xxRho
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hello! I've never kept a swordtail before, so here is the back story.
I was looking in a pet store and wandered over to the fish for sale. Of course there were "feeders" for sale at $2 each, all of them were Livebearers, at the back of the tank amongst the platties and guppies I saw a long tail, low and behold a swordtail! And he looked healthy, alert yet nervous - I couldn't help myself, I couldn't imagine the little guy being fed to a fish who wouldn't be able to deliver a swift death (he was obviously the longest fish in the tank so if he was fed to a medium sized fish it wouldn't be a pleasant way to go…)
He looked like a wild green swordtail except with blue rather then yellow undertones to his green sword.
There was only female swordtails available for sale under the title "swordtails" at $7 each so I didn't get any others because I was with my bf so I was going to buy it for his tank; my bf is very intelligent, has animal experience (both his parents are veterinarians), however he is a novice fish keeper (so I didn't want him to have to deal with fry) in the tropical department, (he has kept telescope type goldfish when growing up and recently I've given him a very young betta splendens which he is very good at caring for).
We are growing out the juvenile betta in a 20+L tank then we'll move it to a community tank.
The swordtail doesn't seem interested in schooling and is living with a female betta in a 34L long at my bf's place - they both get along and neither shows aggression to each other (the female betta is a really good girl).
I know that it was an impulse buy but now that I've got him can anyone give me any tips?
I've heard that nippy fish are a no no. How do you think Endler Livebearers would go with a swordtail?
Are there any good plants for swordtails?
How can I persuade him to feed?
Are there any big no no's that I may not know about?
I know he isn't in an ideal environment at the moment and my bf and I would love to give him a healthy home to live.
ps I'm sorry if I've posted in the wrong place.
I was looking in a pet store and wandered over to the fish for sale. Of course there were "feeders" for sale at $2 each, all of them were Livebearers, at the back of the tank amongst the platties and guppies I saw a long tail, low and behold a swordtail! And he looked healthy, alert yet nervous - I couldn't help myself, I couldn't imagine the little guy being fed to a fish who wouldn't be able to deliver a swift death (he was obviously the longest fish in the tank so if he was fed to a medium sized fish it wouldn't be a pleasant way to go…)
He looked like a wild green swordtail except with blue rather then yellow undertones to his green sword.
There was only female swordtails available for sale under the title "swordtails" at $7 each so I didn't get any others because I was with my bf so I was going to buy it for his tank; my bf is very intelligent, has animal experience (both his parents are veterinarians), however he is a novice fish keeper (so I didn't want him to have to deal with fry) in the tropical department, (he has kept telescope type goldfish when growing up and recently I've given him a very young betta splendens which he is very good at caring for).
We are growing out the juvenile betta in a 20+L tank then we'll move it to a community tank.
The swordtail doesn't seem interested in schooling and is living with a female betta in a 34L long at my bf's place - they both get along and neither shows aggression to each other (the female betta is a really good girl).
I know that it was an impulse buy but now that I've got him can anyone give me any tips?
I've heard that nippy fish are a no no. How do you think Endler Livebearers would go with a swordtail?
Are there any good plants for swordtails?
How can I persuade him to feed?
Are there any big no no's that I may not know about?
I know he isn't in an ideal environment at the moment and my bf and I would love to give him a healthy home to live.
ps I'm sorry if I've posted in the wrong place.
