Swordtails are freshwater fish that are mostly found in Central and Northern America. However, you can find them in all freshwater sources ranging from streams to mountain creeks. We can easily swordtails due to their unique appearance. These fish have a sword-like protrusion on their caudal fin, the lower lobe of their tail. Females, however, lack the “sword” and are an inch or two longer. Although all swordtails are similar in disguise, there are different types of swordtail fish species.
Swordtail fish belong to the Family Poeciliidae and Genus Xiphophorus. 28 known species of Xiphophorus mostly include swordtails and platies. Out of these 28, almost 19 are swordtails. This article digs deep into those different types of swordtail fish species.
Swordtail fish is the most common type of tropical fish species. We can see colorful and flourishing patterns on the fins of some rare species. Captive breeding of swordtails has resulted in the emergence of various colorful types.
Different Types of Swordtail Fish
Here are some of the various species of swordtails with their short description:
Xiphophorus helleri (Green Swordtail)
Distributed in North and Central America, Mexico, Honduras, and Africa, the Green Swordtail fish is the most common swordtail species.
Helleri are generally olive green with red or brown streaks along their sides. They have medium to large length tails with elongation in the lower lobes, yellow with black edges. Similarly, the females(6.3′) lack a tail and are about an inch or two longer than the males(5.5′).
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 22-28
- DH Range: 9-19
- pH Range: 7-8
We can find them in varieties of colors and patterns as a result of interbreeding in captivation, including black, red, white, etc.(more on this below)
Xiphophorus montezumae (Montezuma Swordtail)
Montezumas are around 3 inches in length and distinguished for their metallic green scales and horizontal sword. Most other species have their “sword” angeled downward, but they have the protrusion angled linear to the body.
In the wild, they are mostly found in North-eastern Mexico.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 20-26
- DH Range: 10-20
- pH Range: 7-8
Xiphophorus pygmaeus (Pygmy Swordtail)
X. pygmaeus are somewhat gold in color with three horizontal black stripes on the sides. The lower stripe runs through their caudal fin. The females are beige.
Pygmys are smaller than other swordtails and measure about 1 and a half-inch in length.
Given species is mostly found in quiet, fast-flowing water sources of central America and Mexico.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 24-28
- DH Range: 5-18
- pH Range: 7.2-7.8
Xiphophorus clemenciae (Yellow Swordtail)
Yellow Swordtail got its name not from the color of the fish but the color of the tail. The fish is bluish and possess two or sometimes three stripes that run along their body length.
Similarly, yellow swordtails are small species, measuring about 2 inches, and are usually found in streams and rivers with slow currents.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 22-26°C
- DH Range: 3-10
- pH Range: 7.2-8
Xiphophorus alvarezi ( Chiapas Swordtail)
Chiapas Swordtail got its name from the place of its origin. They are mostly found in Chiapas of Mexico and few places in Guatemala, in fast-flowing rivers.
Moreover, X. alvarezi is a unique species containing white and green spots over their overall orange body. The sword of the male is bright green colored with black edges. The females are a little arid but contain some orange pigmentation.
Unlike most other swordtail fish species, the female Chiapas(3.5’) is smaller than the males(5.9’).
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 25-28°C
- DH Range: 10-20
- pH Range: 7.2-8.1
Xiphophorus cortezi (Delicate Swordtail)
Found in the freshwater of the Rio Panuco basin and San Luis, Mexico in Central America, this species is vibrant with a mixture of colors and patterns.
The caudal fin and the protrusion are yellow; the dorsal fins also have the same color and are covered with black spots. They are whitish green with vertical bands along their flanks.
Likewise, females who are less colorful containing a black horizontal line are an inch longer than males. The males measure about 2 inches in size.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 24-28°C
- DH Range: 5-20
- pH Range: 7.5-8.2
Xiphophorus nigrensis (Panuco Swodtail)
Panuco species are found in the Rio Panuco basin in Central America, in fast-flowing freshwater sources with bank vegetation.
The coloration on the fish is greyish blue with a single bold line in the mid-lateral region. In Addition, the caudal fins are elongated into a blue sword with black edges. The maximum length of the species is about 2.5 inches.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 24C
- DH Range: 25
- pH Range: 7.5
Xiphophorus signum (Comma Swordtail)
X. signum is slender fish distinguished by a vibrant yellow-colored flank. The visible mark at the caudal fin of females contributes to the fish’s scientific name (signum=sign). Males have the same coloration, but the tail protrusion is slightly darker yellow with black edges. The average size of the fish is 3 inches.
These species of swordtails are originated from Rio Chajmaic and Rio de la Pasion in Guatemala. They prefer fast-flowing waters with dense vegetation.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 24-28°C
- DH Range: 10-20
- pH Range: 7.2-7.8
Xiphophorus birchmanni (Sheepshead Swordtail)
X. birchmanni got its name to honor its collector, Heinz Birchmann. They have an olive-green and reddish body with black and vertical stripes. There is the presence of a zigzag line along the lateral length in females.
Moreover, they are found in the fast-flowing waters of Central and Northern America. Their size ranges from 2.5-3 inches.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 24-28°C
- DH Range: 5-20
- pH Range: 7.2-8.2
Xiphophorus meyeri (Marbled Swordtail)
Meyeris possess a marble-like pattern on their body. Although regular marbled swordtails are black and white, a few red and blue marbled swordtails are also found. Therefore, they are usually known by the name of black-marbled or blue-marbled swordtails. Their size ranges from 1-2 inches.
However, the marbled swordtail only survives now in captivity as it is considered extinct in the wild by the IUCN. They were found mostly in North American regions.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 23-28°C
- DH Range: 5-20
- pH Range: 7-7.7
Xiphophorus continens (El Quince Swordtail)
El quince, also known as short-sword fish, is small and slender species of swordtail found mostly in east-central Mexico. They are tiny fish measuring about 1-2 inches. They mostly prefer fast-flowing water with dense vegetation.
Unlike other swordtails, the protrusion, known as the sword, is short in length. The maximum length of the sword is 0.04 inches, hence the name. They are metallic in color or sometimes almost transparent, with small swords attached at the male’s tail.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 23-25°C
- DH Range: 12-30
- pH Range: 7.0
Xiphophorus malinche (Highland Swordtail)
Distributed in the fast-flowing rivers with sandy bottoms in most of Central America, highland swordtails are closely related to X. cortezi.
The fish has an olive green base with a zigzag horizontal stripe. It has branched caudal fins that protrude a slightly upturned sword with black pigmentation. In addition, they have yellow pigments on their fins and body. 2 inches is the maximum length of an adult fish.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 15-21°C
- DH Range: 12-30
- pH Range: 7.0-8.0
Xiphophorus multilineatus (High-backed Pygmy)
This fish is highly identical to and could be confused with X. pygmaeus. They are golden-yellow in form and share most features. However, as the common name suggests, the feature that makes it distinguishable from other similar species is its higher back.
They are found inshore vegetation pf fast-flowing rivers of Center America. Their size also ranges from 1.5-2 inches
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 23-25°C
- DH Range: 10-20
- pH Range: 7.2-7.8
Xiphophorus nezahualcoyotl (Mountain Swordtail)
These freshwater species are found in high-altitude regions (1200m) of Rio Tamasi drainage in Mexico. The maximum length is about 2 inches, but females can go up to 2.5 inches.
It is not colorful, but the overall body is greyish/greenish. The scales are edged in black, and there are vertical bands on the flank. Females are less drab, and the vertical bands are absent.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 19-25°C
- DH Range: 9-19
- pH Range: 7.0
Xiphophorus mayae (Mayan Swordtail)
Distributed in Guatemala and Honduras, where the water is gray and substrate consists of gravel and mud, mayae swordtails are the most attractive fish. Males have a metallic teal base with orange stripes down the flank. The sword is very colorful, yellow-green with black edges.
Generally known as Mayan swordtails, they are the deepest bodied swordtails and are larger. Males measure about 3 inches, and females can grow 4.5 inches long when mature.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 20-26°C
- DH Range: 10-20
- pH Range: 7.0-8.0
Xiphophorus kallmani
Xiphophorus kallmani is a comparatively new species of wild swordtails found in Papaloapan ecoregions of Mexico. It is one of the largest species, with females measuring up to 7 inches.
Males are very colorful with an iridescent brass color on the body and an attractive long sword. The sword is bright golden with black edges. A red stripe runs along the lateral line.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 22-28°C
- DH Range: 12-30
- pH Range: 7.0
Xiphophorus mixei (Mixe Swordtail)
Out of different types of swordtail fish, we can find these tropical freshwater species in North American Regions. They are small-sized swordtails measuring about 1-1.5 inches with small swords.
They have 2 to 3 lateral orange stripes on their flank and black spots at the base of their fins.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 18-26°C
- DH Range: 15-25
- pH Range: 7.2-8.0
Xiphophorus monticolus (Southern Mountain Swordtail)
X. monticolus is closely related to mixe swordtail in appearance. Therefore, we can categorize this swordtail by faint orange stripes and black pigmentations at the base of the fins and their long sword.
They measure up to 2 inches and we can find them mostly in deeper and fast-flowing waters of Mexico.
Preferred water parameters in aquarium habitat:
- Temperature: 18-25°C
- DH Range: 15-25
- pH Range: 7.2-8.2
These are some of the known species of swordtails that we can find in the wild. While setting a tank for any of the above-mentioned species, it is necessary to maintain individually preferred water parameters. However, all of them being tropical freshwater livebearer fish, we can have similar tank decorations; heavily planted, rocky/sandy gravel, etc.
Can Different Species Live Together?
Yes, swordtails can live together regardless of differences in species and genera as long as you maintain the male-female ratio.
Swordtail fish are peaceful community fish. They prefer staying in groups with the same temperament. They are interactive and prefer exploring their tanks. We can see swordtails living peacefully not only with different types of swordtail fish species but also with platies. Thus, we can keep swordtails together with other peaceful fish and fish belonging to the same genus.
Can Different Species Inbreed?
Although all these different types of swordtail fish species portray a wide range of colorful swordtails, they can be inbred or sometimes even crossbred to get different more vibrant colors and patterns.
Breeding two different species results in the formation of hybrid fish that are more attractive. As a result, they are more colorful and larger. Furthermore, this can also influence the growth and coloration of their “swords”.
A prime example can be X. helleri, otherwise known as green swordtails. Various reproduction technologies and research centers have produced interbreed offspring with cryopreserved sperms. This has resulted in the production of different variants.
Assorted Swordtails, Red Mickey Mouse Swordtails, Neon Swordtails, Hi Fin Lyretail Swordtails, Marigold Wag Swordtails, Solar Flare Twinbar Swordtail, etc are few examples. Farmers Produce each of these fish by interbreeding helleri with other species.
Can Swordtails Be Crossbred?
Swordtails can only crossbreed with fish with biological proximity i.e. closely related to each other.
Although there are other livebearer fish like guppies and mollies belonging to the same family; Poeciliidae, they cannot be crossbred as they belong to a different genus; Poecilia.
Swordtails and Platies both belong to the Xiphophorus genus. Hence, they can easily interbreed and produce hybrids. Yellow Swordtails and Southern Mountain Swordtail are prime examples of hybrids speciation with their ancestors being a platy species and a swordtail species.
Conclusion
The world of swordtails is vast and colorful. There are hundreds of types you can choose from. Their hardy nature will make them a great choice, perfect fit for your tank. With so many different types of swordtail fish, you are likely to find something new and interesting every day.
Therefore, professional captive breeding produces many hybrids, all of them equally attractive. The beauty and diversity of these swordtails are certainly worth a try.
