How do I know if my swordtails are mating?

How do I know if my swordtails are mating?

Ultimately, you’ll be able to tell if your swordtail has been mating when babies, called fry, appear. The female swells as fry grow inside of her, and the dark-colored gravid spot by her anal fin becomes obvious as the young develop. About four weeks after mating she’ll give birth to as many as 80 live fry.

Why are swordtails not breeding?

If space is not up to their standards, they often wont breed, and even if the males DO mate, females often wont drop or fertilize eggs. They get big, like territory and lot’s of room to swim, so 30 gallons is a minimum recommendation for 3-5 swordtails, extra five gallons per or so.

How often do swordtails mate?

A female swordtail can produce offspring as often as every four weeks.

Can you keep male swordtails together?

It is possible to keep multiple males and females together in the same tank provided you have a large aquarium, heavily planted and decorated to provide sufficient hiding places. Make sure your tank is at least 50 gallons and you provide two or three females for each male in the tank.

Should I separate my pregnant swordtail?

Get Ready. Even before her belly begins to enlarge, assume your swordtail is or soon will be pregnant if you keep her with males. Move the expectant mother to a separate, smaller, heavily planted nursery aquarium when her belly swells noticeably.

How long does it take for swordtails to breed?

Remember that they can produce offspring in as little as three months and would continue to give more every after 4-6 weeks. Another possibility to consider is the fact that this fish can produce 150 babies in one birthing.

Will different types of Swordtails breed?

In these cases, the basic raw materials are provided by nature itself because swordtails and platies are very closely related to each other. They belong to the Xiphophorus genus, and because of their “biological proximity,” they can easily interbreed and produce viable hybrids in the process.

How can I speed up the breeding process for my swordtail fish?

To speed up the breeding process, feed your fish live food and preferably earthworms and simulate rainy seasons in a tank by changing a small percentage of water even on a daily basis; Anything up to 5% should help fish in order to start the courtship process. Firstly the male fertilizes the female with the gonopodium.

What should I Feed my swordtail tank mate?

Swordtail Tank Mates : Don’t keep with tropical fish big enough to eat them. They should be able to handle themselves with many fish their same size or larger. Diet / Foods : Omnivore but they need some greens in their diet. The Swordtail will take flake, freeze dried and live foods.

How can you tell between male and female swordtail fish?

It is extremely easy to see between male and female. Only male has a sword on its tail. This is a long outgrowth due to which the fish got its name. Just like all live-bearing fish the anal fin of the male has been modified into a tube (gonopodium) and the female has a wide anal fin.

What happens to swordtail fish when they get pregnant?

Male Swordtails will also fight if kept in larger numbers in the breeding tank. It is important to have only a few males and lots of swimming space. Never overstock the breeding tank as this will only further increase stress in the fish. The pregnant female shows a swollen belly and dark gravid spot when pregnant.