Sail carp "black" - Poecilia velifera

The black sail carp lives up to its name! Its large dorsal fin is striking, impressively reminiscent of a sail, which is one of the reasons for its name. The green wild form of Poecilia velifera originates from Mexico, where it mainly colonizes near-shore habitats with currents and lives in brackish water as well as in seawater. Therefore, salt may be added to its aquarium water, as a rule of thumb 2.5 grams per liter of freshwater can be calculated. Despite this it is an easy to maintain comrade, which is a great eye-catcher in the aquarium and can of course also be kept in freshwater.

You will receive our Black Sailfish mixed-sex.

Especially the males show in contrast to the females on the elongated body a strikingly large sail-shaped dorsal fin, which has in places, as well as the tail fin with spots and dash patterns. They also remain somewhat smaller at about 13 centimeters than the paler, but more rounded females at nearly 18 centimeters. Males can also be easily identified by their sexual appendage, called a gonopodium, which females lack.

Breeding the Black Sailfish is also easy in the aquarium. The males can be more territorial and somewhat aggressive with their fellow males during the spawning season, which is why keeping them in a group with a surplus of females is definitely a good idea. As a group fish that values companionship, you should keep the Sailfish with at least 5 individuals . About once a month the female can release up to 100 quite developed fry alive. Therefore, they also belong to the viviparous toothcarps. The parents chase after their offspring and thus keep a possible overpopulation under control. A dense planting for example with Java fern serves as a retreat for the young animals, but if necessary the young should be raised separately. With our YoungFeed Baby food the babies can be fed well.

The aquarium for the Black Sailfish should have a volume of at least 250 liters and more, as the animals grow quite large. It also requires good water hygiene, good illumination and also current to feel comfortable. Especially a good infrastructure with roots and stone structures serve the animals as a visual protection and also as a territory marking, but also as a hiding place for the females to rest. As already mentioned, Sailfish prefer rather hard water with salt addition, you should consider this when socializing with other fish, but possibly you would like to befriend other color forms of the Sailfish, which we carry in the store. This may well result in new color patterns when they mate with each other. At a total hardness between 15-30 °dGH, a pH-value between 7,5 and 8,5 and temperatures of 24-28 °C the animals feel most comfortable.

In the community aquarium the Sailfish can be socialized well with other livebearers, which get along with its water values. Here offer themselves among other things Guppies and Mollies but also Amano shrimps. Crayfish of any kind should not live with them, as these may catch, eat, or at least significantly injure the Sailfish.

Gliding Darters are omnivorous, feeding in their habitat mainly on approaching insects and insect larvae, but certainly also on growth and algae cover, as well as the microfauna contained therein. In the aquarium, however, it can easily be fed with commercial dry or flake food for omnivorous ornamental fish, occasionally spiced up with soaked vegetables such as spinach, peppers or algae leaves. Live and forest foods perfectly round out its diet. Here are suitable for example Tubifex, white, black or red Mosquito larvaeas well as Daphnia, Grindalworms or Artemia.

Our food recommendation: The fragrant NatureHolic Guppyfeed  was tailor-made for the requirements 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: For planting, use 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.