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swordtails :)

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  AaronCombs 
#1 ·
hi i hope to get a pair (male and female) swords and was wundering there breeding habits....how many fry how long the females are pregnant etc

any help would be appriciated :):):)
 
#2 ·
Swordtails are livebearers which means they release live fry into the water as opposed to laying eggs. A male will mate with a female and the female can hold sperm in her body for up to three months. Every month around, the females have a batch of fry usually consisting of 20-40 fry IME. There doesn't have to be a male around all the time since the females are fertilized for 6 months as stated above. The fry are born small but relatively larger than other species of fish are. Although they are bigger, they will get eaten by their parents and other fish in the tank. Some will survive if there are a lot of hiding spots in the tank for them to hide in. Usually only 2-3 survive in a community tank. If you want more to survive you can place the female in either a breeding trap or a breeding tank. That will provide safety for the fry. I would recommend the breeding tank as opposed to the trap because it's less stressful. Also you should keep a 1male to 2 female minimum ratio, because with too many males, the females become stressed. 1 male can fertilize as much as 10-15 females, so there is no need to over stock on males. Hope this information helps :)
 
#6 ·
Also for faster results, or higher output, use 1male 3 female ratio...

lol, my community tank has 2-3 males and 9-13 females...
My younger swordtail tank has 1 male 8 females, and now has fry in it too.
 
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