Swordtail

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Fishworld</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fishworld"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>    </B><B>|     </B><A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tropical profiles"><U><B>back to profiles</B></U></A><B> </B><B>     </B><B>|      </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tropical Stock"><U><B>back to tropical stock</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <I>Swordtail</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="30905a60.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="166" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>Xiphorphorus helleri</I></div> <div>  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>SWORDTAIL</B></FONT></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="342" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="88"><div> size:</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF WIDTH="239"><div> 4 3/4 inches</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="88"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="88" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF WIDTH="239"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="239" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="88"><div> position:</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF WIDTH="239"><div> top, middle</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="88"><div> pH:</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF WIDTH="239"><div> 7.0  to 7.5</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> temperature:</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#66CCFF WIDTH="239"><div> 75<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" >o</FONT> to 80<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" >o</FONT> f</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="343" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ROWS" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="333"><div> <B>Community fish:</B> Yes</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 197 WIDTH="333"><div> <B>Breeding:</B> The female can have up to 6 batches of fry from one fertilization, about 34-40 days apart. She will hang out near hiding places for the new fry at birthing time, often sitting on the bottom near some plants. The young can eat finely powdered flake food. Swordtails can and do breed with platys, producing what many call a platy "variatus". </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 88 WIDTH="333"><div> <B>Diet:</B> Will eat almost all flake foods and live foods. They prefer a little greenery every so often in the form of conditioning food or spinach. </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 110 WIDTH="333"><div> <B>Temperament:</B> Well-mannered. Good community fish. Best kept in trios (one male - two or more females), as the male may sometimes harass a single female. </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 110 WIDTH="333"><div> <B>Comments:</B> The dominant male in a tank will grow the longest sword on his tail. If a new male is placed in the tank with a more dominant male, the dominant male's tail will get even longer. </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>