This article is about Swordsmen. These live-bearing fish are suitable for beginner "fish farmers". You will find out how good the black swordsmen are, what care they require, how they are fed. And what should an aquarist do if he is puzzled by the breeding of his "swords".
Where are they from
Black Swordsman fish - breeding breeding. It was bred as a result of crossing conventional forms and aquarium ones. Of course, not she herself turned black. Here the aquarium breeders worked hard.
What is the difference between a regular form and an aquarium? Do not believe it - in color. If the swordsman in the wild has an absolutely unprepossessing appearance, then the aquarium inhabitants delight the eye with a variety of colors.
But enough about color. It is worth reporting: the swordsmen live in the waters of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala. You can find a ugly gray-green fish in Central America.
Appearance Features
Below in the photo is a black swordsman. Very unusual in color. And color is far from its only feature.
Pay attention to the tail. The "ray" on the caudal fin looks like a sword, for which the aquarium dweller got its name. But that is not all. The male swordsman is smaller than the female. They grow up to 8-10 centimeters, while females reach 12-15 centimeters.
Did you know that there are lyre-tailed swordsmen? The black forked swordsman just belongs to those. The second name of lyrebird is forked. If you look at their tail, we will see two long thin rays, above and below. A sword with such a tail is not so pronounced, but the tail itself attracts the attention of aquarists.
It is interesting
As mentioned above, black swordsmen are bred due to selection. And the very first individuals appeared as a result of the crossing of ordinary "swords" -males with a lady-pecilia. These fish belong to the same family and genus.
Female swordsman can change sex. It sounds ridiculous, but it's a fact. If only girls live in the aquarium, sooner or later the fastest and most dominant individual turns into a male. What is there to do? Offspring are needed, no escape. The lady's body is extended, a sword grows on the tail and homopodia appears. That's it, the female has changed and is ready to fertilize her friends.
Content
What is required for the maintenance of black swordsmen? Let's go in order:
Aquarium. Previously, there was a simple formula for calculating the volume of capacity. For one fish - three liters of water. Now this calculation is disputed, stating that the black swordsman aquarium fish requires at least 7 liters per individual. And then everything is simple. Multiply the desired number of fish by this figure and get the volume of the required aquarium. We make an important emphasis on the fact that it will be designed only for "swords". Back to back, let's say so.
The filter is internal. If you have an aquarium of less than 300 liters, then it is quite possible to get by with an internal filter. When buying, pay attention to the manufacturer. Chinese do not take, will break in a month. It is better to give preference to German or Polish. They are more expensive, but quality, as they say, for centuries. Remember that the filter is taken with a margin. For example, the volume of the aquarium is 20 liters. A filter designed for operation in containers from 0 to 30 liters is suitable for it. If the aquarium is 30-liter, buy a filter from 30 to 60 liters for it.
Heater. When choosing it, one should be guided by the same principles. Do not save on it, take it with a margin. At least you will be calm that the water warms up.
Plants for black swordsmen can be bought the simplest. Kabomba is a cheap and angry option. Schisandra will do well. In general, each aquarist focuses on his own taste in this matter.
Any soil can be taken. Just don't get dyed. He, of course, is beautiful. But it is quite capable of coloring aquarium water. And hardly the "chemical" soil will be useful for the inhabitants of the aquarium.
Thermometer for water. Their sale is unmeasured. Starting from ordinary alcohol, ending with "self-adhesive". Take the usual - do not lose.
Siphon for soil cleaning. Black swordsmen are generally clean fish. But waste products and food residues tend to settle to the bottom of the aquarium. In order to remove them, you need a siphon.
This is the most basic thing necessary for arranging a fish house. And you also need a rug for an aquarium, a pedestal (in case of a large displacement) and decoration.
Fish care
The breeding of black swordsmen and their care have a number of features. First, we describe the conditions of their detention.
Firstly, it is essential to maintain the optimum temperature of the water in the aquarium. "Swordsman" to taste warm water - +24 ... 26 degrees. But if need makes them, they will survive in conditions close to Spartan - 16 degrees above zero. Below is nowhere, the fish will refuse to live at a lower temperature.
They relate to acidity calmly. But it is better not to experiment, but to maintain it at the level of 7-8. The range of water hardness is very scattered: from 8 to 25.
Black swordsmen are a breeding form. This should be remembered when replacing water. Special literature mentions that replacement is done once a week. Yes, remember: once a week they make a water change in the amount of at least 30% of the entire aquarium. That is, one third is poured. After the old water is drained, we clean the soil with the siphon, which was mentioned above. And add new water.
This is where the trouble may begin. The fact is that some inexperienced beginners strongly refuse to wait three to five days. This is the period of water sedimentation, so that all chlorine and harmful substances evaporate from it. Two days - and the point. Add unprepared water to the aquarium. The swordsmen are in shock. And pop up belly. And the owner scratches his head in frustration, wondering what happened to the fish.
To avoid this embarrassment, we strongly recommend: purchase a water conditioner. It is added to the tap water, they wait half an hour, and then you can add it to the aquarium. It is very convenient, no time is spent on settling water.
Do not forget about the normal feeding of "swords". This is described in the next section.
Feeding
Do you know what a black flag swordsman looks like? It is clear that this has nothing to do with the topic of feeding. Just information for general development.
Its dorsal fin is large, fluffy and wide. It resembles a flag, hence the name. Very beautiful fish.
So, back to the topic of feeding. What will we feed our aquarium inhabitants? There are several options:
Dry food. You can buy cereals, but you can buy granules. Only the granules should be small so that the "swords" can swallow them.
Live feed. Bloodworms, coronetra, tubule, Daphnia.
Frozen food. Same as living. Just do not move.
Black swordsmen are fed twice a day. The portion should be such that the fish ate everything. If the owner notices how the feed falls to the bottom of the aquarium, the serving should be reduced.
Sharing
A burning issue for beginner aquarists. Who can the swordsmen be combined with?
These fish are peace-loving. Although males can sort things out with their siblings. It is they who fight for the lady of the heart. Therefore, it is advisable to refrain from acquiring several male black swordsmen. One and several females are enough.
You can combine "swords" with:
guppies;
mollies;
Pecilia
neons;
zebrafish
zebrafish;
thorns;
small scalars.
In general, black swordsmen will live peacefully with any peaceful and not very large fish.
Life span
These decorative aquarium inhabitants live from three to five years. It all depends on caring for them, feeding and timely cleaning of the aquarium. Females live less than males.
Breeding
So we got to the question of the reproduction of black swordsmen. Ready? Then we begin to consider it.
"Swords" - viviparous fish. And fertilization in them occurs in the same way as in warm-blooded ones. The male for these purposes has homopodia - an organ under the ventral fin that resembles a thin tube.
We will not describe the process itself, everything is clear without this. Note that the pregnancy in the female lasts about a month. During gestation, she swells in size. And it looks like a round ball with a black spot near the ventral fin.
As soon as you notice that the future mother has stopped swelling, but the spot expands, we transplant the lady into a separate aquarium. It is prepared in advance: the filter, heater and plants must be in the aquarium. Plants will be needed for shelter for babies.
The time of birth has come, mother successfully delivered 50 fry. Do not be surprised, this is normal. Swordsmen are distinguished by the birth of numerous offspring. Urgently return the woman in labor to the main aquarium. Not an hour, she will eat her cubs.
The baby is fed with special food. You can buy it at the aquarium shop. That's what it is called - fodder for fry. Over time, young animals begin to be fed a boiled grated egg, a tubule maker and a corvette.
Conclusion
Black swordsmen are fish for beginners. They are especially unpretentious in the content, feeding, quietly breed. The intervention of an amateur "fish farmer" is not required.
Despite all the advantages of "swords", you should not start caring for them. Timely cleaning of the aquarium and proper feeding work wonders. Pets live a happy fish life, delighting the owner.