Swordtail is a very popular freshwater fish. Its good looks and low maintenance have made it a favorite fish among beginner aquarists. The swordtail is native to North and Central America. They have characteristics similar to guppy and platy. These fish play a very important role in aquarium analysis. You can easily find them in various pet shops. At present various types of swordtail are being adopted through cross breeding. The most prominent feature of swordtail fish is their long high fins. It looks like a sword. They are of different colors like red, orange, black etc. There are also exotic and multi-colored varieties available. The average lifespan of a swordtail is three to five years.

Fish Size and Lifespan:

A fully grown swordtail is up to 5.5 inches long. Male swordtail is slightly smaller in size than female. It is very important to know what is the appropriate tank size to keep the swordtail healthy. If you can provide a suitable environment in the aquarium, they will live for a long time. They are very hardy fish and are less prone to diseases. Among the diseases that they get are ich and fungal infection.

Tank Size:

Many aquarists keep a ten gallon tank for swordtail. But in my opinion it is better to start with 15 gallon tank. They are active swimmer. So if the tank is big they will enjoy swimming. It is best for any fish to have a natural tank setup so that they feel natural environment inside their tank. A big aquarium and enough space to hide is an important factor for swordtail.

Water Quality:

A water temperature of 65ºF to 82ºF is ideal. Water ph level of 7 to 8.4 and water hardness of 12 to 35 dGH are good for them.

Decoration of Tank:

It would be great if you arrange to keep the swordtail fish in a planted tank. As  plants, you can use java ferns, anubias, hair grass. But make sure that the plants do not create difficulties for the fish to swim. Swordtails are very active fish and they swim all over the tank. They swim along the middle and upper part of the water. So you don’t have to worry much about the substrate of the tank.

Feeding:

Swordtails fish are omnivorous in nature so they eat whatever they find while roaming in nature. But prefer to eat flakes, plant based food, frozen food etc. Feed them two to three times in a day. Give them as much food as they can eat in two to three minutes at a time.

Behavior and Tank mates:

Swordtail is a community friendly fish. They are peaceful and friendly fish so they are easy to care for. However, they are sometimes aggressive when there are multiple number of male fishes in the same tank. So there should be kept enough female fishes. Proper care must be taken in selection of tank mates. Swordtail is a very calm fish. Therefore aggressive species of fish should not be kept with them. It is best to keep only Swordtail in the tank. Platy, neon tetra, molly etc can be selected as their tankmates. They fry every 28 days.

Breeding:

They breed in the main tank. But keeping a breeding tank increases the fry’s chances of survival. The temperature of the breeding tank should be kept between 80ºF. Adequate hiding places should be provided throughout the aquarium for fry.

Tank Maintenance:

Weekly water change upto 30% can be done for larger tank. Use dechlorinated new water while changing water. Check the pH level regularly. Remove uneaten foods from the substrate of tank. Check the performance of heater and filter also.