Swordtails have specific characteristics to easily differentiate male and female fish. Males have the characteristic “sword” on the ventral aspect of their tails. Females have a rounded tail edge and tend to have thicker bodies. This comes from carrying all their live baby fry.
How do you know when a female swordtail is about to give birth?
As her time nears, the bottom of her swollen belly will begin to appear slightly square and she’ll look light she might burst. A large dark spot will develop on each side of her body near the anus. That “gravid spot” is where you can see the uterus pressing against her abdominal wall.
Can swordtails change gender?
Amateur breeders have at times reported sex change in some old female swordtails of their aquaria, and biologists have re- ported sex inversions in domesticated Xi- phophortts helleri. Essenberg (1926) reported two instan- ces of complete sex inversion.
How many babies can a swordtail fish have?
Swordtails can produce 50 – 100 fry every time and may give birth again four to six weeks after the first birth.
How many male swordtails are female?
Males and Females
Make sure your tank is at least 50 gallons and you provide two or three females for each male in the tank.
How long is a swordtail in labor?
Common Causes of Delayed Birth
The gestation period of a swordtail is 28 days, but most of the times, the delivery might extend for around two or three days.
How many swordtails should be kept together?
Swordtail Fish Behavior and Temperament
They aren’t necessarily shoaling species, but they should be kept in a group of 5-6 to help them feel comfortable in the tank. Also, keep the ratio of females more in comparison to male ones.
Do female swordtails have swords?
Abstract. Swordtail fish exhibit a striking sexual dimorphism in the structure of the caudal fin; males have a colourful, elongated caudal appendage, termed a sword, that is absent in females.
What age do male swordtails get their tails?
This is the final stage of swordtails. The fish will have grown fully when six months old. At this stage, they will be 12-14 cm (5 – 5.5 inches) long including their swords. Male have swordtails and develop longer tails and fins than the females.
What fish can you put with swordtails?
Peaceful catfish species make ideal tank-mates for red swordtails. Both corydoras and plecostomus are good choices. These varieties are peaceful toward other fish and share similar water requirements to red swordtails.
How fast do baby swordtails grow?
The average size of a swordtail fry will be below a ¼ inch (5-7mm). The size is very close to that of guppy fish fry. However, they will grow to around 1.5 inches or 38 mm within three months. By that time, they will be mature enough for breeding.
Is swordtail a guppy?
The Yellow Top Swordtail Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is a very uncommon guppy variety that has a distinctive sword extension at the top of the tail in males.
Is swordtail a Molly?
That’s primarily because they belong to different families. Mollies are Poeciliiae, while swordtails are Xiphophorus, making them genetically incompatible.
Can you have 1 swordtail fish?
These fish are fairly active, and the extra space will do them good. Now, keep in mind that a 15-gallon tank is best for a single swordtail fish. Chances are, you’re going to keep a small group! Larger groups are better for their social development (more on that later).
How do you tell a male swordtail from a female?
Only male swordtails have the tail fin extension. Females have a rounded tail fin. Females’ bodies are also more rounded, fuller and about one-half-inch longer at maturity.
When can you tell swordtail gender?
‘ That’s because you can almost never distinguish your swordtails’ gender during their fry phase; they all look the same. Most males won’t show any distinctive, male-specific traits until they are 3-months old at least. This is generally the minimum time to expect, but most males will need far more time than that.
Do swordtails hide when giving birth?
Female Swordfish is Ready to Give Birth
The hiding swordfish might be pregnant. You can spot a pregnant swordtail fish easily because it will have a swollen belly and feature a gravid spot. In pregnancy cases, the hiding behavior is perfectly normal and you should not worry about losing the fish.
Why is my swordtail sitting at the bottom of the tank?
There could be many reasons why swordtail may lie on the bottom of the aquarium: your fish may be pregnant, stressed or affected by ammonia poisoning, poor water quality or have diseases and parasites.
Do swordtail lay eggs?
Do swordtails lay eggs? No, they do not. Swordtails are livebearers and therefore they give birth to live fry. They are easy to keep and easy to breed fish.
How big do female swordtails get?
It’s not uncommon for a male swordtail to reach more than 6 inches (15 cm) in length and the females aren’t much smaller. Most females will reach about 5 1/2 inches (14cm) in length – so obviously you will need to provide larger tank for swordtails than you would for guppies or platies.
How often do you feed swordtail fish?
Swordtail Fish should be fed once or twice daily according to their appetite. Swordtail Fish require approximately 20% of their body weight per feeding; however, the amount consumed by Swordtail is typically between 10-30% of their body weight.