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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 12 2010, 11:16 PM (210 Views) | |
| Critter_Crazy | Mar 12 2010, 11:16 PM Post #1 |
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Care and feeding: 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. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat. Distribution: The Swordtails are found in Central America from the Atlantic slopes of southern Mexico to Guadamala. There are several color varieties of the Swordtail Xiphophorous helleri as well as a variety of other Swordtails species. The Xiphophorous helleri is the most available and the other species, though similar, are not always as large and are often more delicate. The Spotted Swordtail Xiphophorous helleri was introduced as early as 1864, while the popular Green Swordtail Xiphophorous helleri was first introduced in 1909. Swordtails come in many colors and mixtures of colors, even in wild strains, that including red, green, black and albino though the most well known is red. There are now lyretail and high-fin varieties as males have been developed with exaggerated finnage and with two swords instead of one. Even some females also now have a sword. Most crosses are between the Platy or Moonfish Xiphophorous maculatus and the Swordtail Xiphophorous helleri. Popular cross bred Swordtails: The Green Swordtail has a green body with red and yellow along the lateral line of the sides. The Green Wagtail Swordtail is this fish crossed with a Wagtail Platy and the Green Tuxedo Wagtail Swordtail is this fish crossed with a Tuxedo Wagtail Platy. The Red Swordtail is a Cross between the Green Swordtail and the Red Platy, sporting different shades of red and called the Brick-red Swordtail and the Velvet Red Swordtail. There is also the Red Wagtail Swordtail and the Red Tuxedo Wagtail Swordtail. A Variegated Swordtail is a mixture of colors with no set pattern. The Hybrid Swordtail, is the same fish as the Salt-and-Pepper Platy. No two fish are alike but contain bits of black, red, yellow, and green blotches. If they retain the "sword" then they are called a Hybrid Swordtail rather than Salt-and-Pepper Platy. Pineapple Swordtail (female) Xiphophorous hellerii Size - Weight: The females get up to 4.5 inches (12 cm), males are somewhat smaller at 4.0 inches (10 cm). Social Behaviors: They are generally considered a good community fish although they will sometimes eat their own (and other fishes) fry. Occasionally a Swordtail can become a bully, especially older males. Sexual Differences: Only the male has the "sword" extension on the bottom of the tail fin. The male is also slimmer and has a "sword" 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. There is an occasional tendency for a female Swordtail to change sex and develop a "sword" on her tail, especially when old or affected by parasites. She may even attempt courtship with another female, though the majority of the time they are infertile! Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium. Acceptable Water Conditions: Hardness: 12-30 ° dGH Ph: 7.0 to 8.3 Temp: (64-82 ° F) 18-28 ° C Breeding/Reproduction: The female Swordtail will generally have between 20 - 100 fry, usually up to 80 |
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6:53 PM Jul 10
