Swordtails

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bobbi619

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Jan 17, 2003
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Hi all,

I started out with 3 swordtails thinking 2 were female, NOT! They were all males & 2 ended up dying:( Its been about a month so I decided to go get the one male left a girlfriend (I made sure it was a female). Its been 2 days & he is still chasing her all over, I'm afraid he's gonna kill her too. Is this normal or does he just want to mate. He is doing that back & forth dance and trying to touch his tail on her. Its funny to watch but I feel sorry for her.

What do ya think, will she make it?
 
Picking up another 1-2 females will help spread his attentions out. Make sure she has lots of places to get away from him--rocks, plants, ect to hide behind. Otherwise, he will pester her, may kill her.
 
you dont say exactly how two of your origional male swordtails ending up dying. i am most confused as swordtails arent generally in the habit of killing each other, with the exception of, as stated, an over-amourous male over-harrassing a female, which would cause great undue stress, which leads to a lowered immune system, and so on...
 
oh, and definately get acouple more females pending a water test, as this may be the cause of the deaths to my thinking - well, that is what i am considering to be the killer pending more information.
 
And now a warning: :D

Livebearer femeales are sperm storers. That means from a single encounter with a male it can give birth 4-6 times even with no male. Swords can drop anywhere from 20 -50 fry. They will do this about every 28 days. If you have two females in the tank this means you can have 40-100 fry every month.

If you have decent cover for the fry, many if not all may survive. Have a plan for them before you get overrun.
 
it would be best to add 1 or 2 more females so she won't be so stressed out by the male bothering her all the time in live bearers its usually best to have 1 male to 2 females.
 
oh and as for the deaths it would be wise to get a water test done to check your ph and such to make sure the water is where it needes to be for your fish.
 
All of my water parameters are right where they need to be. All fish are very healthy, I think the other males died because of this dominant one who wouldn't let them eat, he is a bit bigger.
I hope to add another female before he drives the one insane.
I went home at lunch & fed them, she came out & ate but he chases her all over. There is lots of places to hide so she can get away from him.

Thanks for the replies & suggestions :)
 
How big's the tank?
 
Hmmm.. Also, do you have plenty of cover in your tank, ie plants, driftwood, places for your fish to hide. The bigger the tank less stress for everyone. But I have never had any problems with males bulling females at all. I guess we need a little more information about your tank.
1. How long have you had it setup?
2. how big is it?
3. is there cover for the fish to hide and retreat when being pestered?
4. what else to you have in the tank with your swordtails.
5. Have you done a water test? I know you stated that your parameters are correct but have you actually done a test?
 
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