Swordtail fish, also known as Xiphophorus helleri, is a freshwater tropical fish that has won the hearts of aquarium hobbyists. They are easy to take care of and are pretty docile, making them one of the favorites. There is absolutely no hustle in keeping swordtail fish. The only factor that you need to consider seriously is the ideal water temperature for the swordtail fish.
Swordtail fish are freshwater fish that belong to the Poeciliidae family. They are livebearers like platies, mollies, and guppies. Being livebearers, they don’t lay eggs, rather give birth to the live fry (babies), possibly at once.
Swordtail fish have their origins in Central and Northern America and are usually found in olive green with red, yellow stripes. However, we have various colorful swordtails with unique patterns, thanks to cross-breeding or interbreeding sciences.
Swordtails would be an excellent addition to your freshwater tank. But you need to learn some basic needs of swordtail fish if you want to keep them.
Maintaining the right water parameters plays a vital role in a fish’s health. Therefore, you should always be sure to adjust the ideal water temperatures in the tank, so it doesn’t mess up your swordtail fish’s livelihood. The ideal water temperature for a swordtail fish ranges between 65 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (18-28 degrees Celsius).
But which is the best water temperature to let your swordtails thrive in your tank? Let’s find out!
What Is The Ideal Water Temperature For Swordtail Fish?
Swordtail fish are tropical fish and live in warmer temperatures. Therefore, if you are keeping swordtail fish in your tank, you should provide them with the temperatures that they live in in the wild.
The temperature in the tropical region ranges between 77 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because tropical regions get more sun exposure.
This is the ideal temperature for most of the freshwater fish species, which is part of the reason why swordtail fish can co-exist with a wide choice of fish.
Thus, the ideal water temperature would be 77 to 82 degrees. However, swordtail fish are hardy creatures and can tolerate temperatures as low as 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
##What Is The Maximum Temperature Swordtails Can Survive In?
The maximum temperature that a swordtail fish can survive is 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
However, when the temperature reaches as high as 32 degrees, the temperature doesn’t become as ideal. Swordtails might tolerate this temperature, but they won’t be able to thrive in it.
You should provide good water circulation and oxygenation at higher temperatures, as such.
What Will Happen If Swordtails Stay In A Tank With Higher Temperature (Hot Water)?
When the water in a swordtail’s tank becomes too hot, it will affect the metabolism of your swordtail fish by speeding it up. Thus, in higher temperatures, swordtails become hyperactive. This can cause stress, which is a major factor that kills your swordtail.
Even the slightest fluctuations in the water temperature can introduce your fish to dangerous diseases and parasites. That’s why you should keep an eye on your temperature to make sure your tank water temperature doesn’t fluctuate from the ideal temperature.
Another major issue with keeping swordtails in higher temperatures is the lack of oxygen. This is because fish draw oxygen from water to breathe, but because oxygen levels get critical at a higher temperature for most fish. That is why you should provide good water circulation and oxygenation at a higher temperature.
Moreover, higher temperatures can kill beneficial bacteria in the tank due to a lack of oxygen. When the bacteria don’t get enough oxygen, they cannot break down ammonia in the tank. When ammonia builds up in the tank, it can cause all sorts of problems.
What’s The Minimum Temperature Swordtails Can Survive In?
Swordtails are tropical fish species and prefer warmer temperatures. But, they can survive in temperatures as low as 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius).
That said, however, I would not advise you to keep your swordtail fish under 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). In lower temperatures, the risk of developing diseases is very high.
Also Read: Can Swordtail Fish Live In Cold Water?
What Will Happen If Swordtails Stay In Too Low Temperature?
Coldwater is an open invitation to a lot of fatal problems for tropical fish species like the swordtails. Coldwater will lower the metabolism of swordtail fish, making them lousy, inactive, and stressed.
Another major problem is that cold water will drastically reduce the breeding abilities of your swordtail fish. So, if you are looking to breed your swordtails, it’s not a good idea to keep them in a warmer temperature.
Swordtails need warm water to thrive in the tank, which means staying in a cold water tank puts your swordtails at risk of diseases. They can also suffer from stress, which eventually hampers their health.
Thus, it is necessary to maintain ideal temperatures in your swordtail fish tank. You can do that by adding tank water heaters.
Ideal Water Temperature For Breeding Swordtail Fish
To breed swordtail fish, the first thing you need to do is determine the gender of your swordtail fish. Male swordtails have extended tails with sword-like protrusion. Hence, the name. Similarly, swordtail females lack the tail but are an inch or so.
Apart from the caudal fins, the other difference is gonopodium. The gonopodium is present in male swordtails and is used primarily for mating purposes.
Swordtail fish are ready to breed from the third month of age. But, what is the ideal temperature for swordtail fish to initial their breeding?
The best temperature for breeding swordtail fish is around 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with the appropriate temperature, You should also maintain other water parameters such as pH and water hardness level. Bad water temperatures can be fatal for a successful pregnancy.
Swordtail fish produce 50-100 fry in one pregnancy and are ready to give birth after 6 months of previous pregnancy.
What To Do If The Water Is Too Cold In The Swordtail Tank?
It would help if you always kept a thermometer intact in your aquarium so that you can keep an eye on the temperature range. If the temperature in your swordtail in your swordtail’s tank starts to drop below 75 degrees Fahrenheit, then you will need to take necessary precautions so that your swordtails don’t catch diseases or illnesses.
Your aquarium will need a heater to control the temperature of the tank. It is important to choose the right kind of temperature according to the size of your tank. Correct Wattage is important to maintain the ideal temperature for swordtail fish. The general rule is 25 Watt for every 5-gallon tank size.
With the right wattage, there shall be no trouble maintaining the tank temperature for your swordtail fish. This also keeps your swordtail fish happy and healthy.
What To Do If The Water Is Too Hot In The Swordtail Tank?
If the water gets too hot, then your guppies might not be able to breathe. As mentioned earlier, hot water doesn’t hold much oxygen, so your swordtail fish might suffocate. The reason your water gets too hot is where you have placed your tank and the room temperature.
If you have placed the tank somewhere where there is direct sunlight, it can cause your water temperature to increase. Similarly, if the room temperature is too hot, it can spike up your water temperature.
When the water temperature starts to get higher than 82 degrees Fahrenheit, you should take necessary precautions. It is better to keep a controlled heating-cooling system. If not, you should avoid places that are under direct sunlight. Try to cover your tank with newspapers, or your windows with blinds, so that the sunlight won’t affect your tank.
Similarly, if you have tank lights, that might increase the water temperature. Swordtail fish only need ambient light and do not need light at night. Therefore, you should turn the lights off for certain hours in your tank so that the water can cool down.
Can Cooling Tank Water Be Fatal For Your Swordtail Fish?
Swordtail fish do well in temperatures of 65-82 degrees. If you try to cool your temperature below 65 degrees, it can be fatal to your swordtail’s health.
However, if the tank temperature exceeds 82-90 degrees, you should cool down the water temperature. You should also note that the cooling process must be gradual and not sudden. A sudden drop in temperatures can cause stress in swordtail fish as they cannot accommodate such changes.
Therefore, you must be careful to cool your temperatures gradually without causing much stress to your fish.
Should You Keep A Swordtail Fish Tank By The Window?
The window can capture more than necessary sunlight that causes your tank water temperature to spike up. Direct sunlight also increases algae growth in your tank. For these reasons, I advise you not to keep the fish tank by the window if direct sunlight hits.
However, if you want to keep it by the window, make sure your tank doesn’t get much sunlight. For that, you can cover your tank with cloth or newspaper or use blinds or curtains for the window.
Regulate The Water Temperature In Your Room
Now that we know water temperatures play a vital role in helping your swordtail fish thrive in the tank, you should also be careful enough to adjust the temperature f the room where you keep the tank.
We usually tend to turn the room heater off while we are away. But, this can be detrimental for your swordtail fish. So, either you invest in a tank heater, so you do not have to worry about turning your heater off.
Otherwise, turning your room heater off can cause temperature fluctuations in your tank water, which can severely affect the health of swordtail fish.
Similarly, if you live in warmer regions and turn your room temperature below 65 degrees, it can cool your tank water too.
Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the temperature of your room, so it does not affect the temperature of your water.
Will Water Changes Affect The Tank Temperature?
Swordtail fish are freshwater fish species. Thus, your swordtails must always have clean and fresh water to swim around. Swimming in polluted water with lots of waste, algae, residue can abrupt the swimming of your swordtail fish. So, changing water time and again is necessary.
However, you will have to make the changes carefully because the freshwater you add to the tank might not have the same temperature as the tank water.
To keep the water temperature consistent, even during the water changes, I recommend changing only 25% of the water every two weeks. However, regular water changes can also be harmful to your swordtail fish.
It is also important to maintain hardness and Ph of water every time you do water changes. Since most of us use tap water, we should be careful to treat it before adding it to the tank. Letting your tap water sit in an open container for 24 hours can help reduce the pH and chlorine of the water, making it fit for the tank.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about water parameters for swordtail fish.
Will Water pH Affect Swordtail Fish?
Swordtails are really hardy creatures and can tolerate a wide range of Ph. However, too low or too high a level of pH will undoubtedly affect your swordtail fish. It is best to keep them in water with pH levels 7.0 and 8.4. This means slightly basic or alkaline.
When your pH levels are not appropriate, your swordtail fish will suffer from ph shock. Your swordtail fish may exhibit symptoms like thrashing, darting, gasping, swimming near the water’s surface, and trying to jump out of the tank.
Can Swordtail Fish Live In Outdoor Pond?
Swordtail fish love an outdoor pond habitat because it would resemble their natural habitat. So, you can keep your swordtails in outdoor pond water if the climate remains under 65 to 82 degrees.
To learn more about if the pond is suitable for swordtail fish, click here.
Conclusion
Swordtail fish are easy-going and do not require much to be happy in your tank. However, if the water is not in the right temperature range, they could be at risk of many problems, including diseases. On the other hand, swordtails will flourish if kept in a tank environment that resembles their natural habitat.
Swordtails are tropical fish, so the ideal water temperature for swordtail fish would be 65- 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, this is a wide range, but you should still be careful to keep the temperature consistent for your swordtails to remain healthy.
I hope this article cleared all queries on the ideal water temperature for swordtail fish. Happy Fish Keeping!
