Swordtail kohaku

The Swordtail Kohaku is a colorful and well-liked freshwater fish that has a lively personality and an amazing color combination. These fish liven up any aquarium with their vivid red and white bodies, which mimic the hues of Kohaku koi. They are distinguished from other species by their characteristic elongated "sword" tail fin, which gives them an elegant appearance.

Originating in Central America, swordtails are a favorite fish of aquarists of all skill levels because they are resilient fish that require little maintenance. They flourish in a well-kept setting with lots of swimming area, pure water, and a healthy diet. They can coexist peacefully with other non-aggressive fish due to their social nature, but it’s preferable to keep them in groups to reduce stress.

In order to properly care for Swordtail Kohaku, one must ascertain what they require and create an environment that closely resembles their native habitat. They favor a tank with lots of plants, hiding places, and open swimming areas, as well as slightly alkaline water. These vibrant fish can live for several years in your aquarium with the correct care and conditions, adding color and beauty.

Feature	Description
Color	Bright red-orange body with a white or pale underbelly
Size	Usually grows up to 4-5 inches (10-12 cm)
Temperament	Peaceful and active, suitable for community tanks
Diet	Omnivorous, enjoys flakes, pellets, and live or frozen food
Water Conditions	Prefers water temperature of 72-82°F (22-28°C) with a pH of 7.0-8.3
Breeding	Livebearers; females give birth to live fry

Swordtail kohaku

Picture of Swordtail Kohaku

Swordtail gelleri hybridizes with pecilia to produce the color morph known as swordtail kohaku. It is possible to classify kohaku as a swordtail koi subspecies. Another name for this particular species of swordtail is Santa Claus.

In Russia and the Ukraine, there is essentially only one pure species of swordtail kept in aquariums: the mountain swordtail. The remaining swordtails are all hybrids. Everything—including the tiger, the flag, the greenery, the black and white, the koi, the gray-brown-crimson, etc.—and so on. These are all crossbreeds between the tricolor and spotted platy and the Heller’s swordtail.

Regarding the conditions for maintaining Kohaku swordtails, they are the same for every species.

Class: Fish with ray fins.

Tooth-carp is the order.

Peciliidae is the family.

Conditions for maintaining an aquarium:

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 were given the prefix "Helleri" in honor of Karl Bartholomeus Heller, a German naturalist who caught the fish in Mexican lakes and brought them back to Europe without incident.

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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 Swordtail Kohaku

Large, aggressive fish that hunt swordtails, like cichlids (acaras, astronotus, diamond cichlazoma, etc.), are incompatible with swordtails. Furthermore, it is not advisable to plant them next to "veil" fish because swordtails can "pinch" them with their fluttering fins because the latter are slow moving.

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. Fish are noticeably less aggressive within their own species in this instance. Check out the article on aquarium fish compatibility.

Similar in appearance to the well-known Kohaku koi, the Swordtail Kohaku is a colorful and resilient freshwater fish. This fish is well-liked by aquarium enthusiasts because it’s simple to maintain, can adapt to different tank conditions, and is an excellent option for novices wishing to add some color to their home aquariums. A remarkable addition for both seasoned hobbyists and novices, the Swordtail Kohaku has a calm temperament and a vibrant nature that add beauty and energy to any aquatic setup.

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 volume for swordtails

Small aquariums are home to many inexperienced aquarists’ swordtails. 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 beneficial 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. Watch out, friends, for nitrogen compounds, keep them in check and everything will be fine for you and your pets.

Using preparations that neutralize harmful substances with clean water during deep water changes 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 Swordtail Kohaku

You can get the aforementioned supplies, tools, and other items that are helpful for an aquarist from the reputable FF online retailer Aqua Logo Shop. We advise against it!

2. A lid needs to be placed on the aquarium because fish can jump out and perish due to their nimbleness.

3. Swordtails, like many other fish, are at ease in the presence of greenery. It is advised to use riccia, duckweed, vallisneria, echinodorus, and cryptocoryne as aquarium plants for them. Plant thickets are an imitation of a fish’s 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.

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. plus feeds that also contain carotenoids.

Allow me to make a small note. Color series feeds – enhance the natural color of fish (red, yellow colors), as 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, that"s exactly why. Eating plant and animal food rich in carotenoids, flamingo plumage, which is initially white, gradually turns pink. The more birds get this substance with food, the richer and redder the 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 the conditions of the fish’s life—such as stress or spawning—as well as the environment and lighting in the aquarium all affect the fish’s color.

In conclusion, while the Color series feeds are beneficial, they shouldn’t serve as the main course. Imagine what would happen if someone consumed nothing but beets for the entire 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. Once a day, feed the swordfish, and observe fast 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 mindful of the manufacture and expiration dates, avoid purchasing food in large quantities, and store it in a closed environment to prevent the growth of harmful flora.

Reproduction and breeding of kohaku swordtails

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

Swordtails reach sexual maturity between the ages of 5 and 6 months. It is advised to maintain the fish in a ratio of one male to three females for breeding purposes as well as for their own comfort. The male does shuttle movements back and forth, resembling a mating dance, while courting the female.

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 expecting a child in four to six weeks. The conditions of the aquarium’s water, temperature, lighting, and feeding affect this time frame.

A "black pregnancy spot" appears under the tail of a pregnant female, and her belly is swollen. A few hours before "giving birth," the female is said to start moving more actively and "rushing" up and down the aquarium glass, causing her belly to become "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.

Ensure the survival of the young is perhaps the most crucial rule to follow when breeding 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 take the fry out of the aquarium to eat.

The aquarium is heavily planted with aquarium plants in order to preserve the progeny. In the aquarium, plants are arranged densely on the surface, in the water column, and on the bottom. Thus, the majority of the fry survive because the young are given refuge "from evil parents."

Additionally, you can use specialized spawning tanks, which are made like funnels with the female remaining inside and the spawned young falling out into the spawning aquarium, to preserve the offspring. As a result, the producer and the young don’t interact at first.

After spawning, separating the producers is the third way to preserve the progeny. This is an easy option, but it does require the aquarist to be punctual and focused.

Photo of a pregnant female swordtail, here is one giving birth

Swordtail, a heavily pregnant woman =)

The female is kept apart and fed copiously following spawning.

Young swordtails are fed live dust (nauplii, brine shrimp, cyclops, microworm, rotifers, and cut tubifex) as their first meal.

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.

Beautiful offspring can occasionally be obtained through independent crossing between swordsmen of different types.

One fascinating aspect of these fish’s existence is that the female swordsman can eventually change into a male, changing the floor, among other things. The struggle for the species’ survival explains why this occurs when there is a "lack" of males. Nearly 90% of female individuals are the progeny of a pair consisting of a female and a previous female.

Diseases and treatment of swordsmen

Swordsmen are resilient fish that can withstand challenging circumstances. But like anything living, this kind of wonderful health is fleeting. Maintaining ideal aquarium water conditions is essential for successful fish keeping.

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

First, the disease must be diagnosed, and only then can the appropriate measures be taken to treat swordtails. This will support you. Diseases and treatments for aquarium fish as well as website sections: Aqua. Med. Fish Diseases.

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.

With their striking red and white coloring and lively, playful disposition, swordtail Kohaku fish are a stunning and colorful addition to any aquarium. They are a fantastic option for both novice and seasoned fish keepers due to their hardiness and ease of maintenance.

These fish do best in a clean, well-stocked tank with lots of room for swimming and a healthy diet. Maintaining the health and happiness of Swordtail Kohakus requires regular water changes and careful consideration of water quality. They are also gregarious fish that thrive in communal aquariums, particularly when housed with other calm species.

Swordtail Kohakus are a fun addition to any aquarium because they add vibrant color and engaging behavior. They can be a delightful and long-lasting addition to your underwater world if given the proper care.

Video on the topic

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