Can you imagine a mother eating their child? Sounds weird and unethical, doesn’t;t it? But, It is not uncommon in the world of fish. Some fish like the Swordtails are voracious fish that will eat anything they can find, including their babies.
Swordtails are mostly peaceful and get along with most of the other fish. But, they have terrible eating habits and start to nibble on anything that fits into their mouth. Swordtail fries are tiny and fit into the parents’ mouths like a puzzle. They lack parental instincts, so they don’t care if the food is their own babies or not.
To find out more on why swordtails eat their babies, keep reading!
General Information On Swordtail Fish And Their Fries
A swordtail fish is a livebearing fish, meaning that they give birth to fry. No, the swordtail does not lay eggs. Swordtail fish grow up to 5-6 inches in length.
The fry of Swordtail fish measures barely 0.25 inches and is not visible because they are transparent and tiny, resembling the tadpoles of a frog.
Swordtail fish can remain pregnant for an average of 28 days. After the fry inside eggs matures, the pregnant Swordtail fish undergoes labor. The lifespan of fry is free-swimming and active.
Swordtail fish give birth to around 80-100 fry in a single pregnancy.
Do Swordtail Fish Eat Their Babies?
It’s hard to digest that such a beautiful, peaceful fish can eat their own babies. But not for swordtails. They digest their babies as easily as they digest bloodworms.
Swordtail fish eat their babies. And, this behavior is termed filial cannibalism and occurs throughout the animal kingdoms. Thank goodness that we humans don’t resort to filial cannibalism!
I have seen Swordtails chase other fish like platies and guppies and even larger fish like an Angelfish around the tank, trying to nip on their fins and tails. So, keeping swordtails with tiny fries sounds like a feast for your swordtails.
Swordtails have good pet instincts but terrible parental instincts.
Why Do Swordtail Fish Eat Their Babies?
We would all like to know why Swordtail fish are so heartless. But, unfortunately, there are no scientific reasons to know why swordtails do this yet. My best guess is that it is because they don’t recognize their babies. Otherwise, no parent could do it knowingly.
However, here are some expert opinions on why swordtails eat their babies:
Looks Like Food
Swordtails eat their babies because the fry is a meal for them. Swordtail fries are tiny and similar in size to the live food you feed them. So the swordtail eats its own fry as snacks, like humans eating fries or french fries.
Voracious Eaters
Swordtails are aggressive and voracious eaters. They are so hungry that they will eat anything in front of them and can’t distinguish whether it’s theirs or not- even if it’s their own babies.
No Food Available
The swordtail fish is less likely to eat its fry if there is abundant food around in the tank- so maybe they prefer fresh bloodworms and not baby fries!
Maybe they end up gobbling up their fries because you don’t provide them enough food or good food rich in nutrients. But, on the other hand, Fry babies are a good source of protein, so why not?
Stressed Mother
Pregnancy can be hard. Labor is tiresome, leaving the mother hungry and stressed after giving birth. And, since they lack parental instincts, they might think of the babies they just gave birth to as fantastic live food.
How To Prevent Your Swordtails From Eating Their Babies?
Now, as sad as it is to learn that swordtail fish will end up eating their babies, we can try and save these innocent little fries.
Here are some ways:
Separate The Fry Babies
Swordtails are voracious eaters, which can make it hard to bear and care for the fry. Therefore, you must separate the fry from its mother. Otherwise, the parent will eat it up shortly afterward. There are three ways of separating a swordtail fry from its mother:
Set up a breeding box
A breeding box is a small tank that has tiny holes. Swordtails will be inside the tank, and they give birth to fry, which can escape through the holes. This way, you can separate mother and fry without it is not easy.
Use A Separate Tank
You can breed swordtail fish in a fry tank. However, they don’t have parental instincts, so the mother must be put into a different tank and given her fry. That way, you can customize the water parameters for your fries and save them from their parents.
Tank Divider
One issue that you may face if you are a budding aquarist is separating your fry from their mothers. If this has happened in your tank, then using a special glass divider can make troubleshooting much easier.
A transparent divider allows fry to grow and learn about life with less risk of injury or stress while simultaneously protecting your fries.
Provide Hiding Spots
How do you save young fry in a separate tank at home? It’s simple: Provide lots of dense and heavy plants for them to hide under.
It would be best to keep Plants like Hornworts, guppy grass, java moss, Java Fern, and the hidingttuce roots. However, hiding spots aren’t just plants. Decorations can take the place of plants too. For example, driftwood, coconut cave, ceramic cave make good hiding spots for fry.
But I think you should keep live plants in your tank because they help balance nitrogen levels. They also give food to fry.
Wait Until The Fry Babies Are Big Enough
This is the most common question when it comes to fry, and there’s a simple
answer.
Young swordtail fry grows big in 4-6 weeks after birth. You should know that if the swordtail fry is still small enough to fit in the mouth of a swordtail fish, don’t keep them in the main tank yet.
We recommend shifting the adult swordtail fry to your main tank when they are 3-4 months old since it’s easier to transfer adult ones.
Ideal Food For Swordtails
Providing swordtail fish with a properly balanced diet is important not only for their growth but also for the protection of the babies.
The ideal food for swordtails includes live worms and insects (bloodworms) rich in protein content. Swordtails also prefer vegetable supplements as they are omnivorous. So you can feed them algae, wafers, balanced vegetables like lettuce, peas, etc.
Swordtails can also be fed flake foods or pellets that are easily available in the market.
FAQs
Some of the most frequently asked questions about swordtail eating habits are answered below.
Do Swordtails Eat Other Fish?
Swordtail fish are not dangerous to other fishes. They don’t have strong jaws and teeth that can lead them to a life of food-based violence.
However, they will feed on small crustaceans like shrimps and crabs, snails, smaller fish fries, etc.
What Should I Feed My Swordtail Fries?
Swordtail fries should be properly to ensure proper growth and development.
Each fry needs to eat food that is a source of protein and fat every day. Therefore, it is best if you feed them more than once a day. Live worms and flake foods can also make up part of the diet for swordtails due to their high-protein content.
However, make sure to feed them in smaller portions because they have tiny mouths, and larger chunks will be difficult to consume.
Conclusion
Swordtails can be a fun and fascinating addition to any aquarium. However, they’re not without their quirks. One of these is the tendency for swordtail fish to eat their young!
However, we can prevent this if you take good care of your swordtails and your fries.
I hope this article cleared all the doubts regarding if swordtails eat their fries.
