Size: females: up to 4.5 inches (12 cm), males: somewhat smaller at 4.0 inches (10 cm).
pH: 7.0-8.0
Temperature: 72°F - 82°F (22°C - 28°C)
Tank Size: 10 gallons or larger
Tank Range: Top,
Middle, Bottom
Care: Since they are omnivorous, the Swordtail will
generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance, give them a high quality flake food everyday. You can feed them brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
Sexing: The male has the "sword" extension on the bottom of the tail fin. The male is also
slimmer and has a "straw" shaped anal fin called a gonopodium. The female has a fan shaped anal fin, is rounder of body, and
will have a spawning patch at breeding time.
Breeding:
Livebearer: A female swordtail can store sperm for up to 3 months and generally drops fry once every 28 days. Drops can consist of 20-100 fry. Lots of floating cover will
give the baby swords a better chance at survival. You could also put the babies
in a separate tank or breeding net to raise them large enough that the adults will not eat them. Males will stress females in trying to breed them, so it is best to keep them in groups of 1 male to 2-3
females, or larger.
