Swordtails are amazing pet fish that are popular among hobbyists. They are called beginner fish as they are easy to care for, even by beginner aquarists. They can be a wonderful addition to your community tank. And most importantly, if you are looking into breeding fish, swordtails will be a great choice as they are easy to breed at home. Swordtails give birth to many fry at once. So, how many babies do swordtails have?
Swordtails have 50-100 babies at a time. Sometimes the number can go up to 200! Swordtails are livebearers, which means swordtail fry are born live. They usually give birth all at once. However, there is evidence of them giving birth in small batches to reduce complications and pain.
Swordtails are pregnant for 28 days max but can give birth every 30 days under favorable conditions. Due to their small gestation period, they give birth to around 2000 babies in their lifetime. That’s a lot! That is why swordtails are the first choice if you want to cute tiny fry swimming around in your tank.
This article will dig deeper into swordtail breeding and more.
General Information On Swordtail Breeding
Swordtails are freshwater tropical fish originally found in Central America and belong to Poeciliidae Family.
Swordtail fish have a high breeding rate. They are prolific breeders and breed without any external initiation from the owners. If you have a mixed swordtail tank, you will usually see a male swordtail chasing a female swordtail in an attempt to please them for mating purposes.
Moreover, they are ovoviviparous and fertilize internally. Therefore, swordtail fish do not lay eggs as they are livebearers. Instead, they get pregnant and give birth to live fry.
A rapid maturity rate is one of the reasons why swordtails breed so often. If you do not intend to breed swordtails in your aquarium, it is vital to separate males and females. Otherwise, they will mate and multiply very fast.
How Many Babies Do Swordtails Have At A Time?
Female swordtails deliver 50-100 fry at a time. However, it takes around 2 to 6 hours to deliver all the babies. Being livebearers, pregnant swordtails deliver live babies.
Swordtail fry is born all at once, and they appear quickly in succession. However, if the pregnant swordtail is stressed during pregnancy or labor, it may affect her ability to give birth.
If the pregnant swordtail faces extreme complications during delivery, she may deliver only 3 to 5 fry. The chances of survival of the fry, however, will also be minimal.
How Long Does It Take For Swordtails To Give Birth To Babies(Fry)?
The gestation period of swordtails is around 28 days. Sometimes, premature birthing or extended pregnancy can vary the day between 21 to 32 days.
Swordtails are sexually very active so that they can reproduce throughout the year. In fact, due to the female swordtail’s ability to store sperms in her pouch, she can reproduce even without a mating partner. They become ready for another conception right after spawning 100 babies at a time.
The length of pregnancy depends on the overall health of the female swordtail—appropriate water parameters, diet, clean tank water all influence swordtail’s gestation period. However, on average, 26 days is the standard gestation period for the majority of swordtail females.
If the swordtail is content and healthy, she will have a normal, in-time delivery. It’s the stress and sense of danger that delays her delivery. Excessive illness and stress can even lead to miscarriage or spontaneous abortion.
How To Know When Swordtail Is Done Giving Birth?
It’s thrilling to watch your female swordtail give birth to a live baby. It’s a joy to see those tiny fry. The health of the swordtail mother, on the other hand, is crucial.
You must be aware of the signs that the pregnant swordtails have given birth to all of her babies. After that, you can properly care for the female swordtail and her newborn kids.
Some of the most common symptoms that your swordtail is finished giving birth are listed below.
Reduction In Size Of The Gravid Spot
The gravid spot will shrink in size. The gravid spot near the anus of a pregnant female swordtail will darken and grow. This location will remain unchanged until the female swordtails have given birth to all of her babies.
As a result, the female swordtail has finished delivering birth if the gravid area returns to its former triangular dark shape.
Normal Belly Size
When a female swordtail becomes pregnant, she begins to gain weight and bulk up. As a result, the pregnant swordtail’s abdomen is boxy and square in shape.
The female swordtail’s stomach flattens after she has delivered all of her young. You might not notice much of a difference at first. It does, however, return to its original size after some time.
Contractions Stop
There will be no more contractions. When a pregnant swordtail is about to give birth, it undergoes contractions. The pregnant swordtail can be seen bending her spine to raise her tail. She’ll appear to be shivering or swimming in one spot.
The pregnant swordtail’s upper body will have contractions while delivering the babies. Until the last fry is delivered, these contractions will continue.
The contractions will stop once the swordtail has delivered all of her fry. Then, the swordtail will calm down and stop shivering.
Starts Swimming Normally
The female swordtail after birth is relaxed after giving birth. The clamped fish will start swimming normally if she has a normal successful delivery.
Pregnant swordtails are not active and confine themselves to a single spot. She will isolate herself, hiding behind the tank equipment or tank plants. So, if you see your pregnant swordtail casually swimming around the tank, chances are she is done giving birth to the fry.
How Often Do Swordtails Give Birth?
Female swordtails get mature enough to breed at around three months of age. After mating, she can give birth to her first offspring at the age of 20 weeks. And, they can give birth till 30 months of age.
If the conditions are suitable, that is to say; if the female is satisfied in her tank environment, water parameters, diet, etc., and is healthy, a female swordtail can give birth every 30 days. Thus, female swordtails can conceive right after parturition.
They give birth to 50-100 fry in a single batch. The prime reason that they can conceive so often is the age of their sexual maturity. They are sexually mature at 3 months of age and are young for about 3 years. The lifespan of a swordtail fry is 3-5 years. Along those years, if they are still active and healthy, they can easily produce more offspring.
How Do Swordtail Fish Give Birth?
Swordtails usually give birth to their babies at night. For that reason, it is essential to manage the tank lights in a way that is comforting for them; dim lights at night usually work.
After mating, the sperm from the male fish transfers to the female swordtails. As a result, a female swordtail gains weight during pregnancy, and its gravid spot darkens.
Several eggs form inside the female’s body, and they start to fertilize internally, producing zygotes. As the zygote forms, you can see the eyes of fry through the thin walls of the gravid spot. Finally, the young’uns develop inside their mother’s belly and are delivered, tail first; all ready to swim, as soon as they come out.
Once the fry is delivered, it is vital to separate them from the rest of the fish, even their own parents. This ensures the safety of the fry. You need to take care of the fry’s diet and other requirements till they are juveniles. Then, you can shift them to the main tank with other fish.
Can Swordtail Fish Have Abortions?
Miscarriage and spontaneous abortions are seen if the pregnant swordtails are ill or stressed. The baby fish can die inside the womb if they do not get proper nutrients from their mother.
To prevent such miscarriages, you need to take proper care of your swordtails once you know they are pregnant. It is better to separate her into the breeding tank so that nothing can bother her. Swordtails fish, when pregnant, are stressed and need much attention.
You need to take care of her diet as she has to eat for the sake of the development of her babies. To help your pregnant swordtails deliver successfully without miscarriages or abortions, take extra care of her requirements.
What Does Swordtail Fry Look Like?
When they are initially born, the fry will appear more translucent than anything else, practically see-through with a trace of color if viewed under good lighting conditions. After that, however, they’ll quickly fill up and resemble their parents!
The fry will be more transparent than anything else the first time you view a batch of fresh babies. So keep a watch on them so that if one or two go missing, it doesn’t cause too much of an issue for the rest of the fry.
The colors and genders of swordtail fry are yet to develop at the fry stage. However, as they grow up to about 4-6 weeks, they develop colors and show genders.
How Can You Protect Swordtail Fry?
To provide a safe environment for your swordtails’ tiny fry, it’s critical to maintain the water clean and disease-free.
By separating your newly born fry from other adults with a divider, you can assure that no one consumes them.
It’s also beneficial to have floating plants on the water’s surface since this will help keep any larger fish away from your children.
Keep an eye out for bullying fish that can prey on your fry, which can occur if your tank lacks sufficient hiding spots.
Make sure there are enough plants and hiding spots for the fry. This problem can also occur if your tank is overcrowded, so make sure to provide enough room for each fish.
Separating adult swordtail fish from baby swordtail fish might be beneficial. It is not their aim to devour their babies, but they will.
The fry is born in batches of 50-100 fry each. As a result, the fry is tiny, and for the first few days, you must feed them healthy food in small amounts.
You can start giving them larger chunks when they’re about three weeks old.
FAQs
How To Take Care Of Pregnant Swordtails?
Your swordtail will be pregnant for roughly 28 days. During that time, you must take care of her primitive necessities.
Firstly, she needs a good diet to sustain herself and the fry growing inside of her. So provide her with an adequate diet that contains both proteins and fibers. However, be careful not to overfeed her. You should provide your pregnant swordtail tiny portion of meal 3-4 times a day. More food will get wasted, contaminating your aquarium.
Secondly, provide your swordtail with enough tank space. The labor will be harder than the pregnancy. Also, overcrowded tanks can stress your female who can lead to problems during the birthing.
It is even better if you prepare a separate breeding tank for your swordtail to avoid any complications. If you keep your pregnant fish in a separate tank at the time of breeding, she can go into labor without any stress, and the fry is also safer.
Likewise, maintaining the quality of water is another important aspect. Check the temperature, pH, and hardness as required. Keep fresh water with lots of aquatic plants for good hiding spots, which will ease your pregnant swordtail, and they can give birth happily.
Do Swordtail Fish Die After Giving Birth?
The answer is entirely dependent on how you cared for your swordtail while she was pregnant. Swordtail fish do not usually die after giving birth, and it is an unusual occurrence.
Female swordtail fish can die after giving birth to their young for various causes, including problems during labor, multiple pregnancies, harassment by males and other females in the breeding box, low water conditions, or disease.
Conclusion
Therefore, swordtail fish are a terrific alternative if you want an aquarium that is easier to maintain.
Within a few months, you may easily breed swordtail fish in the aquarium and have many fry. If you wish to breed them in a separate tank, a 20-gallon aquarium filled with water from their natural environment is the ideal option (soft and slightly acidic). You will, however, require a large number of live plants.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or thoughts on this.
