Hamburg Swordtail

The Hamburg swordtail is a line of Xiphophorus hellerii selected for a clean red body with a white or cream dorsal fin and tail, so the sword itself reads pale against the red flank. It is one of the tidier-looking swordtail strains, without the mottling that many mixed lines carry. As with all swordtails, only mature males grow the sword, and it takes a few months to develop fully after the fish is sold.

Aquarium care

• A mid-sized livebearer that wants a longer tank rather than a tall one.
• Peaceful with other fish; males spar with one another.
• Keep two or three females per male.
• Prefers harder, alkaline water, which suits Lethbridge tap water.
• An active swimmer and a jumper, so keep the tank covered.
• Omnivorous: flake, pellets, frozen foods and some greens.

Works well in a hard-water community with platies, mollies, corydoras and peaceful tetras. Mixed male and female groups will produce fry regularly, so have a plan for them.

Stock rotates with each shipment, and livestock is sold for local pickup at our Lethbridge store. See the current swordtail list.