I recently bought two female swordtails at the LFS. They seemed healthy and energetic at the store. When I brought them home and finally got them in the aquarium they just seemd to hide all the time. Every now and then they will come out and swim for about 15 seconds and then go back to hiding. The only other fish in the aquarium is a male swordtail. They getting sick or just timid fish?
Female Swordtails
- Thread starter buffdaddy
- Start date
Hard to say. It is normal for new fish to hide, think of what they have just gone through! A well planted tank (real or fake) with lots of cover will make the fish feel more secure and get comfortable quicker. How long has it been? Usually they acclimate within a few days.
A male swordtail can be persistent with females. Have you witnessed him chasing them? If so, one or two more females may alleviate their need to hide.
If they are getting sick, they won't be as active at feeding time and may "hover" near the surface or bottom. Are their gills moving rapidly like they're trying to catch their breath?
Watch them for a while and try to be more descript of their actions. Is the male o.k.? Is he acting the same?
Hope I didn't scare you off with so many questions!
A male swordtail can be persistent with females. Have you witnessed him chasing them? If so, one or two more females may alleviate their need to hide.
If they are getting sick, they won't be as active at feeding time and may "hover" near the surface or bottom. Are their gills moving rapidly like they're trying to catch their breath?
Watch them for a while and try to be more descript of their actions. Is the male o.k.? Is he acting the same?
Hope I didn't scare you off with so many questions!
Thanks for the advice. The male is doing fine, he is very active. One female seems to breathing rapidly and hovers at the bottom and is the one that tends to hide all the time. As for the other female, she isn't breathing rapidly and comes out and swims every now and then. Just this morning my tank became kinda cloudy and the ammonia has gone up a little. Could this have something to do with the females being very timid? I changed 20% of the water this morning too.
