XIPHOPHORUS HELLERI - SWORDTAIL
by Gord Mitchell (The Provider)
From the Newsletter of the Brant Aquarium Society
Aquarticles
"Oh Oh, I think it’s time. Of all times to deliver these fry. It’s dark
in here, my mate is nowhere to be found just as you would expect from an expectant father,
and those big Discus in here are looking at me as if they haven’t eaten in a week.
Oh! There’s the cramps again. Well I’ll just go up near the top where those
floating plants are, for some privacy."
Next Morning
Hello there! My name is Sarah Swordtail and my mate's name is Stan, but he is not here
at present. I’m alone and have just delivered a whole mess of fry into the world and
would like to have a rest - but no rest for the new mother.
I would like to tell you a bit about our breed if I may. First of all our ancestors
emigrated originally from the area including and between Mexico and Honduras but my
parents and theirs have been here in North America for some years now. The real wild ones
of our breed, which can still be found, are bluish green in colour. Oh yes, the males of
our species do really have a sword that is a long pointed extension of the lower caudal
rays. The females lack the sword and most of the dorsal spots but we do have a stripe on
our body, and of course do all the work when it comes to spawning. When it comes to our
maximum size we have it there too. Females can grow to 10 cm but the males of our breed
seldom reach that size.
Now let me tell you a bit about my new family. The Provider was going to take me to his
club’s Jar Show that occurs on Tuesday evening, but I thought I had fooled him and
his Lady by having my youngsters one day before, on the preceding Monday evening. Boy were
they surprised when they came down in the morning to find all those fry swimming around in
that 55 gallon tank with their big breeding discus. Well, fast action on their part saved
twenty seven of my fry and they now reside in a 5 gallon breeding tank. Oh by the way I
did make it to the Jar Show and even won a place in the Livebearer Class.
Now I’ll let the youngsters carry on with this narrative:
Hi my name is Sammy Swordtail and I’m the oldest of the bunch. Since The Provider
and his family scooped all twenty seven of us out of that big aquarium and put us in this
5 gallon, things have been quiet. We have about 3.75 cm of gravel on the bottom with a few
real plants growing. These live plants provide us with a source of natural food. There is
a corner filter over there in the corner and we have a glass top with an incandescent
light. We are fed very well if I’m any judge. Each morning The Provider turns on our
light and gives us a good serving of various flake foods. At dinnertime he returns with
something much more appetising. It might be frozen beef heart, frozen brine shrimp, frozen
bloodworm, freeze-dried tubifex worms, freeze-dried bloodworms, mosquito larva, plankton,
krill or small pellets. When we were real small we were fed some special fry food to help
us grow big and strong. Each and every week The Provider and his lovely lady give us a 10
percent or more water change followed by a delightful snack of live baby brine shrimp. You
should see us move then. Last one there goes without. It must be said here though, that
some of us don’t look like our mother. I am not sure if Dad has the same colouring as
does Mom. She is a beautiful Gold Wag Swordtail and some of my siblings have her
colouring, but some don’t.
Well I must go now for it’s almost dinnertime and I think it is Tubifex worms on
the menu tonight. Best wishes.
Sarah, Stan and the Swordtail family
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