Xiphophorus montezumae

Common Names:

Mexican Swordtail
Montezuma Swordtail

Synonyms:

Family:

Poeciliidae

Category:

Livebearers

Distribution:

America - Central; America - Central

Main Ecosystem:

River; Lakes, and streams

Temperament:

Peaceful; Peaceful

Diet:

Ominvore; Ominvore

Care:

Easily cared for. A closed top on the aquarium is a must, as these fish love to jump. Will accept most all foods offered. Can be kept with most cichlids. In the wild, they are found with a variety of different cichlids.

pH:

7 - 8

Temperature:

20°C - 26°C

68°F - 79°F

Hardness:

10 dH - 20 dH

Potential Size:

Male: 6.5cm (2.6")
Female: 6.5cm (2.6")

Water Region:

All; All

Activity:

Diurnal; Diurnal

Gender:

Males have a modified anal fin called a gonopodium. They also sport a very large "sword" extention of the lower half of their caudal fin. In many cases, this "sword" is twice the length of the body of the male fish.

Breeding:

These are livebearers. Heavy/good planted tank is required, with much area for the fry to hide in. Otherwise they will get eaten. Java moss is a good plant to use. Fry are born large enough to take powdered flake. However, as with most livebearers, it is best to wait 24 hours before feeding the fry. This way they loose their butt plugs prior to eating.

Variants:

Comments:

When including the tail, this is the largest sword tail. It truely is an awesome site to see a school of these in a large tank. These fish will readily breed with the more common Green Swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri. It is very important not to keep the two together, otherwise you may end up with hybrids. These fish have been domesticated into the hobby for a long time now. And as such, the more domesticated species has a much smaller full grown size. In the wild, these fish get as mu

Main Colours:

Green, Silver, Black

Markings:

Spots Small

Mouth:

Upturned

Tail:

Convex

Search:

Image Credit:

Submitted By:

ACIDRAIN

History:

View changes to this profile

Edit Profile: