenery, preferably floating on the surface of the aquarium. Unfortunately, their own fry are the favorite food of swordtails. They literally hunt for them and very often out of the total number of newborns, fifteen percent of the fry remain.

Tips for care and maintenance:

Feed the fish on time. Even if you run out of food, you can give oatmeal. Usually, in the absence of food, swordtails switch to eating algae. If you want to keep your aquarium vegetation beautiful, do not let your fish feel hungry.
Swordtails will not breed if the temperature in the aquarium is constantly low. Support temperature regime at twenty-seven degrees. To do this, you should get a special aquarium heater with a thermometer.
It is best to choose an elongated aquarium.
Mix about one quarter of the total volume of water in the aquarium every month.
Cover the aquarium with a lid to prevent jumping swordtails from jumping out.
Have plenty of greenery. The fry will hide in it. Among the plants there must be duckweed or pistia.

Diseases and their prevention

Inspect the fish before purchasing. There should be no wounds, rashes or strange deposits on the surface of their body. Be sure to carry out a preventative procedure. To do this, place the fish in salted water for twenty minutes. Water is salted in the following way: for one liter of liquid, a tablespoon of salt. The fact is that there may be microbes on the body of the fish from the previous aquarium, and with the help of salt they die.

Common fish diseases are colds, as well as the infectious disease melonosis. It can be identified by the fluffy growths on the fish’s body. 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 trypoflavin is excellent for any infections. In the instructions for medicine There is a description of use and dosage.

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, corpus luteum 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: 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.

Anyone can be a neighbor peaceful fish. 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 aquatic plants must also be placed there to create life-saving algae thickets in a small reservoir, in which it is so good to hide 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 with. 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 all aquarium catfish - corydoratus (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 big 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, gray mesh scales yellow color, 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. At the root of the tail pelvic fin- 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, 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 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.

The swordtail is perhaps the most unpretentious aquarium fish. This species first appeared in 1964 and has only been gaining popularity since then. The long growth on the tail of males gives the fish their name. They are loved for their unpretentiousness, beauty, diversity of species and ease of breeding.

In general, the swordtail aquarium fish is peaceful; individuals get along well in aquariums with other species. But their characters may differ, they can be bullies, this mainly concerns males. Most often they show aggression towards each other.

It is recommended to keep the fish in an aquarium that is densely planted, but also has free space for swimming. The presence of algae floating on the surface of the water will help to diffuse the light and will prove to be an excellent shelter for future fry.

Like other viviparous fish, these individuals take root well in salt water, but it is not necessary to do it on purpose.

Differences between males and females

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish small females and males of swordtails from each other, but it is possible with certain knowledge. Naturally, first it is important to pay attention to the fin on the tail, which in males is long below and resembles a sword. In females there is no such difference.

In addition, you should examine the fin near the anus, located at the bottom of the abdomen. In males it unusual shape- stretched out and looks like a tube. Thanks to him, he fertilizes the eggs in the female’s abdomen. The same fin in females is round in shape.

Males and females do not differ in color from each other. And due to the many crossings, hybrids of any shades have been bred.

The swordtail aquarium fish is unusual in that females are capable of turning into males. The sex of the fish is formed in several stages.

Among fish aged 4 months, small males first form, and after some time, some of the females also become males. Some of these females have already spawned first. But if you keep swordtails in favorable conditions, they will not change gender.

Varieties of fish

– distinguished by its olive color with a greenish tint. Along the horizontal side of his body there is a bright red stripe and several lighter stripes. The body is laterally flattened, and the sword on the tail of males is beautifully edged. Females are slightly larger and have lighter shades.
a variation of the previous type. Its only difference lies in the yellowish tint of the body. They do not survive reproduction well.
- also an albino variety, but they are more viable compared to lemon ones.
Black ones are a hybrid from crossing green swordtails and black pelicia. Their body is somewhat wider compared to the usual species. Color – black with a greenish or bluish tint. Fish often suffer from a disease associated with an excess of pigments in the body. This makes it difficult for them to reproduce.
Red - were obtained by crossing green swordtails and red pelicia. The species is distinguished by its bright red body color.
- they were named so due to their tricolor color - the main white color of the body is complemented by several large black and reddish spots.
Rainbow - similar in color to Australian rainbow fish. Their body is gray-green with an orange tint. There are red-brown stripes along it. The fish's fins are bright orange.
– they got their name because of the pronounced black spots on a red background. Males have a long sword on their tail.
Mountain– their body is creamy-yellow in color, and on the sides there are small spots and barely noticeable zigzags.
– the birthplace of this species in nature is the country of Mexico. The size of individuals is from 5 to 5.5 cm, females are also larger than males. On the body from the tail to the eye there is brown stripe in the shape of a zigzag. The scales of the fish are gray-yellow, and there are specks on the fin of the back. The sword on the tail of males grows up to 2 cm in length and is yellow in color.
Microswordtail (Xiphophorus xiphidium) – this species also lives naturally in climatic zone Mexico. The female swordtail reaches 5 cm, and the male does not grow more than 4 cm. This species is beige or olive in color with or without vertical stripes. There are dark spots on the tail. The sword on the tail of males is transparent and short, only 5 mm.
Clementia's Swordtails(Xiphophorus clemenciae) – individuals reach 4.5 – 5 cm in length, but the female is much larger than the male. The body is silver-blue with reddish horizontal stripes. The sword on the tail of the male is large - up to 3.5 cm in length.
Montezuma's swordtail (Xiphophorus montezumae) - the body length of the female of this species reaches 7 cm, and the male - a maximum of 5 cm. The body is painted in a lilac shade, which turns into brown on the back. There are also several zigzag stripes on the body that are paler than the main color. The male is distinguished by a yellow dorsal fin with dark speckles.
Swordtail KoiKohaku, otherwise Santa Claus - this variety is distinguished by three large spots of bright red color on the white body of the fish. Santa Clauses can reach 10 cm in length.
(forked) - got its name due to the unusually forked shape of the tail.
- a variety of bright red color with black fins.
- a large individual, growing up to 10 -12 cm in length, excluding the tail in males. The lower fin resembles a pike, and the lower part of the abdomen is darkened.
– has bright orange fins and the same color lower half of the body.
- so called because of its dorsal fin, it is large and appearance resembles a sail. The subspecies is considered to be the ruby flag swordtail, which has a rich red color. Also a subspecies of the flag species is the red blacktail.
– is a breeding form of green swordtails with an unusually shaped caudal fin.

How to feed swordtails correctly

These fish can be fed flakes, fresh live or frozen food, or other suitable food for aquarium fish. They require a varied diet including plant foods with a high concentration of fiber. The thing is that in natural conditions almost the entire diet consists of algae and their fouling.

It is impossible to plant a huge number of plants in an aquarium, so you can always buy special bait based on herbal ingredients. It is recommended to make these flakes the basis of the diet, and give live food only as a supplement in a small amount. You can choose any live food, since the fish are completely unpretentious in food.

How does reproduction work?

Swordtails are viviparous fish; the fry appears fully formed. The eggs are fertilized inside the female's body and are carried to maturity. This time is about 30 days.

Breeding fish in a home aquarium is very simple. Males are constantly active. The main thing is to remove the female in time to protect the fry so that they become food.
When the female swordtail becomes very fat and a dark spot appears on her abdomen, it means that the time of birth is approaching. You can leave it in a community aquarium, but too few fry will survive this way, as other fish will quickly eat them.

If you want to breed a large number of fry, you need to place the female before giving birth and equip this place with a large number of dense plants. She gives birth most easily in the thickets, and after giving birth she chases the fry, so they will be calmer in the shelter.

So, after becoming familiar with the features of care, maintenance and breeding of swordtails, even novice aquarists will be able to create suitable conditions for the life of the fish.

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