Koi Swordtail

Xiphophorus hellerii var. Koi

The Koi Swordtail combines the elegant slender shape of the swordtail with the tricolor coloration of the famous Japanese carp (white, red, black). Males develop a spectacular sharp sword on the lower lobe of the tail. They are large, powerful and tireless swimmers, requiring long aquariums and plenty of free space. Unlike placid Platies, male Swordtails are extremely aggressive towards each other and do not tolerate rivals in their territory.

Family: Poeciliidae
Origin: Forma ornamentale selezionata artificialmente dagli originali Xiphophorus hellerii originari del Centro America (dal Messico all'Honduras).
Tank use: Used in 0 tanks

Temperature

20 °C - 28 °C

7 - 8

Water type

Freshwater / Brackish

Tank level

All levels

Adult size

10 cm

Description

Suicide on the Floor (The Necessary Lid Futile Deaf Mute):

Having a torpedo body up to 12 cm long, they are explosive athletes. During frenetic love chases, it is not uncommon for females to seek escape by literally jumping out of the water, closely followed by the male. If your tank is open aquascaping style, YOU WILL FIND your swordtails dried on the floor. Lid mandatory.

Care and observations

The Duel to the Death and Isolation (Male Intolerance Futile Blind):

The most common mistake is to treat Swordtails as if they were overgrown Platies. Male Swordtails are lethally intolerant of each other. If you put 2 or 3 males in a tank under 200 liters, the "Alpha" male will systematically chase and beat the submissive ones, forcing them to hide in the corners without eating, until they die of starvation or infection (stress disease). Buy strictly 1 male and at least 3 females.

Fish profile

Temperament: Semi-aggressivo (Pacifico con le altre specie, ma letalmente intollerante tra maschi della stessa specie)
Diet: Onnivoro. Accetta volentieri tutto, ma richiede componente vegetale regolare e proteine (artemia/chironomus) per crescere sano.
Tank level: All levels
Adult size: 10 cm
GH: 10 dGH - 25 dGH
KH: n/a
TDS: n/a
Conductivity: n/a

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

Primary

Generated via Deepmind Antigravity AI