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- Item no: 7852
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from over 3,000 reviews "Origin: | South America |
Aquarium size: | 200 l (approx. 100cm) |
Final size: | 8-12 cm |
Difficulty: | 1 - Simple |
with snails/shells?: | Yes |
Planting possible?: | Yes |
Visual effect: | Especially colorful |
Diet: | omnivorous - omnivorous |
with dwarf crabs?: | conditional* (see description) |
Fish group: | Tooth carp |
Water values: | Hard water |
Pelvic region: | Top |
Breeding: | simply |
with shrimps?: | with shrimps from 4-6 cm size |
Temperature: | 18-28 °C |
Like its relatives, the swordtail "neon", Xiphophorus helleri, is another colorful representative of the swordtails that has always held its own in aquaristics. Its great colors, easy keeping and simple reproduction also make it a sought-after beginner fish that is quite forgiving of one or two mistakes. The Neon Swordtail looks quite similar to the Green Swordtail at first sight and is also a color form of the wild form from Central America.
The Neon Swordtail has a silvery-gray base coloration with a striking red lateral line, which is adorned above by a shimmering turquoise line. The middle to rear upper dorsal area is partly orange, also the ventral, dorsal and anal fins can be transparent orange-red. Especially in the males of the swordtails the eponymous "sword" on the long and pointedly extended caudal fin is conspicuous. This is yellow colored with the Neon Swordtail and above as well as underneath black changed. Apart from this, the males have a gonopodium, an anal fin that has been converted into a sexual organ. Both sexes reach a final size of up to 12 cm.
Swordtails belong to the live-bearing toothcarps and are very closely related to the guppy, the molly and most closely to the platy. These two can produce quite fertile hybrids.
Swordtails have always been popular aquarium fish mainly due to their easy and uncomplicated keeping and their distinct robustness. In its biotope the swordtail lives in the weedy bank zones of well flowed rivers with rather hard water. Therefore, it prefers aquarium water with a rather neutral to slightly alkaline pH between 7-8.5 and a total hardness (GH) of 10 to 30 °dGH. The temperature in its aquarium may ideally be between 22 and 28 °C, if necessary this can be kept constant with a heater.
Swordtails are lively fish that are on the move all day, but occasionally tend to jump, so their aquarium should be well covered. To allow lower ranking animals and especially the highly courted females to recover, the aquarium may be densely planted in places and have roots, rock structures and caves . Swordtails only feel comfortable in a group with their peers, so we recommend keeping them in a shoal of at least 10 animals. It is possible that in a colorful shoal the different colors of the animals mix with each other, so that the offspring can become quite motley.
Swordtails are easy and uncomplicated to breed, even beginners succeed very easily. As viviparous toothcarps, the pregnant females keep the eggs in their stomachs for development. There they also hatch and are then released alive into the water. Depending on the size of the female, such a litter can be between 20-150 young. Like guppies, the females can store the sperm for some time after mating - therefore it is possible that even in a group of females at the beginning, young animals appear from time to time. Also swordtails are not the most loving parents and may well eat their own young. If you want to prevent this, make sure you have very good and dense planting in the community tank so the babies can hide, or raise the babies in a spawning box until they are safe from their parents' mouths.
Xiphophorus helleri willsocialize well with proliferating dwarf shrimp with the same water requirements, but also with larger Amano shrimp , and the fish will definitely spice up their diet with a baby shrimp or two. Peaceful dwarf crayfish can sometimes be kept with swordtails in the aquarium, large crayfish can sometimes pinch and injure the swordtails in the long and delicate caudal fin, but may well catch and eat them.
With animal and vegetable food, the swordtails can be easily fed in the aquarium as omnivores. In the aquarium they can pluck algae coverings and thus keep them in check, they also like soft plant or vegetable parts such as spinach, nettles or vegetable chips. Their diet can be regularly alternated with live and frozen food, especially small crustaceans such as cyclops, daphnia, but also white, black and red mosquito larvae or worms such as grindal, shiner worms and enchytraea are very popular with them. Otherwise, they can also be easily fed with commercially available foods such as granules or flakes for omnivorous ornamental fish in the aquarium. Because the swordtail mainly stays in the middle to upper water zone, its flake or granulated food should float on the water surface for as long as possible.
Our food recommendation: The fragrant NatureHolic Guppyfeed was tailor-made for the needs of guppies and other viviparous fish in the aquarium. In addition to high-quality animal ingredients, it also contains vegetable components that benefit guppies & co. The soft granules protect the sensitive mouth of the viviparous from injuries caused by hard food grains and provide the fish with a natural feeding experience.
Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.
Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.
Scientific name: | Xiphophorus helleri |
German Name: | Swordtail "Neon" |
Difficulty level: | for beginners |
Origin/Distribution: | Central America |
Coloration: | silvery base color, red lateral line, orange back, conspicuous yellow and black undersword on caudal fin |
Age expectancy | approx. 3 |
Water parameters: | GH 10-30, KH 5-20, pH 7-8.5, temperature 22-28 °C |
Tank size: | from 100 cm |
Food | Omnivorous, likes to take frozen food or live food in addition to flake food and granulated food with vegetable content for omnivores |
Breeding | very easy |
Behavior | very peaceful |
Group size | at least 10 animals |
Further information | Ten typical aquarium fish for beginners and alternatives to them, Tips for acclimating fish to the aquarium, Feeding aquarium fish properly - cheap food and what it can do |
- Item no: 7852
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