Swordtail "Red" - Xiphophorus helleri

The red swordtail was bred out of the actually silvery-greenish swordtail from Central America(Xiphophorus helleri). Xiphophorus helleri is closely related to platies, guppies and mollies, like them it belongs to the live-bearing toothcarps. It is so closely related to Platys that fertile hybrids can occur. The red swordtail is conspicuous by its bright orange-red coloration.

The males carry the eponymous sword as a lanceolate extension on the underside of their caudal fin. In the red swordtail, the sword is sometimes adorned with a black stripe. Like the males, the females grow to about 12 inches in size. They are much rounder than the males, lack the sword, and also do not have a gonopodium (the male's elongated sexual appendage on the abdomen).

In its native Central America, the swordtail lives in plant populations on the banks of rivers with rather hard water and a good current. Also in the aquarium the swordtail likes rather hard water with a pH of 7-8.5 and a total hardness of 10 to 30 °dGH and a temperature of 22-28 °C. Since these ornamental fish can become quite large, the aquarium should have from 100 cm edge length. Attention, swordtails jump, so the aquarium should be well covered. These attractive ornamental fish are very grateful for good planting. Please keep swordtails always in a shoal, the fish are not suitable for single keeping. Since the males are quite pushy, there should be enough hiding places like caves and dense plant groups in the aquarium.

Breeding is quite simple: the females of the Red Swordtail give birth to live fry after mating - typical for a live-bearing toothcarp. They develop beforehand in the mother's body in the egg and hatch while still in the belly. Only then are they released. A litter of swordtails is about 20-150 fry strong. The females can store sperm and therefore still release a few litters of fry even after they have separated from the males. The better you plant your aquarium, the more baby swordtails will grow. As a rule, the adult swordtails eat their offspring.

You can socialize swordtails well with the robust Amano shr imp, as well as with dwarf crayfish. Especially with smaller shrimp, make sure that the water conditions are suitable for the chosen species and that you choose shrimp that reproduce well, such as Neocaridina or Sulawesi Inland Shrimp. Larger crayfish can be dangerous to swordtails, as they like to gnaw on the long extended fin in particular.

In nature Xiphophorus helleri is an omnivore. It feeds on both plant and animal food: in addition to worms, small crustaceans, insects and insect larvae, the swordtail eats soft plants as well as algae coverings. Red swordtails in the aquarium are also known as algae eaters. The beautiful red swordtails are considered to be robust and uncomplicated fish. In principle, they take all types of food for omnivorous ornamental fish in the aquarium: flake food or granulated food with plant and animal components are particularly suitable here. In addition, we recommend the administration of frozen food and also live food such as grindal, water fleas, artemia, shiny worms, enchytraea and black, white and red mosquito larvae.

Our food recommendation: The fragrant NatureHolic Guppyfeed was tailor-made for the needs 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.