Neptun
Swordfish aquarium fish, how I came to know them. Once I saw a beautiful fish in the aquarium of the hall of the company in which I had to visit on work. It looked like this: body elongated shape, flattened on the sides, color – deep red, tail black, and at the end – a long sword-like outgrowth. Its size was also pleasantly surprising – about 10 cm. As I found out later, the name of this fish is swordfish. I decided to learn more about these beautiful creatures.
Swordfish aquarium fish Description
The swordfish is a fish of the pecilian family, is a viviparous fish, and is found in the wild in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Central America.
The natural coloration of swordtails is greenish with turquoise tint or lemon-yellow. Females are less slender and are not as brightly colored. The maximum size of males – 12 cm. The tail of the fish resembles a sword, representing a long narrow fin spur in the lower part. In terms of color, it can be orange, yellow, green or reddish with a gray border.
Swordfish are considered unpretentious aquarium fish, so they are relatively easy to keep at home. They live in captivity for up to five years, unpretentious in feeding and do not require a large volume of water. To keep two fish in normal conditions, you need an aquarium capacity of six or more liters, and by design it should be elongated shape and spacious. It must have a lid, as swordfish can jump out of the aquarium.
Swordfish aquarium fish Keeping conditions
Requirements for water are as follows: dH – from 5 to 20, t – from 20 to 25 degrees, pH – 7,5 – 7. Obligatory filtration and aeration. Need to change weekly one-third of the water in the aquarium, and some aquarists add salt (table salt) in the water in the ratio: 10 liters of liquid put 1 tbsp. salt.
From plants can be recommended small-leaved, which are planted so that the pets can swim freely. But on the surface of the water you should place riccia.
Swordtails get along well with peaceful fish and are kept mainly in the middle tiers of the aquarium. Since the males of this species like to conflict with each other, it is recommended to have more females. They can also bite the large fins of other fish. And for this reason, do not keep slow fish or voila guppies together with them.
The diet of swordfish is diverse. They eat moths, daphnia, artemia, trumpet fish, cyclops, crushed oatmeal, spinach. As you can see, the diet includes not only animal, but also plant food. For swordtails is important to use plant food, so do not forget about it.
Swordfish aquarium fish Spawning
Fish are sexually mature from five months of age. For mating, it is recommended to select the most beautiful 8-month-old male from 7 to 8 cm in length (excluding the scutellum). The female can bear offspring several times from a single fertilization.
After about five weeks after mating, the fry are born. Therefore, take care in advance and take away 2-a day before the birth of a pregnant female in a separate aquarium with plants (or a large jar). Water for her should be the following parameters: the volume of liquid – from 25 liters, dH – 12, pH – 7,5. Plants are needed so that the fry after birth can hide from the mother, who can eat them. After the expiration of labor, the female should be removed from the spawning ground in a common aquarium.
Born fry immediately can feed and swim, with a normal, balanced diet quickly grow. In the first time it is recommended to feed them rotifers, microworms, cut tubeworms, and quite often.
Growth of fry is uneven. Therefore, it is advisable to sort them by size and transplant large specimens into a separate, larger aquarium. Transplanting, as a rule, occurs once every two months.
Some medical attention
For swordfish are characterized by colds, so you need to be attentive to the conditions of their habitat. And if on the body of the pet saw fluffy formations, then it is necessary to put such fish in a bath with water with diluted in it table salt. The calculation is as follows: 1 liter of water – 10 g of salt. After 10 minutes, swordfish should be transferred to water (t = 22-24 degrees) with a small amount of methylene blue. After that, the pet is released back into the aquarium.
Thus, I have learned about swordfish almost all the basic secrets of keeping them at home. And I will definitely have a couple of them in my aquarium.
