A beautiful Swordtail

These fish come from Southern Mexico

The Swordtail.......The male has the swordtail. Temperature 72-75 degrees F This fish likes pretty hard water. If you want to raise Swordtails read,        Breeding The Livebearer MAKING BABIES The Wonderful World of Fish Breeding Click Here The sword is only on the male.   The swordtail comes in many colors, red, green, orange, peach, marigold, black wagtails and more. Some have large flowing fins, some have veiltails, there is a large variety of hybrids to choose from.   THE XIPHOPHORUS GENETIC STOCK CENTER It comes as a surprise even to most scientists that one of the oldest and best defined groups of genetic strains consists of livebearing fishes of the genus Xiphophorus, the platyfishes and swordtails familiar to the tropical fish hobbyist. Click Here

Fishkeeping is fascinating. There's no argument about that - you only have to look at the worldwide following the hobby has. But - "keeping" is only part of the enjoyment. For those of us who move on to breed our fish, there are even more delights in store. There's nothing like the satisfaction of raising your first batch of fry. Very easy to raise, the young is able to eat powdered food at birth.   The swordtail is a live bearer, it does not lay eggs. The parents will eat their young, have plenty of cover for the young to hid in. Put the pregnant female in a breeding trap if you want to save the babies. They have their young about every 34 days . The males will chase the females constantly courting and spreading his fins. He may circle her and approach from the rear, ready to make a quick thrust. The female never shows any willingness to his attentions. These fish are strictly promiscuous. A single fertilization is sufficient for 4 or 5 broods. There is no definite period of gestation. However at 75 degrees the time from fertilization to delivery is about 4 t 5 weeks. The time will be greatly changed by a few degrees less temperature. At 65 degrees it may be as long as 12 weeks to deliver.Reproduction and rearing.   Like other live-bearers these fish will multiply in the community aquarium but because the mother and other fish will eat the newly born, the young must be given a chance to escape. It is a good idea to isolate the pregnant females before birth. Pregnant females have plump rounded bellies and a gravid spot.(a darkened triangular pregnancy mark behind the anal fin) Often before birth the eyes of the unborn fry can be seen.

	The red variety of the swordtail is very striking, in noticeable contrast to the wild fish which is predominantly greenish in color. Many of the color variants were developed in Germany and are named after the towns concerned, such as Berlin or Hamburg. A number of these originated from crosses involving the platy (X. maculatus) although swordtails with black specking characteristic of this strain have subsequently been discovered in the wild, where the species occurs from Mexico south to Guatemala. There are now more than 30 different varieties of the swordtail in existence. "Xiphos" Another Fish Tale The first fish that I bought for my aquarium were swordtails: a pair of them, both orange, one male and one female. I wanted tetras, but the guy at the pet store told me that the tetras would probably die since my tank was not yet established. Instead, he recommended a heartier fish: the swordtail. Click Here The Swordtail is a popular aquarium fish, especially among beginners. Their name comes from their extended caudal fin, where the bottom points out like a sword on the males. The body shape of the fish is similar to that of the Guppy. Several color strains have been formed by breeders over the years including Neon, Red, Lyretail, Red Simpson, Green, Albino, Gold tux, Black and Spotted Swordtails. Click Here The Swordtail is another fish that likes a brackish water aquarium •Brackish Water Aquarium When You Purchase Your Fish Directions:  To Transport Fish Safely Into Your Aquarium 1.     Take the fish directly home. 2. Float the the fish (still in the bag) in your tank for 5-10 minutes to equalize the temperature of the water. 3. Then add a small amount of the tank water into the bag with the fish. Float the fish another 5  to 10 minutes.                  4. Repeat step 3 several times up to 45 minutes. Double this time for more sensitive species. 5. Slowly and gently net the fish with your small net and release them into the tank. Do not empty bag water into the tank. Most shops have a conditional 24 hour guarantee on fresh water fish. Take in the dead fish with a separate sample of the tank water and the sales receipt. If your water quality is good = Ammonia 0; Nitrate under 60 ppm; and the ph level corresponds to the needs of the fish, they will gladly replace the fish.     Always ask for the policy of each shop Marine (SALT WATER) fish usually have no warranty

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