Lyretail/Hifin Swordtail - Xiphophorus helleri

Swordtails are a peaceful fish that should get along with everyone else in a community aquarium. Ideal tankmates for these fish are other livebearers like platies and guppies or peaceful barbs, tetras or danios. Male swordtails have a modified pointed anal fin known as a "gonopodium" while this fin is held fanned out in females. Mature male swordtails also have the namesake long "sword" on their tail fin.

Swordtails are livebearers and if you have males and females, you are almost guaranteed they will breed, as long as water conditions are suitable. If you would like to raise some of the babies, it might be wise to separate the female into another tank at just about the time she is going to give birth, and then remove her as well once the babies are born, or they might become dinner. Swordtails can have about 20-30 babies at a time, almost once a month.

This fish is not too picky about their diet, feed flake, freeze dried, and occasionally frozen- mysis, brine, and other small foods. They will thrive in planted tank and will cohabitate just fine with tetras, angels, and other community fish.