Swordtail sex change - Aquarium Advice

JDogg · 11-20-2008, 10:36 PM

i picked up a female swordtail a few weeks ago, to be a mate for my male. the main goal is to provide "food"

for my angels.

well now the Female, who was a good 1.5 inches already, had a well rounded tailfin, not sign of a sword.

well now she/he is growing a sword

does this happen alot? was it always a male or did it go through a sex change?

**Zagz** · 11-20-2008, 11:15 PM

I've read that swordtails can change sex. Never have seen it myself. Did a google search and found quite a few references to it.

bs6749 · 11-20-2008, 11:20 PM

I've had this happen to swordtails before when I used to keep them when I was younger and very inexperienced. It is fairly common from what I hear for the female to turn into a male.

Just as a suggestion, if you want feeder fish for your angels you might consider something that spits out babies constantly like guppies (~28 days) or Endlers (~23-25 days) that way you will have a constant supply on hand.

JDogg · 11-21-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bs6749

I've had this happen to swordtails before when I used to keep them when I was younger and very inexperienced. It is fairly common from what I hear for the female to turn into a male.

Just as a suggestion, if you want feeder fish for your angels you might consider something that spits out babies constantly like guppies (~28 days) or Endlers (~23-25 days) that way you will have a constant supply on hand.

yea, but i like swords better, and i do not need a constant supply. i thought maybe an ossasional "live meal" might jump start the "loving" in the angels though.

plus working at petco i get to bring home any live bearer babies that are born at the store... free. the mollies have been pumping them out every week

JDogg · 11-21-2008, 10:49 AM

scientificaly speaking i know tha some fish and amphibians can change sex, but that USUALY occures in a single sex environment.

i already had a male, and the tank i got the "female" from also had males in it. so it is strange...

i have two other smaller females, so i can still get babbies, but now they will be double teamed by two males! oh well

bs6749 · 11-21-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDogg

yea, but i like swords better, and i do not need a constant supply. i thought maybe an ossasional "live meal" might jump start the "loving" in the angels though.

plus working at petco i get to bring home any live bearer babies that are born at the store... free. the mollies have been pumping them out every week

So liking the swords better would be all the more reason to feed the angels OTHER fish LOL! JK

As far as getting the angels to spawn, keep doing regular large PWC's. If they are in a 55g for example I'd change out 10-15g every 2-3 days. Keep doing this until something happens. IME the pH doesn't matter in getting them to spawn but it may be crucial for the fertilization of the eggs. I've been told numerous times by many discus breeders, and ram breeders as well, that harder water can prevent the sperm from penetrating the eggs. Since angels live in the same type of water, I'm sure the same holds true for them as well. Just keep that in mind if you are trying to get fry.

JDogg · 11-21-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bs6749

So liking the swords better would be all the more reason to feed the angels OTHER fish LOL! JK

As far as getting the angels to spawn, keep doing regular large PWC's. If they are in a 55g for example I'd change out 10-15g every 2-3 days. Keep doing this until something happens. IME the pH doesn't matter in getting them to spawn but it may be crucial for the fertilization of the eggs. I've been told numerous times by many discus breeders, and ram breeders as well, that harder water can prevent the sperm from penetrating the eggs. Since angels live in the same type of water, I'm sure the same holds true for them as well. Just keep that in mind if you are trying to get fry.

these are young angels, not even sure if i have a male and female yet. still, quarter size... i had to sell my proven breeding pair when i moved from southeastern Minnesota to Rapid City, SD this fall

so i am starting over from scratch... i had gotten two batches of eggs to hatch from the previous pair... unfortunatly i moved the eggs to another tank to raise them... they hatched, but i could not get the babies to eat and they died.

i was feeding them newly hatched brine shrimp.

bs6749 · 11-21-2008, 12:53 PM

Maybe you fed them too soon and the water got foul and killed the babies???

If your angels are quarter size I'd look for them to start pairing in a month 3-4 weeks. HOw many of them do you have? My 15 angels started pairing up at that size when they were all in a 10g tank. I'd do a 90% water change 2 times a week and they started pairing.

BillD · 11-23-2008, 12:49 AM

If the sword was only 1 1/2" long, it was probably a male all along, just slow in growing it's sword. This apparently is quite normal, and is believed to be a protection mechanism, in the wild to keep the males from all maturing at once. It is reportedly the source of the "sex change" that has been observed by aquarists.

OldMan · 11-25-2008, 08:12 AM

I have kept swords on and off most of my life and the young fish are extremely variable in when they develop their gonopodium and the sword. I have seen full 2 1/2 inch swordtails suddenly start growing a sword and I have seen little 1 1/2 inch swords that have already developed. Swordtails are among the fish that tend to have a percentage of late bloomers. As far as I know, this is not a sex change but a late development. At 1 1/2 inches chances are very good that you have a juvenile fish so it is not at all surprising. The good news is that the later developing swordtail males are often the nicest looking adult fish.

11-23-2008, 12:49 AM	#9
BillD Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Whitby, Ont,Canada Posts: 930	If the sword was only 1 1/2" long, it was probably a male all along, just slow in growing it's sword. This apparently is quite normal, and is believed to be a protection mechanism, in the wild to keep the males from all maturing at once. It is reportedly the source of the "sex change" that has been observed by aquarists. __________________ Join a fish club. Don't have one in your area? Start one.

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11-20-2008, 11:20 PM	#3
bs6749 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lawton, MI Posts: 1,493	I've had this happen to swordtails before when I used to keep them when I was younger and very inexperienced. It is fairly common from what I hear for the female to turn into a male. Just as a suggestion, if you want feeder fish for your angels you might consider something that spits out babies constantly like guppies (~28 days) or Endlers (~23-25 days) that way you will have a constant supply on hand.

11-21-2008, 12:53 PM	#8
bs6749 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lawton, MI Posts: 1,493	Maybe you fed them too soon and the water got foul and killed the babies??? If your angels are quarter size I'd look for them to start pairing in a month 3-4 weeks. HOw many of them do you have? My 15 angels started pairing up at that size when they were all in a 10g tank. I'd do a 90% water change 2 times a week and they started pairing.

11-25-2008, 08:12 AM	#10
OldMan Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 119	I have kept swords on and off most of my life and the young fish are extremely variable in when they develop their gonopodium and the sword. I have seen full 2 1/2 inch swordtails suddenly start growing a sword and I have seen little 1 1/2 inch swords that have already developed. Swordtails are among the fish that tend to have a percentage of late bloomers. As far as I know, this is not a sex change but a late development. At 1 1/2 inches chances are very good that you have a juvenile fish so it is not at all surprising. The good news is that the later developing swordtail males are often the nicest looking adult fish.