FreshwaterBrackish
Green swordtail
Xiphophorus hellerii
Poeciliidae, Poeciliinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 14 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 73 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Introduced to Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Czechia, Fiji, Guadeloupe, Guam, and 22 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Adults are found mainly in rapidly flowing streams and rivers, preferring heavily vegetated habitats. They occur in warm springs and their effluents, weedy canals and ponds. They feed on worms, crustaceans, insects and plant matter. Used for genetics research. Especially the red varieties are very popular aquarium fishes. Aquarium keeping: the males aggressive towards each other; minimum aquarium size 80 cm.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Poecilia helleri
- Xiphophorus brevis
- Xiphophorus guentheri
- Xiphophorus guntheri
- Xiphophorus helleri
- Xiphophorus helleri brevis
In other languages
- Sverddrager
- Svärdbärare
- Sværddrager, Almindelig Sværddrager
- Miekkapyrstö
- Red swordtail, Swordtail, Swordtails
Articles
All articles
How to set up a Central American aquarium5 min read
Hard, alkaline water, sand and rock: an aquarium from the rivers and lakes of Mexico and Central America, with cichlids and livebearers.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
Ich (white spot)4 min read
The most common disease in aquarium fish. How to recognize it, why it shows up, and how to get rid of it.