Swordtails are attractive fish with unique features like appearance and breeding. Swordtails can reproduce rapidly. The female swordtails will develop eggs inside her body and give birth to almost 100 live fry. The swordtail fry looks different from the adults and starts creating their colors and patterns to look like the parents as they grow up. So, what does a swordtail fry look like?
Swordtail fish fry measure about ½ inch long when they are born. They are free-swimming and mostly transparent at birth. They have large eyes that are visible early on from the belly of the pregnant female. Swordtail fry swims around the tank searching for food, so it is crucial to take proper care of them.
The fry starts to develop its colors within the first few weeks of life. The gender isn’t differentiated at birth and will show gender as they begin to grow. However, some swordtail fry is colored and has a varied pattern.
Swordtail fish fry care is not a difficult task. Ideal water parameters, separate space, an appropriate diet is all you need to grow your swordtail fry into healthy adults. In this blog post, we’ll learn what swordtail fish fry looks like and how to provide the best care for them.
What Does A Swordtail Fry Look Like?
Swordtail fish fry appear to be miniature versions of their adult counterparts when they are born; however, you will notice specific variances after they start eating on their own.
They have a dark grey body color and are translucent. Their fins are equally translucent, but you’ll observe that the dorsal fin has three spines that will eventually mature into two or one long spines.
Their tails start circular, with pointed edges on each side and a tip at the end; as they mature, male swordtails’ tails develop a sword-like protrusion, while female swordtails’ tails become slightly more rounded.
The dorsal fin is lengthy at first, with a point on each tip; as they get older, it gets shorter and shorter until it disappears entirely as an adult fish. Their anal fins resemble those of their parents, but instead of being triangular like the adults’, they are more rounded at the end.
As soon as they start eating on their own, you’ll notice specific alterations. When they are old enough to be removed from their parent’s care, they begin to change color (without worrying about the parents harming or neglecting the babies).
Swordtail Fish Fry Profile
Here’s a detailed profile of the physical characteristics of a swordtail fry:
Swordtail Fry Size
Baby swordtails can grow to be about two inches long. In the first six months, young swordtails typically grow to be around an inch long, but several factors, such as water temperature and tank conditions, might influence your baby fish’s growth pace.
Swordtail Fry Colors
Baby swordtails have no prominent spines on either side of their caudal peduncle and are transparent or dark grey in hue (the section between the tail fin and body). They’re an excellent starter fish for anyone looking to establish an aquarium with live fish. Because of their ease of maintenance, baby swordtails are the most popular tropical freshwater pet.
Swordtail Fry Body Structure
The bodies of baby swordtails are spherical, with no apparent spines on each side of the caudal peduncle (the section between the tail fin and body). Baby swordtails are usually a fantastic choice for anyone looking to start an aquarium with live fish. In addition, they are fashionable since they are available in various brilliant colors and are simple to maintain.
Baby Swordtail Fish Fins and Tails
The dorsal fins of baby swordtails are smaller than the pelvic fins. However, when they start to grow, the male swordtails begin to grow the characteristic sword-like tail.
Do All Swordtail Fish Fry Look The Same?
No, not all newborn swordtails are the same! Depending on your tank’s lighting and water quality, they will develop their colors and markings at varying rates.
Every one of them, like human kids, has its distinct traits and characteristics that set it apart from the rest.
Do Swordtail Fry Have a Different Look Than Their Parents?
Baby swordtails are usually a different color than their parents, and their shapes may also differ slightly. However, when it’s time for them to be born, the fry will often resemble their closest parent.
For instance, if you breed two female guppies with orange bodies and black spots together, their kids will almost certainly all have orange bodies and black spots. Baby fish do not always resemble the parent from whom they were born, but that is how it is.
What Does A Fully Grown Baby Swordtail Look Like?
A baby swordtail will outgrow its appearance and will resemble a full-grown adult. Swordtails are typically greyish silver in color with blue stripes and spots on their bodies as they grow, but their color changes dramatically as they mature.
Depending on the species, they will have small black eyes, whereas adults will have much larger red or brown eyes. These fish grow to be around two inches long on average, more than double their original size.
Swordtails live approximately four to five years on average, but they can survive for seven or eight years with reasonable care.
How To Keep Your Swordtail Fry Healthy?
Here are some steps on how you can maintain the look of your swordtail fry until they grow into healthy adults:
- Don’t overcrowd your swordtail fry tank.
- Make sure the water is well-oxygenated, clean, and healthy for the fry’s growth by installing a thorough filtration system.
- Treat them as social creatures who should be allowed to interact with one another, but don’t keep too many of them at once.
- To make it look good, feed it a balanced diet and add some snails and shrimp.
- Make sure the gravel is cleaned at least once a week so they don’t swallow anything while grazing on food particles from the tank’s or aquarium’s bottom.
- If you raise baby swordtail fish in water with live plants, they will appear brighter and healthier.
- Do regular water changes (25 percent every week) to ensure healthy tank with less chance of diseases.
How Long Does It Take For Swordtail Fry To Develop Their Colors?
The length of time it takes for a swordtail fry to mature or exhibit color is unknown. Various circumstances influence the development of colors in swordtail fry, and individual fry may develop colors at different times.
A swordtail fry’s colors begin to develop when it is 1 to 6 weeks old. Around the age of four to six weeks, swordtails begin to display color. Depending on the strain, your swordtails will be fully colored by the time they reach the age of 8 to 10 weeks.
However, keep in mind that this time frame is not set in stone and varies depending on the fry and how the tank and water conditions are maintained.
How Long Does It Take For Swordtail Fry To Develop Gender?
It takes about two months for swordtail fry to show their gender. Some people, on the other hand, are late bloomers and display the gender characteristic shift later. Within two months of birth, you should be able to tell if your swordtail is male or female under typical circumstances.
Some swordtails will sex out in 4-8 weeks, while others will take a little longer. You’ll have figured out their sex by looking for gonopodium because they usually don’t get swords until later.
Do Swordtail Fry Need To Be Separated?
Female swordtails give birth to live young regularly. The fry begin their lives as miniature adults, with fully developed swimming and feeding abilities. The main issue is that swordtails lack parental instincts and will prey on their young.
As a result, it’s advisable to keep your swordtail fry separated to assure their safety. Separating swordtail fry in a tiny, separate tank or breeding box ensures that the newborns receive extra attention, which is vital to their average growth and development.
Are Swordtail Fish Fry Independent?
Baby swordtails are incredibly self-sufficient! Once they’ve grown big enough that grownups won’t eat them, they don’t require their parents’ help (or attack them somehow).
You can move the babies to their aquarium after you detect this behavior in your adult fish.
FAQs
How To Care For Swordtail Fish Fry?
The easiest way to care for your swordtail fish is to separate baby swordtails until they are big enough.
Adding hiding spots, a well-balanced diet, well-conditioned water, and the correct water temperature to the main tank, on the other hand, is critical to a healthy and happy swordtail fish fry.
What Are the Stages of Swordtail Fry Development?
Newborns, juveniles, adults, and old swordtails make up the swordtail fish. In 4-6 weeks, the fry matures into a juvenile, and in 12-15 weeks, the juvenile grows into an adult.
Swordtail fish have a lifespan of 3-5 years. Therefore, the last several years can be considered the old stage. As juveniles, swordtails are ready to join the primary tank, and as adults, they are willing to procreate.
How To Keep Swordtail Fry Alive?
You can keep swordtail fry alive by initially breeding them in a separate aquarium. Other aspects that aid their survival include keeping correct water conditions, offering a well-balanced diet, adding many living plants, and hiding places.
Swordtail fish fry are always in danger of dying or dying soon after they are born. This is because of their small size, which makes them easy prey for other fish in the aquarium, even their parents. They’re also delicate, so they require ideal water conditions to stay alive and healthy.
Conclusion
A lot goes into raising juvenile swordtail fish, and knowing how to look after them can help you get the most out of them.
It’s usually best to keep them in large groups together because they’re a lot of fun to watch and interact with! This will also assist you in achieving some cool group behaviors in your tank.
Baby swordtails, on the other hand, grow swiftly and establish their coloration early on. Therefore they will need to be put into their tank. It’s preferable to do this before they reach the age of two weeks, but adult fish can still injure them after that!
Keep an eye on your baby swordtail fish and ensure good care.
