Forked swordtail

A colorful and well-liked freshwater fish, the Forked Swordtail is loved by novice and expert fish keepers alike. This fish, which is well-known for both its striking appearance and lively personality, livens up any aquarium.

The Forked Swordtail, which is indigenous to the rivers and streams of Central America, can be easily identified by its longer lower tail fin, which has a sword-like appearance. Its distinctive quality gives it distinction and serves as the basis for its name.

The Forked Swordtail is a hardy species that is also aesthetically pleasing, which makes it a great option for beginners in fishkeeping. It is a flexible addition to community tanks because it does well in a well-kept aquarium and gets along with other calm fish.

Attribute	Description
Scientific Name	Xiphophorus hellerii
Common Name	Forked Swordtail
Size	Up to 6 inches
Temperament	Peaceful
Water Temperature	22-28°C (72-82°F)
pH Level	7.0-8.3
Diet	Omnivore
Tank Size	20 gallons minimum
Lifespan	3-5 years

Forked swordtail

Picture of a forked swordtail

The hybridization of the Flag and Lyretail Swordtail results in the formation of the forked swordtail, an additional color and structural variation. This morph is distinguished by its forked tail.

The mountain swordtail is essentially the only pure species of swordtail found in aquariums in Russia and Ukraine. The remaining swordtails are all hybrids. Everything: koi, green, black, white, tiger, flag, gray-brown-raspberry, etc.d.&p. All of these are crosses between the tricolor and spotted pecilia and the Heller’s swordtail.

The requirements for maintaining a forked swordtail are the same for all species.

Class: Fish with ray fins.

Toothy carp is in order.

Peciliidae is the family.

Conditions for aquarium maintenance:

The water is between 22 and 26 °C.

(allows for a brief drop in temperature to 15 °C)

PH of "Acidity": 7.0–7.5.

Hardness dH: 6–20°

10% of the population is non-aggressive.

Maintaining: not difficult at all.

Swordtails are native to Central America, specifically to southern Mexico and Guatemala. They reside in reservoirs that are heavily covered in a variety of aquatic plants and have stagnant, slowly moving water.

Swordtail fish, or Xiphophorus helleri, are members of the pecilia fish family. Translating Xiphophorus helleri from Greek means "sword" (xiphos) and "to carry" (phoros). Swordtails are known by the prefix "Helleri" after the German naturalist Karl Bartholomeus Heller, who was the first to catch the fish in Mexican lakes and bring them back to Europe safely.

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Swordtail compatibility

Swordtails don’t bite people. They work well with nearly all small, calm fish. Tetras, minors, ternetias, danios, all pecilia fish, etc. are some of the best neighbors. Nearly all bottom fish, including ancistrus, corydoras, acanthophthalmus, and platidoras, are compatible with them. For example, they get along well with angelfish and "peaceful" cichlids.

Picture of a forked swordtail

Large, aggressive fish, like cichlids (acaras, astronotus, diamond cichlazoma, etc.), are incompatible with swordtails. Additionally, since "veil" fish are slow and swordtails can "pinch" them with their fluttering fins, it is not advisable to place them with them.

Male swordtails can be aggressive and intolerant of one another. There have been incidents where men have fought and even hurt one another. Consequently, swordtails should be housed in aquariums in haremas with two to three females for every male. In this instance, fish exhibit much less intraspecific aggression. Check out the article on aquarium fish compatibility.

Life expectancy of swordtails

By aquarium standards, swordtails have a medium-long lifespan. In ideal circumstances, their lifespan may reach five years. This link will tell you how long other fish live!

Minimum aquarium size for swordtails

Swordtails are kept in small aquariums by many novice aquarium owners. This isn’t totally accurate, though. Swordtails are actually pretty big fish. Additionally, the minimum aquarium size for a harem family of swordtails should be 50 liters, as it is advised that they be kept in a ratio of one male to three or more females. A large aquarium is ideal for swordtails; one hundred liters is preferable.

See HERE for details on how many fish can be kept in an X-liter aquarium (links to aquariums of various sizes are located at the bottom of the article).

Care requirements and conditions for keeping swordtails

Swordtails don’t require any unique circumstances. In actuality, the secret to their wellbeing is keeping aquarium water at ideal parameters. Nevertheless, remember this:

1. Swordtails definitely need aeration and filtration, weekly replacement of up to 1/4 of the volume of aquarium water. It is worth noting that these fish do not need a lot of oxygen, and too frequent change (replacement) of aquarium water is not as useful for them as for other types of aquarium fish. Therefore, if you change the water less often, for example, once every 14 days, and not every 7, nothing bad will happen. This rule is appropriate with a stable biobalance and zero nitrogen: NH4, NO2, NO3. As for any other fish, a high concentration of poisons is unacceptable: ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Every conscientious aquarist should always have a set of drop tests on hand, at least for nitrate and phosphate. Fortunately, they have now become inexpensive, there are no problems with their assortment and acquisition. In the stores of your city – offline, you can find inexpensive Vladox tests. Follow your friends, with nitrogenous compounds, keep them in UES and everything will be with your pets with a bundle.

Using medications that neutralize dangerous substances during deep water changes—when there is a clean water supply—won’t be unnecessary. For example, Tetra AquaSafe eliminates heavy metals and chlorine compounds while also including B vitamins, iodine, and other beneficial ingredients for aquariums.

Picture of a forked swordtail

The reputable FF online retailer Aqua Logo Shop is where you can buy the medications, gear, and other helpful items for an aquarist that were mentioned above. We advise against it!

2. The fish are nimble and can jump out of the aquarium and perish, so it needs to be covered with a lid.

3. Swordtails, like many other fish, are at ease in the presence of greenery. It is advised to use riccia, vallisneria, echinodorus, cryptocoryne, duckweed, and other plants as aquarium plants for them. Plant thickets can be used to mimic fish in their natural habitat.

4. You must arrange an open area for swimming in an aquarium before you decorate it. Swordtails have superb swimming abilities. Shelters are not necessary for swordtails.

A colorful and resilient freshwater fish that brings life to any aquarium is the Forked Swordtail. This species, which is well-known for having an elongated tail fin, is also very easy to maintain, which makes it a fantastic option for aquarists of all skill levels. Popular and low-maintenance, the Forked Swordtail is a peaceful addition to community tanks that thrives in a range of water conditions.

Feeding and diet of swordtails

Swordtails are omnivores with an easy way with food, and they tend to overeat. They enjoy eating chips, granules, and flakes that have been dried or freeze-dried. Tetramin is a versatile food that is easy to use. and foods rich in carotenoids as well.

Allow me to make a small note. Color series food – enhances the natural color of fish (red, yellow colors), since it is enriched with pigments such as canthaxanthin, astaxanthin. In fact, carotenoids are natural "coloring" substances. It is astaxanthin that gives plants a red-orange color, carrots are a striking example of this. Or, for example, have you ever wondered why flamingos are pink? Yes, yes, that is exactly why. By eating plant and animal food rich in carotenoids, the plumage of flamingos, which initially has a white color, gradually turns pink. The more of this substance the birds get with their food, the richer and redder their plumage becomes. If you look even deeper, flamingos eat the well-known brine shrimp – pink, saltwater crustaceans and also turn pink.

In actuality, if the meal includes carotenoids, the same thing occurs with fish. Not to be overlooked, astaxanthin is an antioxidant in addition to its other beneficial qualities. Generally speaking, carotenoids benefit all aquatic life, including aquarium plants, in addition to fish. The only requirement is that everything be balanced and in moderation. You must realize that a fish’s color is also influenced by its health, surroundings, life events (such as stress or spawning), and the lighting in the aquarium.

To sum up, while the Color series feeds are beneficial, they shouldn’t serve as the main course. Just consider the consequences if someone consumed nothing but beets for a week. The idea is unsettling. Fish is the same way. I apologize; they start to poop adorable pink poop.

It is crucial in this case, incidentally, to avoid overfeeding the fish in order to prevent digestive tract issues. Eat once a day for the swordtails, and observe fasting days. One of the keys to their maintenance success will be this. It should be mentioned that when purchasing any dry food, you should be aware of the manufacture and expiration dates, avoid purchasing food by weight, and store it in a closed environment to prevent the growth of harmful flora.

Reproduction and breeding of forked swordtails

Swordtail breeding is not at all a difficult undertaking. It is comparable to how guppies and other livebearers reproduce. It can also be said that it genuinely occurs on its own.

Swordtails reach sexual maturity between the ages of 5 and 6 months. One male for every three female fish is the recommended ratio for breeding (and for the fish’s own comfort). The male engages in back-and-forth shuttle movements, akin to a mating dance, while courting the female.

The mature eggs are fertilized inside the female. This might take a few days to complete. One noteworthy characteristic of swordtails is their ability to procreate multiple times after fertilization, even in the absence of a male.

The woman is carrying a child for 4-6 weeks. The conditions of the aquarium’s water, temperature, lighting, and feeding affect this time frame.

A "black pregnancy spot" appears under the tail, and the abdomen is full in a pregnant female. It is thought that the female starts to move more actively, "rushing" up and down along the aquarium glass a few hours before "giving birth," and her abdomen becomes "square."

The female can spawn anywhere from fifteen to one hundred fry at a time. Typically, spawning takes place in the morning.

Monthly births are possible if the water is between 26 and 27 °C and there is ample feeding.

Ensuring the survival of the offspring is arguably the most crucial breeding rule for swordtails. Regretfully, the parents consume their own young, and since swordtail fry are big and vividly colored, this process essentially becomes eradication. In the wild, swordtails never get to see their young since the current whisks the fry away as soon as they are born. The parents in an aquarium use the fry as food.

The aquarium is heavily planted with aquarium plants in order to preserve the progeny. In the aquarium, plants are arranged in the water column, on the bottom, and particularly densely on the surface. As a result, the fry receive protection "from evil parents" and the majority of them make it out alive.

Additionally, you can use specialized spawning tanks, which are shaped like a funnel and contain a female inside while the spawned juveniles fall out into the spawning aquarium, to preserve the offspring. As a result, it is first guaranteed that the manufacturer and youngist will not communicate.

A jack of manufacturers right after spawning is the third way to preserve offspring. Although this option is straightforward, the aquarist must be timely and attentive.

Photo pregnant female a swordsman, here

Female swordsman who is heavily pregnant =)

The female is placed and given copious amounts of food after spawning.

Live dust is the first meal for the young swordsman (naupupa, aremia, cyclops, microble, collections, cut tube).

A week later, the young swordsmen start to separate; the strong and "thoroughbred" are destroyed by the weak and flawed.

The juveniles are developing quickly; in males, the anal fin starts to change after two months, and in females, the "sword" starts to grow by the third month.

Independent crossing happens when keeping swordtails from different species, and this can occasionally produce stunning offspring.

The female swordtail fish has the ability to change gender at some point in their life, which is an interesting fact about their species. This occurs when there is a "shortage" of males, which makes sense given the species’ struggle to survive. Almost 90% of the progeny born to a pair of females and one former female are female.

Diseases and treatment of swordtails

Due to their extreme resilience, swordtails can tolerate harsh conditions while being held in captivity. But as with all living things, good health does not last forever. Fish keeping success depends on having aquarium water that meets all the necessary criteria.

Swordtails require the same care for all common aquarium fish illnesses, with no special considerations.

The disease must be identified in order to treat swordtails correctly, and then the required measures must be taken. You can find sections of the website that will assist you with treatment and diseases of aquarium fish. MEDICAL DISEASES OF FISH, AQUA.

These and a variety of other fish are always available at the physical supermarkets Aqua Logo and the internet retailer Aqua-Shop. Live goods delivery is offered in Moscow and the surrounding areas.

A colorful and intriguing addition to any freshwater aquarium is the forked swordtail. For both new and seasoned aquarists, its striking appearance—which includes a distinctive forked tail and vibrant colors—makes it a favorite. This fish gives your tank life and movement in addition to aesthetic appeal.

In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the Forked Swordtail requires little maintenance, which makes it a great option for novice fishkeepers. It grows best in an area that is kept up, has clean water, a healthy diet, and enough room to swim around. Although they may exhibit some territorial behavior, these fish are generally calm, so it’s important to keep an eye on how they interact with other fish in your tank.

All things considered, the Forked Swordtail is a delightful and resilient fish that can adapt to different tank conditions. It can live a long and healthy life with proper care, giving anyone who enjoys the peace and beauty of a well-kept aquarium countless hours of enjoyment.

Video on the topic

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FORKED SWORDTAIL

We trim the gonopodium of Forked Swordtails!!!

Forked veil swordtails.