Swordtail fish are popular aquarium fish species that are loved by all aquarists. They are easy to care for, breed quickly, and do not need much attention to grow. Swordtail fish give birth to many live fry. A proper tank environment, balanced diet, and well-conditioned water are all they need to grow into a healthy adult swordtail. But, how long do swordtail fry take to grow?
Swordtail fish are livebearers, which means that they give birth to live-born fry. Since they are born as miniature adults, it takes them about six months to fully grow into adults.
The fry measures around 0.24 inches at birth and grows into a 6 inches adult swordtail in 6 months. However, they become mature enough to breed after three months of age.
These tiny babies don’t take much time at all to grow into adults, but in the meantime, their growth process is worth looking into! If you want to know how long it takes for swordtails to grow from fry to adults, what the different growth stages are or what can stop them from increasing correctly – this article will tell you everything you need to know so your swordtail fry will be happy and healthy!
How Long Does It Take For Swordtails To Grow From Fry To Adults?
The swordtail fish is a live-bearing species that grows quite quickly. Since they are born alive and not out of an egg, they grow very quickly. Swordtails take around six months to grow from fry into adults.
Swordtail fish are not very large fish. Once they measure about 5.5-6 inches, they will stop growing.
Swordtails may be small compared to other fish species, but they do not live concise lives either! However, once fully grown into adults, most swordtail species can live up to five or six years in captivity if well taken care of. Some sources say that some wild-caught specimens can even live longer than seven years (although these cases are rare).
What Are Swordtail Fry Growth Stages?
There are four main stages in which a swordtail fry grows. The growth stages of swordtail fish are as follows:
- Fry Stage (developing fins, body length around ¼ inch)
- Juvenile Stage (growth of dorsal and pectoral fins)
- Adult Stage (fully grown features/coloring with fully developed tail fin)
- Mature Adult State (females stop growing at this point, but males continue to grow).
Fry Stage
This is the very first Stage of development. It usually lasts for around 30-45 days, and it’s where they develop their tails, dorsal fins, front legs (pectoral fins), and mouthparts.
During the first month, the swordfish fry will be no more than a quarter of an inch long and look like tiny blackfish with transparent fins sliding through your tank’s gravel or plants.
The second main growth stage begins after fry fish have developed all their features in the fry state.
During this period, they will start to grow rapidly. Hence, you need to make sure that your tank has enough space for them. If not, there might be overcrowding, which can lead to territorial aggression between swordtails or towards other non-swordtail fish species in your aquarium.
Juvenile Stage
When the third growth phase starts, fry fishes are now called juveniles because, at this point, their bodies stop growing much longer. Still, their features and fins keep growing eventually developing into slender bodies, fully formed dorsal and pectoral fins.
Also, around this period, their coloring becomes more vibrant as they develop a yellow/red color pattern on their body from the blueish-white ways that fry swords have.
However, you will notice that juvenile fish’s tails are still shorter than adult swordtails’ ones, but it doesn’t take long until they grow to full length.
Adult Stage
This is where your tank has grown up swordfish fishes! They can reach up to four inches in size, so there needs to be enough space for them, especially if you have other kinds of livebearer species or small community fish since they may become food for adult swords throughout adulthood.
Adult swordtails’ tails are fully grown, and they now take the color pattern you usually see in adult fish.
This is where swords start to show their courtship behavior, like dancing around each other during breeding time.
When a fish becomes an adult, it is more likely to be territorial than a female. It can become aggressive with other fish in the tank. Males may chase females out of their territory even if she is more prominent than he is. If you want to have a successful breeding program, you will need to separate them from each other.
Mature Adult Stage
Mature males usually stop growing at this point, but female swordtails’ bodies continue to develop over time.
Females may stop growing when they reach maturity, but their size can still vary. If you give them good food, they will be small and slender. But if you don’t feed them or live in dirty water, their stomach can grow very large.
Finally, once your swordfish has reached adulthood, its lifespan can reach up to three to five years, depending on how well taken care of it has been throughout these years.
As you can see, swordtails don’t take long to grow into adulthood, and they become much more interesting as they mature!
What Can Stop A Swordtail From Growing Properly?
Several different factors can affect the growth rate of swordtails. Some may be more obvious than others, but you should not ignore all.
Water Temperature
One common factor is water temperature, which will either slow down or speed up the process depending on whether you have it too cold or hot.
The ideal water temperature to help swordtail fry survive and grow into healthy adults is around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Improper Filtration
Suppose your tank isn’t filtered well enough to keep your fish’s environment clean and running smoothly. In that case, their lifespan and size could become compromised due to illness brought about by toxic waste build-up within the aquarium.
Swordtail fry does need a filter to survive as it keeps the water healthy, preventing infections in the fry. However, make sure to get a filter that does not suck your fry into it.
Tank Size
Another issue that many new owners face with young fry is overcrowding in small tanks where they’re essentially competing for food sources with one another until there’s only one fish left standing.
A smaller tank will not provide your swordtail fry with enough space to swim around. Similarly, the smaller tank cannot contain aerated water, preventing the fry from developing enough oxygen.
Adult Fish
When kept with other adult fish, the swordtail fry will also influence how long it takes them to grow into their proper shape. Those held in tanks with other adult swordtails may be stunted due to the bullying behaviors that sometimes emerge out of fear and protection between competing males.
This is why you should keep only one male per tank or have a large enough tank, so there’s plenty of room for everyone else without having any fighting over territory.
Your Swordtails’ Age
A final factor that can cause problems for fry development is simply being too young themselves – especially if they’re just born today, yesterday, or even last week!
Swordtail fish have very short lifespans compared to larger fish species. Unfortunately, this means that if you’re not careful, it’s easy to overlook their need for proper care and end up with dead fish on your hands.
Therefore, remembering the age of your fry is important because they can’t eat as much or grow at a noticeable rate until they’ve built up more energy reserves from eating smaller foods like infusoria (algae).
Extras: Other than these factors, there are also water parameters and tank size, which play into how quickly swordtail fry develops. However, all of this information should help guide new owners in providing the right environment for them to flourish!
How To Help Swordtails Grow?
There are a few things we can do to help swordtail fry grow faster and healthier.
Here’s what you can do to give them the best chance to thrive:
Keep Them In Large Tanks
Swordfish fry needs a minimum of 100 gallons in their tank to prevent overcrowding and speed up growth.
Provide Them With Clean Water
Make sure you clean your fish’s water every week by changing about 20% – 30%. This will keep the environment healthy for them so they can live long, happy lives!
Separate Them From Parents
Swordtail parents will eat their baby. So, if you want them to survive and grow, keep them separate until they are juveniles.
If you decide to house your swordfish fry with their parents, keep a close watch on the tank. If there begins to be fighting or bullying between them, separate them as soon as possible.
Make Sure They Have Adequate Food
Be careful not to give too much food, or else it could pollute the aquarium and make things worse than before. Instead, feed them two small pellets (or even better brine shrimp) twice daily and watch as their colors start popping out like fireworks on New Year’s Eve!
Do More Frequent Partial Water Changes
Doing partial water changes once per week is good but make sure to do them every two weeks instead. This will help prevent water quality issues with your tank and keep your fish healthy.
Condition Their Water
Adding salt to your water can help swordtail fish grow faster by providing them with the minerals they need. However, make sure you don’t go overboard since too much of it can pollute their environment and damage their gills or skin.
FAQs
How Many Babies Do Swordtails Have?
Swordtails will give birth to hundreds of babies at a time. However, the number varies with the size and age of the fish and how frequently they breed.
How Fast Do Swordtails Multiply?
Swordtails reproduce at a fast rate. A single female can give birth to hundreds of fry in a month, and many females may be kept together as well, resulting in the rapid multiplication of this fish species.
Conclusion
Swordfish fry doesn’t take much time to grow into adulthood; six months is the average amount of time it takes for them to fully mature and reach full size.
Several factors can help or hinder their growth, such as water temperature, tank cleanliness, and overcrowding in small tanks.
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Thank You, And Happy Fish Keeping!