around three to five years

2-3 times a day

Swordtails are omnivores and should be fed both meat and a vegetable diet. You can also try feeding them fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, etc.

If you fail to care for your swordtail fry properly, they will get eaten by their parents or other fish. Like all the other livebearers, swordtails do not have maternal instincts and will, therefore, consume their young ones soon after birth.

Once the female is impregnated, she can give birth to as many as five or more broods of young at intervals of four to six weeks. The number of each brood may vary from 12 to 15 babies from a young Mollie to as many as 150 young from a large swordtail.

Yes. There are cases when swordtail fish will kill each other. An alpha-male that has decided to express dominance to other sub-male can be a real pain in the back. He will relentlessly chase the other sub-male any time even in the wrong direction.

More Red Swordtails Those who are housed alone will become shy and withdrawn. Males of the species can become territorial and act aggressively toward one another. Unless you have an exceptionally large tank, it’s best to keep just one male along with two or more females.

Swordtails are livebearers, meaning they will give birth to live fry instead of eggs. Swordtails readily breed when kept in an aquarium of mixed sex, requiring little intervention. The young are very easy to rear and can be raised in the same aquarium as the adults.

Like other livebearing aquarium fish, swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii) give birth to live young, or fry, rather than laying eggs. Although the swordtail’s gestation period is 28 days, it may be difficult to determine when she became pregnant.

Swordtails can produce 50 – 100 fry every time and may give birth again four to 6 weeks after the first birth.

Swordtails commonly breed in community tanks. The urge to reproduce is so strong in this species that the females are hermaphroditic. In populations consisting entirely of females one will frequently transform into a male to insure the propagation of the species.

Molly and swordtails actually can’t interbreed. Althougth they are a part of the livebearer family they won’t be able to breed with each other. Mollies and guppies are a part of the Poecilia family, while platy and swordtails are a part of the Xiophophorus family.

Swordtails are generally suitable for keeping in community tanks with other medium sized fish. Some adult Swordtails can be aggressive and develop the habit of fin nipping.

Because of its peaceful nature, the Swordtail is well suited for the community aquarium, although it will sometimes eat fry. The male can be aggressive towards other males, so care should be taken when housing more than one.