Swordtails are very popular tropical aquarium fish that are very easy to keep. They can be an amazing addition to your peaceful community tank as they bring color and joy to your tank. This makes swordtails an excellent choice for newbies. However, many small fish species like the swordtails don’t survive for very long. So, how long does a swordtail fish live for?
An average swordtail fish lives for 3-5 years. Although a fish’s lifespan depends on various reasons like their genetics or their care pattern, swordtail fish can live more than 5 years. Fish kept in the most suitable living conditions tend to live longer.
Providing better living conditions, a balanced diet, maintaining proper tank requirements, etc. will help your swordtail increase its lifespan. This article will explain how long swordtail fish live and walk you through steps you can take to increase their lifespan. So, keep reading to find out!
How Long Do Swordtails Live?
Swordtail fish that are kept in tanks generally live for between three to five years. In rare cases, they tend to live about a year or two longer when kept in perfect conditions.
However, this will depend largely on where they are bred and also their genetics. It is an exception that the strongest of these fish can survive longer than their average lifespan if proper care is given.
You have to make sure you choose a swordtail that is young and in perfect health when you purchase one. This is because sometimes your fish might die as soon as you buy them. It could be due to old age or medical defects of your swordtail fish.
Moreover, good swordtail genetics, feeding quality food, good water parameters, proper tank requirements, and lack of stress can help to extend the lifespan of your swordtail fish.
What Can Shorten A Swordtail’s Lifespan?
Many factors can help to extend the lifespan of your swordtail fish. Nevertheless, there are also a few factors that could shorten their lifespan. Some of these factors are under your control and can be reversed. While some of them are inevitable.
Let’s look at the factors that shorten the lifespan of your fish:
Genetics
The major factor that decides a swordtail’s life span is its genes. If the parents have had a long life, then the chances are your swordtail will have a longer life as well.
When you go to buy swordtails at a pet store you will be risking your luck. You must purchase fish from a good breeder so that you get good quality, healthy fish.
Pregnancy
Another factor that can drastically reduce your swordtail’s lifespan is pregnancy. Pregnancy takes a massive toll on animals. Livebearers like the swordtails give birth to live babies and they get pregnant quite a lot. This can deteriorate their health and reduce their life span.
Swordtail fish are prolific livebearers and they give birth to around 50 or more fry at a time. The gestation period lasts for about 28 days and they are ready to give birth again. Pregnancy can be stressful for females and thus, they tend to die sooner than males.
Poor Tank Conditions
Keeping fish in a poor tank with minimum requirements automatically reduces the lifespan of the fish. If you keep your swordtails in a tank that is overstocked, dirty, and doesn’t have the right water parameters, then such fish can’t stay happy.
Swordtails are hardy fish can tolerate a wide range of tank setup. However, if we do not take care of their requirements and keep them with tank mates they are not compatible with, this will definitely affect their lifespan.
Stress
Stress is one of the major risk factors that reduce the lifespan of your fish. Like us humans, fish also get stressed and depressed which keeps them unwell. This ultimately affects their lifespan.
When your swordtail fish do not get to live in a perfect environment with perfect tank mates, they will get stressed. Stress leads to inactiveness and your swordtails start falling sick. This will reduce the lifespan of your fish.
To let your fish thrive and live to their fullest, you should keep them as stress-free as possible. Otherwise, they can have fatal consequences like an untimely death.
How Can You Increase Your Swordtail’s Lifespan?
Luckily, there are some things we can do to ensure a better and longer life for our swordtails. Below is some advice to giving your swordtails not only a long life but a happy one too.
Use A Tank That’s Big Enough
Keeping your fish in a big enough tank is essential for their health and happiness. The average tank size for one swordtail fish is about 15 gallons. Swordtails are active swimmers and providing them with enough space to swim around will keep them active and less stressed.
This will eventually contribute to a longer life for your swordtails.
Maintain Proper Water Parameters
Maintaining suitable water parameters like temperature, hardness and Ph is important to ensure healthy fish. Swordtails are tropical hardy fish, but sudden ups and downs in water parameters can affect their health severely.
The correct water parameter in which your swordtail can flourish is:
Water Temperature: 65-82 degrees Fahrenheit
Hardness: 12 to 30 DH.
Water Ph: 7.0-8.4
Anything above or below the parameter can be fatal for your swordtail reducing its lifespan.
Use A Filter And Heater
A lot of people put their fish in a fish tank without a heater and filter. While your swordtails can survive without these, their lifespan will be drastically reduced.
The temperature in your tank cannot always remain constant. Cold days, rain, and weather may fluctuate your temperatures. Therefore, heaters are very important to keep your temperature constant.
Similarly, adding a filter will reduce the ammonia build-up which otherwise is fatal for your fish. Not adding a filter and a heater means regular water cleanup and changes. This will stress both you and your fish.
Feed Them High-Quality Food
You should also make sure that you feed your fish high-quality food. Make sure they get a balanced diet with all necessary supplements like protein and fibers.
Tropical fish flakes can be a great choice. However, you must add live foods like daphnia, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, etc. along with such protein, you must feed your swordtails plant-based diets like algae, blanched vegetables, etc.
Keep Them With Peaceful Fish
If you house your swordtails with larger, aggressive fish, they will be at constant risk of being chased and eaten. This will stress them out and reduce their longevity. So, you must put your swordtails in a tank with mates that they are compatible with. This way they will interact and be happy.
The best tank mates for your swordtails can be platies, guppies, tetras, shrimps, etc.
Give Them Places To Hide
You should make sure that your swordtails have enough hiding spots in the tank. Hiding spots will make them feel safe which will keep them stress-free. This will help them enhance their lifespan.
Adding a lot of live plants and other ornaments will make perfects hiding places for your swordtail fish to live longer.
These are some of the things you can do to help your fish live a longer, better life.
Do Male Swordtails Live Longer Than Females?
Generally, how long a fish lives totally depends upon an individual fish. However, on average male swordtails live longer than females.
This is because of the stress endured by female fish as mentioned earlier. Females are often chased and harassed at the time of mating. Similarly, they go through stressful pregnancies. All these factors owe up to reducing the lifespan of female fish.
However, if you keep only females in your tank or keep males and females in the ratio of 1:3, the lifespan of all fish is around the same.
Lifespan Of Wild Swordtails
The lifespan of any fish highly depends on their habitat too. Swordtails usually mature after 3 months of birth. In the wild, swordtails typically live around 3-5 years, just like pets. But, many factors will affect the lifespan of swordtails in the wild.
For example, in the wild, many predators will hunt down these small swordtails. Bigger fish and even birds will prey upon them.
Likewise, extreme weather conditions like too much rain, floods, cold temperature, etc. will certainly make your swordtails suffer. Wild swordtails are hardier but even they cannot survive extreme weather conditions.
Thus, in the wild due to external factors, swordtails may die sooner. Otherwise, under normal conditions, the lifespan for both wild and pet swordtails is the same.
Do Swordtails Live Longer With A Filter And A Heater?
Adding a filter and a heater will not directly impact your swordtails lifespan. The filter and heater are responsible for the proper maintenance of water parameters which can help your swordtails live longer.
Filtering the water in your fish tank is good because it helps in removing the ammonia and nitrites faster and effectively. This will keep the tank healthy which in turn will keep your swordtails healthy/
Similarly, adding a heater will not expand your swordtail’s lifespan. A filter will help to keep the temperature in your tank constant. It prevents sudden fluctuations in temperature which is helpful for your fish. A sudden fall in temperature can be fatal for any fish. A filter will prevent such drops which will protect your fish.
Therefore, adding a filter and a heater will help you maintain an accurate and healthy tank environment. If your fish are healthy, they tend to live longer.
FAQs
I have gathered the two most frequently asked questions when it comes to the lifespan of swordtails. They are answered below.
How Long Do Swordtails Take To Grow?
Swordtails take around six months to reach their full size which are 5-6 inches for the male and an inch or so longer for the females. Improper tank conditions and insufficient diet will hamper the full growth and development of swordtail fish.
Why Do Swordtails Die Pre-Maturely?
Diseases, unsuitable habitats, stress, etc. are the main reasons for the untimely death of any fish.
When your fish have bad tolerance to weak tank conditions, they become stressed and fall sick too often. This will reduce the lifespan of your swordtail fish and they pre-maturely.
Conclusion
Thus, an average swordtail fish can survive for 3-5 years. But, your swordtails can truly live for a couple more years if they are kept under the right tank conditions and water parameters. Providing your fish a healthy diet and a healthy environment will help them live a longer life. Thus, take proper care of your fish and help them live to their fullest.