I have always wondered if my aquarium fish would enjoy living in an outdoor pond. I have a few swordtails that love their tank habitat, but would they enjoy living in a pond? Can swordtail fish live in a pond?
Yes, swordtail fish can be put into a pond and survive, but we must care for certain things. For example, to keep swordtails in a pond, we must consider water parameters, oxygen levels, plantation, and other requirements.
Let us see all the crucial factors to help your swordtail thrive in a pond.
Are Ponds A Suitable Habitat For Swordtails?
Swordtails are usually kept in tanks or aquariums. This is because they are the most popular aquarium fish. However, ponds are also a suitable habitat for your swordtails.
Ponds are the perfect habitat for swordtails because they contain many other swordtails that swordtail fish enjoy interacting with. Also, tank water parameters vary from pond water parameters. Therefore, you will face some problems in a pond, but swordtails can live in ponds if these problems are addressed carefully and properly.
Swordtail fish are tropical fish, and they enjoy warm temperatures. Similarly, they are surprisingly active and love to swim around. A pond will provide them enough space to swim around. So, your swordtails will be perfectly fine unless the weather gets chilly.
Challenges Of Keeping Swordtails In A Pond
You can keep swordtails in an outdoor tank, but you have to pay attention to certain factors like oxygenation, filtration, water temperature, etc. Here are some of the challenges of putting swordtails in an outdoor tank.
Filtration
First is the swordtail’s requirement for high-quality water, which means you need to have a powerful filter. A swordtail will not swim in polluted water. The swordtail will only swim in fresh and clean water. Swordtail fish are susceptible to water quality, and they can sense a change in their environment long before it becomes a problem or danger for them.
It is not easy to change the water in the pond as it is in an aquarium. However, swordtails do create a lot of waste, and the pond water needs regular filtration.
Otherwise, your swordtail will catch parasites and a lot of dangerous diseases. The swordtail will not survive if you do not regularly change the water.
Oxygenation
The swordtails will get injured and die if put in a pond with low oxygen content. The swordtail fish is an air-breather and hence would require a large amount of oxygen in the pond.
If you put swordtails in an outdoor tank, remember that swordtails do not have gills – instead, they breathe air from the surface of the water and absorb oxygen through their mouth. This means if there is no sufficient supply of oxygen in the pond, swordtail fish will only have a few minutes to live.
You have to make sure there are enough underwater plants in the pond for swordtails to breathe air from the surface and get a sufficient amount of oxygen through their mouth. If swordtails are kept in an outdoor tank, they need more aeration than other species of tropical fish.
Unstable Water Parameters
Swordtails thrive in water temperatures of around 72 degrees Fahrenheit. They need a pH of about 7 and hardness of about 12-30 GH.
Swordtails will not survive in outdoor ponds with fluctuating water parameters because swordtail fish are susceptible to the changes in their environment. Therefore, if you want swordtails in your pond, ensure a constant freshwater supply from a nearby source. Otherwise, swordtail fish will die very fast.
Water parameters in a pond aren’t as stable as in an aquarium. In addition, external factors like weather, sunlight, etc., promote fluctuation in temperatures which is not good for your fish’s health.
Swordtails are very sensitive to water values, and it is hard for swordtail fish to live in a pond with unstable or fluctuating temperatures.
Safety
It isn’t easy to monitor the safety of swordtail and swordtail fries in a pond. You will never know if other fish can attack swordtail fry. Unfortunately, other animals also threaten swordtail fish, and swordtails will have no escape from them.
Swordtails are small creatures and need protection from predators. Swordtail fish will not be able to fight with other swordtail species or even with a larger predator that can snatch swordtails easily. And, your fries can fall prey to their parents or other fish in the pond.
Similarly, you cannot monitor diseases of your swordtails in a pond. Swordtail fish can catch a disease from other swordtail species or the plants and water in your pond. In an outdoor pond, swordtails are exposed to many dangers like poisonous plants, low oxygen content in the water, etc.
Likewise, it is hard to keep in check the spawning activity of your swordtails. You cannot control the spawning activity of swordtail fish in a pond. Swordtail fish can breed anytime when swordtails are in a group.
How Can We Make A Pond A Suitable Habitat For Your Swordtails?
A pond would mimic a natural wild habitat for your swordtail. But, we have bred swordtails in captivity for too long to think swordtails would thrive in a pond without any attention.
Placement of swordtails in ponds requires proper filtration because swordtails excrete more waste than the average aquarium fish. Let us see what kind of setup is required by swordtails to thrive in a
In ponds, swordtails have less oxygen supply and are exposed to higher ammonia levels than swordtails living in tanks or aquariums. Therefore, if swordtails are put in ponds, you should use pond filters to cut ammonia levels and increase oxygen supply to swordtails.
Also, swordtails need a minimum of 10 gallons of water for every swordtail fish kept in the pond, so make sure your pond has enough space for all swordtails.
Swordtail fish should not be put into the pond during the wintertime, especially in warmer climates where swordtail fish have to avoid dry air, which can cause them stress and even death. In colder weather, swordtail fish in ponds do better but may need a heater added just in case the weather gets too cold.
It would help if you cleaned Ponds at least once every two weeks. In addition, the pond should be shallow and well-covered, so swordtails don’t jump out of the pond accidentally.
You must keep the swordtails with compatible pond mates and make sure the pond is heavily planted to protect them against other fish(if any).
Can You Breed Swordtails In A Pond?
In many ways, swordtails in a pond are like swordtails kept in tanks and aquariums. Swordtail fish breed the same way, but swordtails need some special help to breed in ponds properly.
A pond that is not well-maintained can lead to swordtail fry deaths, among other things. Swordtail fish in a pond does need some special help to breed if kept in ponds. Swordtail fry may suffocate when they fall on the pond bottom.
Ensure you have clean water, enough hiding places, proper temperatures, and other basic requirements to help your fish breed in a pond. All this will also ensure the safety of your fry.
Conclusion
There are many challenges to keeping swordtails in a pond, but we can do it. The key is finding the right balance of plants and fish that will keep your swordtail happy. Another important thing is ensuring you have enough oxygen levels and proper filtration.
If you pay close attention to the requirements of your swordtail fish, they can certainly live happily in your backyard pond.
