Description
Xiphophorus helleri is a species of swordtail which has been domesticated and selectively bred over many generations. In the wild, this central American livebearer is native to Mexico, Guatemala, southern Belize, and northwestern Honduras. In these areas, it is fairly widespread, and has also been introduced to many other river basins and systems both in Mexico and in the world at large. This fish is now known to have wild populations on every continent in the world except for Antarctica. This should speak to the hardiness of this fish, being able to thrive and reproduce in any type of water condition, from blackwater swamps in southeast Asia to clear streams in the United States. These fish are known for the males having a large “sword” which extends from the lowest rays of its tail, and in some variants they have been selected to have different shaped tails and fins as well. In the aquarium, these fish will thrive in any ph between 5.5 and 8.5, and although they appreciate some minerals dissolved in their water, they will thrive in soft water of 50ppm all the way to liquid rock at 450ppm.
These fish are livebearers which means that the females will gestate and give birth to live, fully functioning young after carrying them for a bit over a month. If you do not intervene, you can still expect a number of the babies to survive, as they are remarkably independent right after birth. However, if you do want to increase the yield of the babies, you might think about putting a very pregnant female into a different tank or holding container in order to limit other fishes’ ability to eat the newborn fry. Be careful though, as these fish are known to give birth to well over 100 babies at a time! These fish do not really seem to care whether or not they have abundant decorations to hide in, but the females do get to a touch over 6 inches, so this is something to keep in mind when considering getting yourself some of these.
This species is a peaceful fish, so they are a great addition to a community tank, but keep in mind that less of the babies will survive, the more other fish you have to both eat the babies and outcompete them for food. You should also keep in mind that the females must take the time to gestate, so not having enough of them may result in the male constantly stressing the female out trying to breed, so try to keep at least 2 females for each male. Also ensure that your filter is very well seasoned before you introduce these fish, as they do make a decent amount of waste, and tend to suddenly increase your bioload when a generation of babies are born.
This strain is known as the “berlin swordtail”, and is known to be brilliantly orange and speckled with amazingly crisp black flecks and dots, and often have jet black swords on their tails. These will be an incredible, dynamic centerpiece to any larger community tank, and ours are currently about 2 inches long, so they are quite ready to hold their own in your aquarium! These fish ship individually bagged.
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