Swordtails are amazing fish, and they’re often used in community tanks. They’re very social with other swordtails, but do swordtail fish stay at the top of the tank?
If your swordtails have been floating at the top for a while, there may be an underlying issue causing this behavior.
Swordtails are a type of fish that typically swims at the middle or upper reason of the tank. If your swordtail is floating or staying at the top, it’s sick and needs your immediate attention. Swordtails stay at the top because they’re stressed out or sick due to improper tank conditions, diseases, or pregnancy and not because they like it there!
In this blog post, we will look at some reasons why your swordtails might be staying up high and how to fix them!
Where Do Swordtails Usually Swim In The Tank?
Swordtails are active swimmers and love to explore the tank during the day. They usually swim in the middle or upper layer of the tank.
Swordtails rarely swim at the bottom or stay at the top of the tank. So if you find your swordtail at the bottom of the tank, they may be resting or searching for food.
However, it is odd to find swordtails floating or staying at the top of the tank. Various underlying issues may prompt your swordtail to come at the top, and you should look into it.
Do Swordtail Fish Stay At The Top Of The Tank?
It is not usual for swordtails to stay at the top of their tank. Instead, they swim all around, exploring the tank and engaging with other fish in the tank.
If your swordtail is staying at the top, then they are not satisfied with their home environment. Swordtails come at the top of their tank when something is bothering them.
Generally speaking, this is a sign that your swordtail is sick or stressed out due to improper water conditions.
It is best to be wary when you find your swordtail at the top for too long and identify what’s troubling them.
What Can Cause A Swordtail To Stay At The Top Of The Tank?
There are various reasons why swordtail might have been staying at the top of the tank.
Poor water quality can cause fish to stay at the top of a tank. Look carefully for signs such as cloudy or smelly water, and test your tanks regularly!
Similarly, swordtails may be staying at the top because they may be stressed out from too many aggressive neighbors in their tank.
In addition to that, your swordtail fish could be sick because of a parasite or other disease.
Female swordtails may stay at the top to avoid being chased by males, which is called “floating” in this case!
Reasons Why Your Swordtail Might Be Floating At The Top Of The Tank
We can summarize the reasons as such:
Improper Tank Conditions
The appropriate temperature, water quality, and tank size affect your swordtail’s behavior. If the conditions are not up to par, then their health is compromised!
There may be too much of an imbalance in the pH level. Tank temperature might also be unusual, and there could be a lack of proper filtration that has caused excess waste buildup or algae growth.
All this can lead to swordtail fish floating at the top of your tank.
Diseases
Swordtails are sensitive to various diseases. Some of these can be caused by parasites, protozoans, or other small worms that have found their way into your tank!
If there’s something in the water that harms your swordtails’ immune system, then they may stay at the top because it’s where they feel safest from predators.
Many diseases could cause your swordtail to float at the top, including parasites such as ich and fin rot.
Stress
Swordtails are sensitive creatures and will be stressed if they feel unsafe in their tank.
Stress can come from several places, such as aggressive neighbors or too many fish in the tank, for example!
If your swordtail seems to have trouble breathing at the top, it is also an indicator that it’s under stress. This can be because of poor water quality, a lack of oxygen from the surface, or overcrowding in the tank.
All this can lead to stress compelling your swordtail to float at the top.
Gasping For Air
If the water quality is bad, it’s not uncommon for your swordtail to gasp for air at the top.
It could also be an indicator that they are sick or stressed out from overcrowding in their tank.
This can cause them to float because there isn’t enough oxygen near the water’s surface where they’re swimming.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a delicate time for your female swordtail fish. In such conditions, she needs space and privacy to deal with the stress. Hence, they start staying at the top of the tank.
However, if the pregnant swordtail is being chased by a male and unable to find shelter at the top of the tank, she will start floating instead.
If you’ve recently added a female into your tank that’s ready to spawn, it may be affecting other fish in the tank.
For example, waiting for the female to give birth causes her fish fry to float at the top of your tank. As a result, the new baby fish will need food that is not readily available in a small volume of water.
Aggression or Bullying
Swordtails are vulnerable to aggression and bullying. In such a case, the swordtail is not likely to come at the top of the tank but instead hide in its cave or get chased off.
If you have aggressive fish that chase away your other peaceful ones, this will negatively affect them.
There might also be an aggressive bully picking on your swordtail, keeping them at the top of the tank.
These are some of the reasons why your swordtails might have been staying at the top of the tank.
How To Deal With Swordtail Floating At The Top Of Your Tank?
There are many reasons why your fish might be staying in this area of your tank. Here’s some advice for how to deal with them:
If your fish are sick or stressed, move them to their own quarantine tank if you have one. If not, try using live plants as an effective way to calm them down and look for underlying issues!
Likewise, remove any aggressive neighbors from the tanks. This is difficult if you have an overcrowded tank, so try choosing less aggressive fish that will add diversity!
If your swordtail’s floating at the top due to pregnancy, then it may be best to let them live out their full term. You can also separate the pregnant swordtail into a separate breeding tank if you have one. And if you don’t, a breeding box mo\ight help.
Test your water regularly to avoid any issues with poor water quality. The ideal water parameter for swordtail fish is a pH of around neutral or slightly acidic, a temperature range from 72 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Properly oxygenate your tank with the help of air pumps and filters
Keep the tank clean and free of any unnecessary items that could cause stress for your fish. Keep your fish in appropriate-sized tanks for their age and size, as well as making sure they have plenty of room to swim.
In this way, you can prevent your swordtails from getting ill or stress so that they do not stay at the top of your tank and swim around freely as they should.
How Do I Know If My Swordtail Fish Is Happy?
If your swordtail fish is happy, they will swim around the tank and not come to the top. It will swim in schools or with other groups of fish that are of similar size.
So if you’re wondering how do I know if my swordtail fish is happy, then look for these signs:
- They have a lot of space to swim.
- They are swimming in schools or with other similar-sized groups.
- Their fins aren’t ragged, and they don’t show any signs of illness.
If you maintain appropriate water conditions and provide your swordtails with a balanced diet, I’m sure they will stay more than happy in your tank.
Conclusion
Swordtail fish stay at the top of the tank for a variety of reasons. Some common causes could be improper tank conditions, diseases, stress, or pregnancy.
If you’re unsure what’s going on with your swordfish and staying near the surface, it is best to contact an expert since there may be something wrong that needs attention to make them happy again.
It can take months before you see any changes if your swordtails aren’t content- so don’t wait! You can do many things to try and improve their happiness levels, such as changing out the water regularly (this helps keep it clean), providing hiding places from other aggressive or bullying fish mates, and making sure they have plenty of food sources available.