How to Keep Happy, Healthy Swordtails - Swordtail Fish Care and Breeding Guide

Hey all,
Today I want to discuss a fish that has really taken my fancy lately, the Swordtail fish.
Swordtails are a great livebearer that come in all sorts of colours and have some beautiful finnage, great for any hobbyist from beginner to expert.
Hope you like it.
Please Comment, Like & Subscribe.
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#Swordtail #SwordtailCare #BlakesAquatics

[@EmmaBakesCakes]

Hi. I’m a newbie to keeping swordtails and this is the most informative video in the species I’ve found on here. Thank You 🙏

[@sicilianotoronto]

I loved the lyretail variety because even the females have the swords. I kept many females and maybe one or two males. Swordtails are great! The green ones are less territorial, while I found the pineapple variety to be more aggressive, but still doable in a larger planted tank. Even the pineapple females would be a bit bullyish. Swordtails will probably try to jump so make sure your aquarium has a good lid (even try to cover the HOB filter area if you can). If males seem aggressive towards one another, keep more females or even more female platys. Make sure aquarium is planted. I noticed the male siblings I raised will not bully each other, though. Once again, pineapples seem to have more aggression. Definitely an amazing and underrated livebearer!

[@KVB19872]

I have a 55 gal planted tank. Currently on 1 female and 1 male.( i will be getting a few more females shortly.) I did notice the female has really slowed down her activity and doesn't seem to be eating. Any ideas? Thx!

[@stoutlager6325]

Your theme music is the best.

[@natehood9226]

4 inches?... mine are definitely larger than that and still growing

[@caewalker9276]

I'm catching some beautiful green swordtails out of a creek near my home. They look brilliant in sunlight. Thanks Blake

[@yorkshireaquatics9537]

Hey Bro. They are definitely under rated. Loving the content as always I have learned loads from your videos this year and last thank you and keep it up. Also well done on managing your homelife and work balance so well. It's hard to keep the KZbin grind going when you have a family.

[@BlakesAquatics]

Thanks so much mate, comments like yours make it all worthwhile 👍

[@_KingQuinn_]

hey blake! love your videos, would love if u could do a video about snails and the filterless nitrogren cycle? thank you and stay safe! love from Malaysia

[@BlakesAquatics]

Thanks Takari, sure ill have a think about it

[@-numaios-5985]

Hi Blake, Nice video. I have the exact same swordtails in my sons aquarium in Poland. Very interesting content, and I obviously agree, those fish are awesome.

[@dtw1622]

Thanks for the video! I picked up the last two male Red Vampire swordtails at the LFS a few weeks ago. They stated that they would be fine together in a community tank but the larger one is definitely bullying/nipping at the smaller one a bit. Do you have any recommendations on how to combat this? They're in a 30gal planted tank and I've seen the smaller one dive for cover when he needs to get away from excessive harassment. Thanks, Dennis

[@barundhaubhadel6117]

Will normal and koi swordtail breeds ?

[@BlakesAquatics]

@@barundhaubhadel6117 yes definitely

[@DanielKeepingFish]

Love Swordtails. One of the livebarers if not struggled with in soft water. Some great colour types too.

[@edstar81]

Great info there mate and you have some lovely ones there

[@MrPanzerDragoon]

Thank you for this short but very well informed video! My son's grandmother just got us a Aqueon MiniBow1 for free and we placed two male swordtails and two rummy nose in the take. Unfortunately, the rummy nose died the same day we got them. But the swordtails are doing well. My son wanted to get two more to replace the two that died, but when we went to a pet shop, the worker told us that the fish take is way too small and the fishes will get bigger. I did some Googling and your video came up. They still look like babies, but 4 inches?! Okay, holy wow, we may need to upgrade the fish tank!

[@MrPanzerDragoon]

@N1N1..ED1TS ♡ - break oh damn. We went to a pet shop again to get some additional supplies and he refused to leave until we got two more. Now we have four swordtails in the tiny MiniBow1. Also, one of them seems to be a major bully to the other three. I'm really considering getting a bigger tank.

[@ipercent]

Hi Blake, what is the best airpump you reccommend buying in Victoria?

[@BlakesAquatics]

Watch this space mate, i got an oase air pump this week ill be unboxing and taking a look at that I think will be right up there

[@Bennys_SC_Aquatics]

Just grabbed 7 of these guys at an auction in Brisbane at the wkend for my daughters livebearer tank. Easily the best $10 spent in the night 😎😎

[@BlakesAquatics]

An absolute steal!

[@smile1234happy]

Hey Blake wanted to ask you a question. What GH KH and ph levels do you keep for your shell dwellers multies ??

[@BlakesAquatics]

Hey Joey, i saw your question and meant to get back to you sorry mate. I dont test my water, out of the tap ph 6.8, gh 0 and kh0 but i fill the base with limestone to bring it up and buffer it with tanganyikan buffer to get ph to 8.4

[@joshuatempleton9556]

Forgot 1 thing nearly all swords in the hobby are hybrids not true swords.

[@BlakesAquatics]

Yeah good point, only really green swordtails, montesuma swordtails and a few others that dont have at least a bit of platy mixed in

[@valiaudet3415]

I have a fish looks similar to sword tails but has two long fins.. Any idea what it is? A molly?

[@BlakesAquatics]

It can still be a swordtail but one that has been bred to have a "top sword" or ot could be called a "lyretail" swordtail. Lyretail mollies are also a thing though

[@feyadmohamed238]

What happens when ur swordtail is being on the flat ground all of the times ??

[@jaxxonfishroom]

Usually means it's sick

[@BlakesAquatics]

Yes swim bladder issue perhaps or just exhausted fighting some other infection

[@1963patto]

I keep my sword tails with out heaters in south Australia the water gets as low as 12to13 in deep winter and there fine and happy

[@tsafa]

Great information straight directing to the poins.

[@sagehashirama9915]

im sorry you look like john wayne gacy

[@BlakesAquatics]

🤡

[@bloodyoce-]

@@BlakesAquatics bro not lying fr tho.

[@payalfernandes8750]

Hello!! I have a small fish tank. It's in a shape of a bowl with approximately 3 liters of water in it. I do not have a pump to place it inside the bowl. It has a small artificial plant. Right now I have 2 females & 1 male fish in the tank. Can you please let me know how often do I need to change water?

[@BlakesAquatics]

that is not going to last very long sorry to say. 3L is way too small for even 1 swordtail but a trio that will likely breed will soon create too much waste to ever keep up with, even changing 50% per day

[@mesherepnamesherep8146]

I bought a swordtail fish.. in near by pet store. I put them to my new aquarium ( of course I put water conditioner to that one ) 2/12 gallon so 1/4 of water conditioner. I leave the water for almost 15 hours. before putting the swordtail, I put the plastic on the top of my aquarium for several minutes. after that I release them to my fish tank. 3 of them and I went out for dinner and I came back they’re all weak and dying. I wonder where I went wrong ? do I have to put heater ? since I think the water cold ? do I have to check the parameters? please help or any advice will appreciate, thank you!

[@danielsmith336]

No acclimatization, no regard for the nitrogen cycle, too small of aquarium, no oxygenation of the water

[@frenchmarotiri8781]

i have heaps of platies and a male swordtail, will he breed with the females successfully?............. or would he have already done that?

[@BlakesAquatics]

Yes good point platys ans swordtails will interbreed, he probably has already

[@Null_Void_1]

hey blake, one of new koi sword female is hiding all day she doesn't look pregnant and water quality is great my other swords are thriving and there is no fish bullying her I can't figure out whats wrong with her. she only comes out to feed.

[@BlakesAquatics]

odd one, might just be shy, maybe she will get more outgoing as time goes on.

[@emanuelepegoraro4083]

How many fish for my dennerle scaper s tank 55l ( I already have a betta, 7 cherry shrimps, planorbarius and physa)

[@emanuelepegoraro4083]

And which one should I add? (My betta isn' too aggressive)

[@IceBreakerMD]

Great video, Blake! If I only wanted to keep male swordtails (no breeding), would 3 be the minimum to prevent bullying? To keep that 3 or minimum # of males, what size aquarium do you suggest? I have a 15-gallon high tank.

[@BlakesAquatics]

For a 15 gall id say yes 3 seems the perfect number

[@hkk3656]

I put two males together in a 20-gallon aquarium. One killed the other one.

[@DanielG-po3ip]

Hi Blake, will the male swordtail end up breeding with the offspring if you don't take them out of the tank?

[@BlakesAquatics]

Yes definitely

[@DanielG-po3ip]

@@BlakesAquatics thanks for replying, appreciate it. Ok cool I thought that would be the case. Love the channel

[@krispykruzer]

Had swordtails for months, didn’t bread but grew huge and shat too much