Swordtail fish are among the bright and beautiful livebearer fish species that add colors, activity, and small broods to your tank. That’s right, swordtail fish are prolific breeders and can give birth to hundreds of live lineage (baby fry) without any external initiation. So, if you are looking into breeding, swordtail fish would be an excellent choice. First, however, you need to take care of the fry and separate them as larger fish, including their parents, can prey upon them. But, how long do baby swordtails need to be separated?
Newborn baby swordtails should be separated from the primary tank until they are large enough to fend for themselves. Swordtail fry is tiny and can easily be confused as a live food source by larger fish in the tank. So, it would help if you separated them until they were large enough, around 3 to 6 weeks after birth.
You can keep your fry in a separate tank or a breeding box until they grow up to become juveniles. You have to take proper care of your fry by keeping them in a well-conditioned tank, feeding them a good diet with varied nutrients.
This article will be your ultimate guide on how to take care of the swordtail fry before you add them into the primary tank with other fish.
Do You Need To Separate Swordtail Fry?
Female swordtails give live birth frequently. The fry starts their life as miniature adults and is well-developed with proper swimming and feeding capacities. The only problem is that swordtails lack parental instincts and will readily feed on their babies.
For this reason, it is best to separate your swordtail fry to ensure their safety. Keeping swordtail fry separate in a small independent tank or a breeding box will ensure that the babies get additional attention which is beneficial for their proper growth and development.
How Long Do Baby Swordtails Need To Be Separated?
Swordtail fish take around three to six months to grow into an adult. They are sexually mature at the age of 3 months. Then, they turn into juveniles in about three to six weeks.
Baby swordtails should be separated from the main tank until they have grown large enough to be eaten by other fish.
You can leave your swordtail fry in a separate tank, a breeding box, or a breeding net for about six weeks before you shift them into the primary tank.
If you place your swordtail fry with adult fish before they are big enough to fend for themselves, they will be in constant danger of being eaten. The chances of survival will be minimal as it will also affect their health.
The primary tank has more fish, meaning more asymptomatic hosts for various deadly parasites. The fry are delicate and do not have the immunity to fight the parasite and die just at the start of life.
Swordtail females will give birth to 50-100 fry at a time. You can keep these fry in a 5-10 gallon tank with well-conditioned water and a nutritious diet.
Why Should You Separate Swordtail Fry?
Live-born fish are better to be provided a safe environment where they can foster. There are many reasons why baby swordtails need to be separated until they are big enough not to fit into an adult fish’s mouth.
The main reasons are to ensure they do not fall prey to larger fish, help them grow, and protect them from diseases and infections.
Safety
Fish tend to eat anything that fits into their mouth. Swordtail fry is tiny, measuring about 0.25 inches. It makes them a perfect fit for any adult fish’s mouth, including their parents’.
If you leave swordtail fish fry into the main tank, they will be in constant danger of falling prey. Swordtail fry gives birth to about 100 live fry. Among those, some are strong and will hide behind the plants to survive. But not all of the fry are that strong and smart to hide from their predators.
For this reason, it would be best if you separate your baby swordtails until they are big enough to fend for themselves or when they no more fit into your biggest fish’s mouth.
Growth And Development
Separating your swordtail fry will help them grow and develop into strong adults. In addition, when you separate them, you will relieve them from the constant fear of bigger fish eating them.
Similarly, when in a separate tank, they get enough food to eat as no adult hungry fish will eat their share.
This will provide them a healthy diet that will help them grow into a healthy adult.
Protection From Diseases
Swordtail fry is small and delicate. Therefore, they are susceptible to various infections and diseases. For this reason, it is best if you separate the swordtail fry. The tank water in a separate tank will also be reasonably clean as they don’t create as must waste as adult fish do.
Clean and oxygenated water can prevent various diseases. Thus, it is important to separate swordtail fry into a separate breeding tank.
When To Transfer Baby Swordtail To Your Big Tank?
If you want your swordtail kids to thrive, keep them separate from the bigger fish in your main tank. You’ll want to move them into your primary tank sooner or later. If you know what to look out for, you can do it safely.
Your swordtail fry is ready to move into the main tank if the following:
Size
You can move your swordtail fish to the main tank if they are large enough. Each fry should be at least an inch large before you add it to the main tank. Some fish grow too soon, while some are late bloomers.
That is why you should check each one of your fry before adding them to the main tank to ensure their safety.
Health
Make sure all your fry are healthy before moving them to the main tank. You cannot make sure all your fry will turn out to be healthy. Some may develop some ailment that can be contagious to other fish in the tank.
Therefore, only transfer strong and healthy fry to the main tank.
You should treat the sick fry separately, and if cures don’t apply, it would be humane to euthanize it.
Growth Rate
To add swordtail fry into the big tank, they need to grow a bit. The growth rate depends on the food and cares you give them. To increase the growth rate, feed them good quality food that is rich in protein and fibers.
They eat blood worms, brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, algae, blanched wafers, and pellets. However, make sure to feed them small chunks because they have tiny mouths.
Preparations
Before you put swordtail fish into the main tank, make sure to prepare the tank. Add a lot of places for them to hide. Plants are ideal hiding spots for baby swordtails.
Make sure that the temperature of the main tank and the separate tank is the same so that there won’t be a drastic change in temperatures when they shift.
Swordtails might be hardy fish, but a sudden temperature change can be detrimental. Thus, maintain your tank well before adding a swordtail fry.
FAQs
How To Care For Swordtail Fish Fry?
Separating baby swordtails until they are big enough is the best way to care for your swordtail fish.
However, in the main tank, Adding hiding spaces, a properly balanced diet, well-conditioned water, and ideal water temperature is paramount to healthy and happy swordtail fish fry.
Can Swordtail Fry Survive In The Main Tank?
No, it is hard for a swordtail fish to survive in the main tank with larger fish. Only a few of many fry will be able to hide and protect themselves from other fish.
Otherwise, the adult fish, including the parents themselves, will chase and trouble your fry.
Likewise, the main tank has polluted water and compromised water conditions, so the delicate newborns will have trouble surviving.
Conclusion
Therefore, swordtail can be an excellent choice if you are looking into breeding fish. However, you need to be careful enough to protect your swordtail fish.
The best way to protect swordtail fry is to separate them from larger fish, including their parents, until they become juveniles. Then, make sure to separate your fry until they are about six weeks old.
Separating the fry helps them survive and help them turn into beautiful, colorful, healthy, and strong adults.
Do what is best for your tiny little pets.
