Family – Xiphororus
Scientific Name - helleri
Common Name – Swordtail
Locality - Atlantic coast of Mexico and northern Central America
pH – moderately hard 6.8-8.0/adaptable
Temperature (in F) - 66-82F (72-76 best for breeding)
Max size (in inches) - 2.5 up to 4.5"
Minimum tank size - can be kept in a 20H if care is taken but a 29/30g or larger is better
Sociability - mildly aggressive ... dominant males will chase the other males around
Breeding - Livebearer ... gestation period is approx 30 days ... adults are fond of fry snacking so plenty of cover in the form of thick plantings (plastic is fine) and/or lots of jumbled rocky bottom cover as well as some floating material for fry cover is a good idea if you intend any of the fry to survive ... like most livebearers, the fry are born with no air in their swim bladder and must dart to the surface at the moment of birth for their fist sip of air to 'prime' their swim bladder... this is so they do not mess up the mother's equilibrum in the 'womb' prior to birth - but it also makes them extremely vulnerable to predation in those first few moments of life until they can get to the surface and then back down to cover ... but after that they are very adept at hiding out from their parents
Temperament - Same as sociability
Comments – one of the few fish known to change sex occasionally... in the absence of a male, a female may convert to a male ... however, males cannot change to females (that i am aware of)
Personal Experience - I purchased a group at the CNYAS syracuse auction this past sunday (10-15-2000) to infuse fresh blood into my existing small colony and currently have them in a 10g until i can shuffle tanks for them ... in the auction batch (and the reason i got them) was the largest female i have ever seen in person easily almost 5 inches - a real selling point for otherwise common swordtails ... also be aware that the 'velevet' and fancier strains are highly prone to ick
Additional photos:
