As one of the most popular varieties of freshwater tropical fish to keep, the aptly name swordtail certainly is a joy to behold. Like a fencing bout with swift feet dancing to and fro and blades gracefully trying to make their mark, the swordtail glides through his habitat with his long sword-like fin piercing through the water.
While swordfish are naturally green in their native habitats in places like the Yucatan and elsewhere in North and Central America, captive breeds often take a wider variety of beautiful colours such as red, black, or variations of these colours.
As with many of our tropical fish, they’re fairly easy to raise and quite beginner-friendly. Keep in mind, however, that proper care is essential for their wellbeing. Here are a few quick tips to care for swordtails in your home:
01. Give Them a Good Place to Call Home
Swordtails, like many other tropical fish, like rather large areas. Besides, you probably want to see them glide around, flicking their little sword fins about, so a nice, big space is ideal. Try to get a tank that’s no smaller than 57 litres for one, and bigger for two or more. They like company, so perhaps think ahead before buying a tank and maybe choose one that’s bigger than you need currently to accommodate future growth.
As for water temperature, they are tropical, after all, so try to keep the water at around 17°C to 27°C. Although they are often seen as a freshwater fish (they are), they also live in brackish waters that are slightly to moderately hard. Crushed coral or water hardening products can get the water to a good level of hardness (around 15-20 dGH) for them.
02. Make Their Environment Safe and Productive
Some fish can tolerate being left alone to their own devices, some prefer more active and social spaces. Swordtails lean more towards being social, so it’s good to give them a partner or two, preferably of the opposite gender and, if adding three or more, make sure there are about two females to every male. Unfortunately (for visual appeal), the females don’t have the characteristic sword fin, but they’re often noticeably larger and bear their colours quite well.
Feel free to decorate your aquarium with live or artificial plants, coral, and little spots for them to chill out and get some privacy. Also, try to keep a lid on their aquarium. They can leap out, and the last thing you want is for them to flop around on your carpet or floor.
03. Feed Your Swordtails a Healthy Diet
Swordtails are omnivorous, and they aren’t very picky eaters. They might nibble on algae, even, but do try to feed them a healthy balance of fish food including pellets and flakes. They don’t mind blanched veggies, provided you chop them into quite small pieces. Feed twice a day in small, controlled amounts to keep them at a healthy size.
04. Introduce Them to New Friends
Swordtails are quite social, as we’ve already touched on. They love being around other swordtails, so long as there is a healthy balance between the sexes and there isn’t too much competition about. As for other breeds, guppies, mollies, and tetras tend to get along nicely with swordtails.
05. Stock up on Supplies to Enjoy Your Swordtails
Whether you need fresh food, a brand new aquarium, or any other supplies such as decor and ornaments for your swordtails, Zen Aquarium has great products from reputable suppliers. We even stock live swordtails themselves, which are of course the most important ‘ingredient’ to enjoy these lovely little fellas in your own home.
Zen Aquarium
Buy swordtails direct from Zen Aquarium.