red swordtail help

[polandspring]

hey i have a pair of re sowrdtails in a 5.5 and I'm trying to get them to breed and i believe that the female is pregnant. I was just wondering of some-one who has experince could help me with the preferred Ph and Tempatures that i should place in the tank and whatprotocols i should follow to insure safe offspring

 

[Zagz]

Don't worry about altering the ph. Temp should be between 78-80F. The rest you can let nature take care of. The only thing to make sure you are prepared is to have either lots of plants or hiding spots for the fry when they are born. Oh and prepare to get a larger tank in the near future. Swordtails will breed like crazy and you will soon be overstocked.

 

[polandspring]

alright thanks its at 76 right now so ill get on raising that and ya i have alot of hiding spots in the tank so the fry should be fine i just hope the male wont hunt them down, hes pretty agressive

 

[meegosh]

I think it really depends on how cannibalistic the parents are to be honest. I know if I let any of my adult guppies in the same tank with their fry, they would all be gone the next day.

I had a friend who had some swordtails and they didn't even touch the fry. It really depends on the parents I think. Like others said, make lots of hiding spots, java moss is where all mine hide. Also, some floating plants would be a plus. Good luck!

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

I do think the parent comment is correct; my guppies & platties don't touch guppy fry, and they all line up to feed together when I'm near the tank.

Others here swear, as meegosh just has, that guppies will eat their young.

In a smaller tank, I might guess your parents will be more cannabalistic, but it is just a guess.

 

[polandspring]

Thanks im expecting to see fry anyday shes huge