Swordtail fish, scientifically known as Xiphophorus helleri, are popular fish species loved by many aquarists. One of the major reasons swordtail is an absolute favorite is that they are super easy to care for. Another reason is that they are efficient breeders, but this does not favor those fish keepers who are not breeding their fish. Swordtail fish breed and multiply, intensely overpopulating your tank. So, how fast do swordtails multiply?
Swordtail fish are prolific breeders. Swordtails multiply by almost 10 times every 30 days. A female swordtail under optimal conditions can give birth every month or even less-and each batch of fry can range from 10-100 swordtails. Swordtail fish multiply rapidly because they give live birth to almost 100 fry at a time and their gestation period is very short.
This article will talk about the rapid multiplication capacity of swordtail fish, the reasons behind it, along the pros and cons.
How Fast Do Swordtails Multiply?
A swordtail female can conceive right after parturition. That means swordtail fish can get pregnant right after the delivery of her fry. A swordtail takes around 28 days to deliver her fry after pregnancy. By this calculation, swordtail fish can give birth every 28-30 days.
This means swordtail fish multiply like crazy. What makes this more intense is the number of fry that one pregnant swordtail fish delivers at a time. Thus, these enthusiastic breeders procreate almost 2000-3000 babies in a lifetime.
One pair of swordtail after mating reproduce hundreds of babies. And, the female is ready to conceive right after delivery, even with the help of sperms stored in their pouch (in the absence of a male). This certainly shows that swordtails multiply fast.
What Contributes To Swordtails Reproducing So Rapidly?
Many factors influence active reproduction in swordtail fish. They frequently give birth which leaves your tank with hundreds of tiny swordtails moving around every month. But what leads to this enthusiastic procreating behavior of swordtails? Let’s find out.
Sexual Maturity
Swordtail fish reach maturity very soon. They reach sexual maturity at the age of three months. Likewise, they live for almost 5 years under proper tank conditions. So, they can conceive as long as they are physically incapable due to old age.
Thus, rapid maturity is a major factor that contributes to the faster multiplication of swordtail fish.
Live Birthing
Since swordtails give birth instead of laying eggs, they do not have to wait to hatch. Swordtail fry is born more developed than most fish. They pass a phase at birth, starting life as small fish.
Swordtail fry takes birth as tiny proxy adults and grows faster than other fish, So, this reason contributes to rapid reproduction rate.
Pregnancy
Another reason for the intense multiplication of swordtail fish is their ability to get pregnant constantly. Swordtail male has a huge sex drive, so they tend to mate with the female repeatedly. Likewise, swordtail females can store sperms in their pouch for a longer period and can internally fertilize when they need to. So, swordtail females can get pregnant every month.
Therefore, because swordtail females get pregnant more frequently, swordtail fish multiply fast.
Number Of Fry
We also cannot forget that swordtail gives birth to almost 8 dozen fry at a single pregnancy. So, Swordtail fish multiply pretty fast.
Swordtail females under appropriate health and tank conditions can give birth to almost 100 healthy babies at a batch. And, if she intends to do this every month until she is capable, your fish tank will swarm with baby swordtails round the clock.
This ability of swordtail fish to birthing live young ones continually means they multiply super fast.
Therefore, these are some of the reasons why swordtails reproduce so enthusiastically.
Breeding Swordtail Fish
Breeding swordtail fish is an easy task and can be easily done at home. However, when breeding swordtails, the biggest concern is the safety of the swordtail fry. Since they are born with the ability to swim instantly, you can easily lose them in a crowded tank.
Another reason is that swordtail fry is in danger of predation from larger fish in the tank, including their parents. So, it is best to breed swordtails in a separate tank to ensure their safety.
If you are seriously breeding swordtails, you consider separating the parents after birth and taking good care of the fry with tank water, diet, and as such until they are juveniles.
Since swordtails grow and multiply rapidly, serious breeders should consider the size of the tank.
Advantages Of Swordtail’s Ability To Multiply Fast
Swordtail fish are easy to breed. So, if you are looking for breeding fish, swordtail fish is a perfect choice. There are some good points to this rapid reproduction capacity of swordtail fish. Some of them are;
- Swordtail fish provides commercial breeders larger number of readily available fish.
- It also gives the experimenters and researchers a large pool of fish to work with
- The reproduction capacity also helps the fish to live an active sexual life.
Disadvantages Of Rapid Multiplication Of Swordtail Fish
If you are not a serious breeder, there are more disadvantages than advantages of how fast swordtail fish multiply. Some of them are:
- Swordtail females dropping hundreds of fry every month will overpopulate your tank.
- It can severely deteriorate the health of swordtail fish.
- Taking care of the fry needs more attention and expenses.
- More fry will disturb the tank conditions by creating more waste.
How To Stop Swordtail Fry From Multiplying?
If you are not a serious breeder, then you should avoid swordtails from multiplying. One way you can do that is by separating male and female swordtails.
If you keep males and females together, they are certain to mate and reproduce. So it will be better to separate the male and female.
Another way separating male and female swordtails is not possible is to add a lot of hiding spots to make it difficult for the males to contact the females. So again, the risks are not zero, but they can assist a few.
FAQs
Some relevant questions on swordtail breeding and swordtail fry are answered below.
Do Swordtails Breed Easily?
Swordtails are livebearers, which means their eggs develop inside their bodies to release the live fry. As a result, they are one of the easiest fish groups to breed in captivity.
Swordtails mate regularly if the conditions like clean water, correct temperature are maintained. So, if you are looking into breeding fish, livebearers like swordtails, guppies, platies, mollies, etc., are a great choice.
Do Swordtail Fish Pair For Life?
No, the fact that one male swordtail should be kept with three to four swordtail females so that he doesn’t harass the female while mating is solid evidence that swordtail fish do not pair for life.
How Fast Does Swordtail Fry Grow?
Swordtail fish grow big; about 5.5 inches to 6 inches long. Swordtail fry grows into juveniles in 8 weeks and is mature enough to breed within 3 months of age.
Since they start life as a mini adult, they mature pretty quickly and grow very fast. Your diet, water conditions, and care play an important factor in swordtail fry development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Swordtail fish are prolific breeders. Their ability to give live birth, conceive frequently, and give birth to almost 100 fry at one batch makes it possible for swordtail fish to multiply super-fast.
If you are a serious breeder, then swordtail fish’s breeding and mating habits possess many advantages. But if you do not want hundreds of tiny fry to swarm your fry, you should prevent swordtails from mating and spawning.
