The Xipho Fish or Sword Tail , a species of tropical freshwater fish belonging to the family of pecílidae . Originally from the central area of South America , we can find it in its wild state in Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala . This characteristic fish is one of the most popular in the world aquarium hobby.
Summary
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- 1 Features
- 1 Anatomy
- 2 Playback
- 2 Behavior
- 3 Requirements for your breeding
- 1 Accommodation
- 2 Food and diet
- 3 Playback
- 4 Sources
Features
Anatomy
Long and thin body. Its caudal fin extends beyond its body forming a sword-shaped tail. Its coloration in the wild is greenish. The Xiphos from farms acquire a wide variety of colors as a result of the action of man in their selective breeding.
Xiphophorus helleri males reach sizes of up to 10 cm. The females are larger than the males, and can reach up to 15cm. It is difficult to see specimens that present their maximum size, but with adequate food and adequate space they will reach this size.
Reproduction
- ovoviviparous
Behaviour
It is one of the most territorial ovoviviparous that are usually kept in our aquariums. When there are two or more males together in a group, it may be the case that one specimen becomes the dominant male, causing another male to end up displaced and not be able to reproduce with any female. This means that we must provide a good group of females to avoid confrontations between them. Although it is a territorial fish, it is very peaceful with the other inhabitants of the aquarium, and normally aggressive behavior is intraspecific. It can coexist with other ovoviviparous animals such as Guppies , Endlers , Platies or Mollies .
Requirements for your breeding
Accommodation
It needs large aquariums to have a good quality of life. Many hobbyists keep this fish in aquariums as small as 40 L; however, they should never be kept in aquariums smaller than 80 L and short in length. This is a fish that likes to swim long and therefore needs large spaces. We must think that each fish needs about 15 L for itself and that the correct thing is to keep them in a ratio of 1 male for every 3 females. With this data, at least, we must have 60 L net to be able to maintain Xiphos and never less than that, although as we have already said it is advisable to start from 80 L.
Food and diet
Swordtail fish are omnivores, so the ideal is a varied and balanced diet. Combine live food such as mosquito larvae , daphnia , or brine shrimp with plant food and commercial flakes. Plant food is important especially if you do not have natural plants at your disposal.
Reproduction
The reproduction of these fish is very simple, which is why they are also so popular in aquariums. They are oviparous fish that fertilize the female and she carries the fish inside her until they hatch inside her and, later, the live fry come out. These are, by the way, self-sufficient from the moment of birth. Gestation lasts between 4 and 6 weeks, and little by little we will see how its size grows.
It is not recommended to put them together with Platys in the same aquarium because they can interbreed with them and create hybrids. The coloration of these hybrids is not so striking.