Breeding Swordtails

Fishman37

Beginner Aquarist
Jun 13, 2006
13
0
0
VA
Questions on Breed Swordtails

First off, HI EVERYONE!, this is my first day, first time ever being part of a forum.

:help:
I'm a new aquarist and I would greatly appreciate any information on breeding swordtails. I have a few basic questions that i would like for any of you to answer and please add any other advice to your answers.

1. How do i know if my swordtail is pregnant?

2. How long is the gestation period?

3. Should i use a breeder box/net?
-------------------------------------

1. What should i feed the fry?

2. How much space do the fry need to grow?
-Will one of those goldfish starter kits (5 gal.) work?

3. When can i move my into the main tank?

4. Does Petsmart give store credit for fish?



:) ThANK ALL OF YOU FOR ALL YOUR ANSWERS! :)
 
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For petsmart that is up to the individual store, you will need to go in and ask. As for the others here is information from another web page that I hope helps you (I picked the wagtail because of your avatar picture).

Description: Wagtail swords first appeared in the 1940's, as the result of a cross between a gold platy and a wild Xiphophorus maculatus. The distinctive mark of wagtails are the black rays in all fins coupled with very little coloration between the rays. Also notable is the presence of black on the upper and lower lip. Marigold Wag swordtails display an intense color contrast, having coal black fins and a red-gold body.
Habitat/Care: In their native habitat this species lives in very clear, oxygen rich, alkaline waters. Strong filtration is advised to maintain high oxygen levels. Water should be moderately hard, in the range of 15-30 dGH.

Optimum temperature for wagtail swords is lower than for many tropical fish. That should be taken into account when considering them for community aquariums. 74 degrees F (23 C) is the ideal temperature for swords, with lower temps being more readily tolerated than elevated temps.
Beyond the water requirements, wagtails are undemanding in terms of the physical aquarium setup. If breeding is planned, the tank should be densely planted to allow sufficient cover for the fry. Either real or artificial plants are suitable
Diet: Wagtail swords will readily accept a wide variety of foods. Live foods such as mosquito larvae, tubifex, and daphnia. These live foods provide some vitamins that often are lost in dry foods during storage. Freeze dried foods are also readily accepted, and are good alternatives to live foods. The advantage of FD foods is the reduced risk of disease that may be transmitted via live foods.
Because wagtails possess an intestinal tract that is longer than carnivores, they benefit from the roughage found in vegetables. In addition to flake foods containing vegetable matter, cooked peas, lettuce, or spinach may be used as supplemental foods.
Wagtail swords are primarily top feeders, as is evidenced by their upturned mouth. Foods that fall to the bottom, or that are not eaten within five minutes should be removed promptly to avoid fouling the water.

Breeding: Wagtail swords are considered ovoviviporous fish, meaning they hold the developing egg until it hatches before giving birth. However the developing fry gets all it's nurishment from within the egg sack, not from the mother. They also exhibit superfoetation, a process in which sperm are stored within the oviducts of the female. A single mating can result in broods of fry over a period of months or even years.
As one batch of eggs develop, the next batch of eggs begin to ripen. Once the fully develop fry are born, the next batch of eggs can be fertilized immediately using the stored sperm. This process allows for smaller periods of time between births, thus producing more total offspring.
Mating in livebearers requires internal fertilization of eggs. Males possess a modified anal fin called the gonopodium that allows them to transfer packets of spermozeugmata to the female. These packets contain several thousand individual spermatozoa. Fertilization of the eggs takes approximately two days, and additional sperm are stored in the oviduct to be used for producing future broods.
From the time of egg fertilization it takes approximately four weeks for the fry to fully develop. Subsequent broods will follow at the same four week intervals, however temperature and the length of daylight can play a factor. Longer days and higher temps result in shorter periods of time between broods. Birth almost always occurs at dawn or shortly thereafter. Brood sizes range from 50 to 200.

Adults will eat the fry if they are hungry, therefore it is important to keep the parents well fed. The aquarium should be well planted with live or artificial vegetation, to allow the fry places to hide. Commercial breeding traps are not advised, as they place considerable stress on the female.

Fry require a high protein diet, and should be given commercially prepared fry food or live foods. Freshly hatched brine shrimp is the live food of choice, however frozen baby brine shrimp is a good alternative. Feedings should be frequent and large enough to ensure that all the fry get food. Water changes and cleaning must be often to avoid the build up of lethal toxins such as ammonia and nitrites. As soon as the sex of the young may be determined, they should be separated to avoid impregnation of the females. Young can begin reproducing as early as three months of age.


http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/livebearers2/p/mwagsword.htm
 
From my experience as a child, the fish had babies and one or two made it to adulthood with no special treatment (I didn't know better), I believe we smooshed the regular flake food up more for them, but I don't really remember. Of course all the above info is much more valuable than this, but just to let you know the bare amount of care you could get by with.
 
That is a lot of info Jericho, I was almost overwhelmed for a moment! I thought that you may have been my biology teacher in disguise! :)

Fishman37-I have livebearers (platies), and that is what your Swordtails are too. The will give birth to live fry. IME, once I know that they fish is pregnant then I put her in tank all of her own so that she isn't harrassed by the others. (usually isn't a problem, but can't be too careful). I can't tell you tell you a set number of days for gestation b/c it seems like she has fry one day and the next day I am repeating the process again! :huh:

I usually feed the fry crushed flake food, I have a lot of success with that, and there are other options to take into consideration from more knowledgable people here besides me!

I have never had a petsmart or petco allow me to bring in fry, however there is a little mom and pop fish store that does, I would try to find one of those and usually you will find they will cooperate with you much better.

Hopfully this has helped. Good luck!
 
Forgot something!

Are swordtails the only thing in your tank? I have an angelfish, and she loves to eat fry, so I usually don't add the fry to my main tank until they are large enough that the angel will not consider them "lunch".
 
Not meaning to flame at all.....but, Ive been wondering why so many people feel the need to breed their fish, only to have to wonder what to do with the fry? There are so many fish in these stores, esp the "common" livebearers, and many of them arent living in the best conditions. I now really see it as little different than backyard breeders of trendy dogs and cats. I admit, I am in the same situation- my husband chose to get some guppies for our big tank, of course, they did what guppies do, and now I have the male seperated, have to catch and sex the fry and seperate them before they breed and still need to rehome several of them- but its something I am trying my hardest not to repeat. My only concern with this is that my fish may not be their happiest, since Im sure they appreciate the company of others of their species, and usually the best match is male to female(s)....sigh...ethical conundrum!
 
I'm not sure what makes a person want to breed a fish only to turn around and try to figure out what to do w/ the fry. I've been somewhat lucky b/c I was able to catch the female, and by no means did I intend on having a female in my tank!

I guess they do it to see if they will be successful at it.
 
hello there... i have a pond w/ swordtails.. so im gonna try answer some of the questions..

you will know that a female is pregnant because it will develop a bulge.. a really big round one in most cases.. gestation is somewhere around 28 days, i dont use a breeder/box or net but i do have alot of plants for cover, mainly cabomba and pond weeds (stem plants). however, i do lose a lot of fry since there will only be about 5-10 survivors per batch

on what to feed the fry.. i just give them crushed pellets or flakes, and i see them pecking on some algae growing in the pond.

sometimes i buy some new ones just to minimize in-breeding a bit.
whenever the pond gets crowded i reduce the population by feeding the others to some of my carnivorous fish.. sorry if it sounds brutal, but when someone wants them i give them away for free but they would have to endure some lecture from me on how to take care of em first lol :)
actually, i feel better giving em away to other people who would take care of them rather than feed em to my other fish..

good luck with what you are planning to do. beware though, they won't stop breeding :rolleyes:
 
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