Swordtail fish are a popular fish in the aquarium trade. They have many attractive qualities, including their bright coloration and peaceful temperament. However, there are times when swordtails can be aggressive toward other fish in the tank or other members of their species. What can we do in such situations? How To Control Aggressive Swordtail Fish?
Swordtail fish can be aggressive if their needs aren’t met. The key to controlling aggression in your fish is understanding its causes and what might trigger it.
Aggressive swordtails can cause serious injury to passive fish in the tank. Hence, separating the aggressive fish can control damages through aggression. Thus, separating the bully, rearranging your tank decorations, and providing hiding spots can control aggressive swordtail fish. Giving your aggressive fish some food can also calm them down.
Take a look at this blog post to learn how you can control an aggressive swordtail!
Are Swordtails Aggressive?
No, swordtail fish are not aggressive. Instead, swordtail fish are peaceful amicable fish who enjoy hanging out with similar groups.
Swordtail fish are not only beautiful, but they’re also quite intelligent and scrappy. Surprisingly, swordtail fish can become aggressive and territorial. They are voracious eaters. During mating season, male swordtails pursue female swordtails, which are territorial to be highly vigilant about their area.
Aquarists with previous experience with the fish might have noticed their aggression and territorial nature at least a few times.
Swordtail fish can be hostile and territorial at times, which is surprising. They are voracious feeders. During the mating ritual, male swordtails chase female swordtails, and they can be somewhat territorial about their area.
A variety of factors influences swordtail fish aggression and territoriality. It’s natural for swordtails, like most other livebearers, to act this way when their needs aren’t supplied. Male and female swordfish have different motives for working in this way. However, Male swordtails are usually more aggressive.
Causes Of Aggression In Swordtail Fish
You will often find swordtails peacefully swimming and hanging out with other fish in the tank.
However, if you sometimes she swordtails chasing each other around, or if your fish are hiding, you probably have an aggressive fish on the loose.
The causes of aggression in swordtails are:
Hunger
Insufficient food can cause swordtail fish to turn aggressive. If you leave your swordtails hungry for a long time, they will start biting the aquarium plants, attack smaller fish or shrimps, and chase and bite each other.
Hence, hunger can turn swordtail fish aggressive.
Dominance
Male swordtails are known to be quite aggressive when it comes to mating. They will fiercely protect their territory and chase away other male swordtails.
If you spot two or more males in the tank, they might end up fighting with each other for dominance over who gets to mate with female swordtail fish.
Boredom
Swordtails need a lot of space, plants, and hiding places where they can retreat when they feel stressed.
If you do not provide these things, swordtails will get bored and bite other fish in the aquarium or even humans!
Lack of space
As mentioned earlier, swordtail fish need a lot of room to swim around so they can explore their surroundings by themselves. If there is no more space for the fish to swim, swordtails will start getting aggressive due to stress.
Breeding Aggression
Female swordtail fish are often very protective of their eggs and fry (babies). Therefore if you see your female swimming around chasing other fish or biting them, there is a good chance she is guarding her young ones.
To avoid this, permanently remove the female swordtail fish to another tank when ready to give birth.
Environmental Factors
Sometimes aggression in swordtails is due to environmental factors such as temperature, pH level, etc. For example, suppose your water parameters are unsuitable, or you have just moved them into a new aquarium with different temperatures and chemicals than their old home. In that case, swordtails may not be able to cope with the changes and become aggressive.
Territory
If the fish don’t have enough space, they will become aggressive. If you see them chasing each other around then, this is the problem. It can also occur if too many fish are in a small tank or with other aggressive fish.
Stress
If the water conditions are not suitable, if there is a lack of hiding places or too many tank mates, then your swordtail can become stressed and turn into an aggressor.
Imbalanced Water
The pH in the tank needs to be around seven. Otherwise, it will cause stress for your fish.
If you have just changed the water in your tank, it may be due to a lack of oxygen.
Pregnancy
If the female swordtail is pregnant, then she will have her priorities. This can cause stress to male fish, and they may become aggressive towards each other or their tank mates. You should take proper care of your pregnant swordtail fish.
Therefore, these are some of the prominent reasons for aggression in swordtails.
Signs Of Aggression In Swordtail Fish
When fish are aggressive, they show obvious signs. Some of the common behavioral patterns that identify an aggressive swordtail include:
Chasing
The constant chasing away of other fishes from their territory; includes shooing or trying to eat any new addition in the tank. This makes it hard for you to keep more than one male fish with females.
The chasing behavior may also involve any new addition to the tank. This aggressive trait is exhibited by most swordtail species, including the platies and mollies. To keep more than one male fish with females in a community aquarium, it is best to introduce all of them into your water tank at once rather than introducing just one or two.
Fin Nipping
This is another common sign of aggression in swordtails. Fin nipping involves the fish destroying the fins or tails of other fishes, regardless of whether they are larger or smaller. Food competition may trigger this behavior, particularly when there isn’t enough to go around for all your fish.
Suppose you notice fin nipping during feeding time. In that case, you should carefully distribute the food to different areas and provide your fish with a broader and more varied diet than usual.
Flashing/Puckering
The display of fins or tails by swordtails is done to establish dominance in their social hierarchy. However, some males, especially when trying to mate, may also go for other fishes’ fins.
The male fish usually display puckering to warn away other males trying to get close or attract females in his territory. However, the same behavior may also be triggered when there isn’t enough food for your fish, mainly if they compete.
When you notice flashing and puckering among swordtails in your tank, you should immediately look for a way to reduce their stress level. Providing them with more space, a more complete and varied diet, and introducing live plants in the tank may help lower their aggression levels over time.
How To Control Aggressive Swordtail Fish?
Swordtails are usually peaceful, so if they show hostile behavior, it is probably because they are not happy with something in their tank.
Too much aggression is not suitable for anyone. It would help if you managed the anger of your swordtail fish.
Ways To Control Aggressive Swordtail Fish are:
Separate The Aggressive Fish
It would be best to keep the aggressive swordtail in a separate tank for some time. This will give them some time for themselves and reduce aggressive behavior.
Once they have calmed down, you can put them back together again. It would help if you kept a close eye on them to ensure that it is safe to do so.
Keep Them In An Appropriate Group
Keeping your swordtail fish in groups of around four individuals (in the ratio of one male to three females) is one of the best ways to keep them calm.
If you only have one swordtail, adding more will help with this problem as well.
Redecorate Your Tank
Aggressive behavior can be a sign that your tank is not suitable for the swordfish. Take note of what swordtail fish like in their tank.
An excellent way to control aggressive swordtail fish is by getting them a more considerable habitat, so showing more space will help with this problem too. You should also add lots of plants and rocks into their new home as these are natural ways of making sure that they are calm.
If you do not have enough time to redecorate your tank, make sure that the one or two plants in there are tall and bushy rather than short and leafy. Short plants might be seen as hiding places for prey which will cause aggression issues between your fish.
Give Them More Attention And Stimulation
It would be best if you tried to pay as much attention as you can to your fish. Giving them lots of love and care will make sure that they are calmer in general, which might decrease their overall aggression levels.
Swordfish need a lot of stimulation, so adding new toys or plants into the tank is a great idea too! However, it would be best if you also tried to rearrange their tank frequently to ensure that they are using all of the space and not getting stressed from being in one spot for too long.
Thus, these are some of the ways to control an aggressive swordtail fish right away.
How To Prevent Aggression In Swordtail Fish?
As mentioned earlier, swordtails are social and peaceful. They do not harm any other fish in the tank and happily live with a similar group of fish.
If you notice swordtail aggression, there is something wrong with the tank conditions, or they are not happy.
To forever prevent aggression in swordtail fish:
Provide Them With The Right Food
Swordfish need a lot of protein, so providing them with lots of live food is a great way to keep aggression down. It would be best if you also tried to feed them small amounts of food multiple times a day, as this will ensure that they are constantly getting their fill and not becoming hungry.
Living prey such as bloodworms or brine shrimp is the best option for live feeding food, so you should also keep dried alternatives on hand.
Feeding your fish with lots of protein-rich food will decrease their aggression levels.
Keep The Tank Clean And Well-Maintained
As mentioned above, lack of space causes aggression in fish, and they are not keen on living in dirty water either. Therefore, keeping your tank clean is an excellent way to prevent any bad behavior.
Regularly check for algae and remove it before it becomes a problem. Be sure to vacuum the gravel as well, removing all waste that could cause your fish stress or illness.
Give Them Enough Tank Space
As we discussed earlier, swordfish need a lot of space, and you should provide them with as much as possible. Keeping your fish in the correct sized tank will make them happy and not feeling cramped or stressed out.
Keeping their habitat well-maintained is also another way to prevent aggression issues! Providing enough space will ensure that your fish is not stressed and has enough room to swim around.
The right-sized tank for a swordfish is one with plenty of plants and rocks in it! Also, be sure to add lots of hiding places so they have areas where they can feel safe from other aggressive fish.
Reduce Stress And Disease
To prevent aggressive behavior in swordtails: Always make sure to quarantine new additions before adding them into the main tank. This will make sure that you do not introduce any diseases or parasites into your tank.
If there are lots of aggressive fish in the main tank, it is good to add a divider, so they only have half as much room! This will make them less stressed and more comfortable when being with other species.
Check Tank Mates
You should also check for tank mates that might be bullying your swordfish. If you notice any fish chasing or nipping at them, it is good to remove those aggressive tank mates!
Thus, these are the best ways to prevent aggressive behavior in swordtail fish.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many ways to prevent aggression in swordtail fish. Providing them with the right food and water conditions is a great way to keep your swordfish happy and healthy! In addition, keeping their habitat clean will keep them from developing any diseases or becoming stressed out due to dirty water.
Making sure that they have enough tank space at all times is also another way to keep aggression levels down. And finally, be sure to check for tank mates that might not get along with your fish and remove them if need be!
