Red Tuxedo Swordtail
The Red Tuxedo Swordtail is a fish that has been bred as a result of breeding. It is not entirely known how these fish were bred, but they have been known to domestic aquarists for a relatively long time and are very popular among them.
The Red Tuxedo Swordtail has a red body colour. On the sides there is a black spot with red mottling. It is this colouration that sets them apart from other species of the pecilian family. Males slimmer than females and in addition they have an elongated beam on the tail in the form of a sword. There is a variety of Cuban swordfish with two swords on the tail in the form of forks. Females are larger than males and have a rounded abdomen. Males measure up to 8 cm and females up to 12 cm.
The Red Tuxedo Swordtail is an undemanding fish. To contain a small group of fish numbering 4-5 individuals is sufficient aquarium volume of 50 liters. Perhaps keeping in a common aquarium with other peace-loving and commensurate in size fish. At the bottom should be placed large stones, snags and grottoes. The perimeter of the aquarium should be planted plants to create a dense bush, which will hide females from the excessive attention of males. The substrate can be used as a coarse-grained river sand and gravel.
Keep in mind that the swordtails easily interbreed with other fish of the family, so to avoid hybridization, keep them separately.
Water parameters: temperature 22-28° C, hardness dH 10-25°, pH 7,0-8,0. Need filtration, aeration and weekly replacement of ¼ of the aquarium water with fresh water. To enhance immunity in water, it is desirable to dissolve table salt in the proportion of 8-10 grams per 1 liter.
Red Tuxedo Swordtail are omnivores. They eat almost any food - both dry, frozen and live food. Moreover, if the fish are fed only live and frozen food, the fish begin to spawn frequently, providing viable offspring. Feed the fish twice a day.
Reproduction
The Red Tuxedo Swordtail reach sexual maturity at the age of 4-6 months.
The females incubate the eggs in their abdomen. The eggs are incubated for 4-6 weeks. At the end of the gestation period the female hatches, depending on her physiological condition, 10-100 fully developed fry, ready to live on their own from the first days. Immediately after the female spawning fry should be removed, otherwise the adult fish can eat them.
The fry are fed 3-4 times a day with live Artemia nauplii and daphnia. Always remove uneaten food leftovers from the aquarium to avoid various infectious diseases among the fry.
The Red Tuxedo Swordtail has a lifespan of 3 to 4 years in an aquarium.
