how large can swordtails get?

[HelplessNewbie]

Is it true they get up to 5.5 inches???

If so, my impulse buy of 2 females and 3 males today is regrettable. I mistakenly thought they would remain nano sized. I don't want to overstock my 20g community planted tank. Currently only have 4 endlers in it, but was planning on a female betta, pygmy cories and maybe guppies. Not interested in breeding.

Edited August 5, 2023 by HelplessNewbie

[Scapexghost]

The colorful swordtails youll find at a fish store do not get nearly as big as their wild counterparts. Im not sure this is bc of interbreeding with platies, poor breeding practices, or a consequence of domestication but either way, odds are a 20 is fine. Im not sure if the 5.5 inch measurement includes thr sword, bc if not a 5.5 inch sword would be very impressive even for a wild type.

[Sarina]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:46 PM, Scapexghost said:

a 5.5 inch sword would be very impressive even for a wild type

It definitely includes the sword, I bred wild type swordtails for a few years and my largest male was just under 6" from nose to tip of sword. I wish wilds were more common, and that I hadn't given mine up. They're hard to find and I definitely prefer them to the smaller line bred ones I see in retail stores now. 

[DaniV]

I've got 3 Red Wag Swordtails from Petsmart, 2 males and 1 female (thought I had gotten 2 females until the tail grew).  At the time there were a little bigger than Neon Tetras, so probably 3-4 months old.  My female swordtail is probably about 2-3 inches, and add an extra inch to the males strictly because of the long tail.  I've had them for maybe about 8-9 months now and I don't think they're getting any bigger.

[PineSong]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:34 PM, HelplessNewbie said:

Is it true they get up to 5.5 inches???

If so, my impulse buy of 2 females and 3 males today is regrettable…Not interested in breeding.

Your swordtails are livebearers and the females will have 20+ babies every 30 days for several months if they have been kept with males. Same for the guppies you are considering. If you don’t want to be involved with breeding you may want to return the females to the store.

[Sarina]

@HelplessNewbie I would recommend rethinking the male/female ratio. You usually don't want to keep fewer females than males, the males will harass them to death. If you aren't interested in breeding stick with males only. If you have females, you will end up with babies, and they tend to not eat their own fry. 

Just for perspective my 55g tote regularly had hundreds of fry at any one time. I started with 5 adults.

[HelplessNewbie]

Thanks, got them at swap meet. I really am smacking my forehead, because this was the one time I didn't look something up. Yes, I had been told that livebearers are better off with more females than males.

I am hoping the breeder will reply soon to my request for further info. Still, at 2-3 inches adult size, I may end up donating them to my kids' school.

Will keeping 1 male be okay in the community tank? My guess is no.

[Sarina]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:25 PM, HelplessNewbie said:

Will keeping 1 male be okay in the community tank?

A single male will be fine by himself. He may annoy his tankmates trying to breed with them, but such is the nature of livebearers. They aren't the brightest species, but I adore them all the same lol. 

@HelplessNewbie I just re-read your original post, I would absolutely not recommend adding a betta in with any type of livebearers, especially males. They are too flashy and too annoying, it will not be a good experience for you. She will either get too stressed from being harassed by the males trying to breed, or go on a murder spree, depending on her personality. Bettas and livebearers are just not compatible in my experience, especially if you're new to the hobby. 

[Huckleberry]

It all depends, it seems in my case some of the red wags can get real big.  I have some rather small ones also. My black swords are a little smaller. The females get surprisingly large. Pretty decent sized fish. Male  Swordtails are honestly jerks. The girls are pretty chill when it's just them.

[nabokovfan87]

Some have more "platy" in them and get pretty big.  Fish size is a pretty big misnomer because not everyone uses the same scale and location.  I have seen some that are... 3-4" and the ones I have now max size is a lot closed to ~2 inches for males, 3 for females. 

Each line is going to be unique and there are different strains for the same coloration.  A lot of times, breeders will push the size while others will push the coloration.

I tend to think the "standard" measurement is the one we tend to reference for "max size".

Edited August 6, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Ninjoma]

I saw some males (which are usually smaller) at my LFS yesterday that were like a full inch thick and 6+ inches long. They were comically large. My LFS was like "yeah I don't know, someone local brought them in, they were keeping them in a pond, they must have been fed really well or something" 

[JChristophersAdventures]

 @HelplessNewbie Swordtails remain my favorite live-bearer far and away. I am particularly fond of the candy-apple pineapple swordtail (although not so much the ones with the huge finnage... just the regular ones will do, thank you). Part of the answer to your original question depends a lot both on the variety and on which kind of male(s) you have. In most cases, the males you find at LFSs are the "early" males. These remain generally smaller than the females. Females can become quite a bit larger, often growing to 3-4" (depending on how you measure) even among the smaller varieties if well cared for.

"Late" males (ones which develop later, appearing to be females but are not) easily get as large as their female counterparts, although they remain a bit sleeker in form by comparison. Regardless, as others have stated, it is better to have more females than males. I will be aiming for a 1M/3F ratio when I am ready to stock them in my 75g project (there will only be 1 male and 3 females, because every time I have tried more the other male(s) seem to suffer).

I'm not saying you can't make it work. I am sure others have had better luck than I have with different ratios... I just know that works best for me. Which is fine, as I will be keeping them as centerpiece fish anyway, so I don't need very many. Hope that helps. Thanks.

[PineSong]

On 8/6/2023 at 12:15 AM, Ninjoma said:

I saw some males (which are usually smaller) at my LFS yesterday that were like a full inch thick and 6+ inches long. They were comically large. My LFS was like "yeah I don't know, someone local brought them in, they were keeping them in a pond, they must have been fed really well or something" 

At last year's Triple Crown convention in Louisville we toured Rusty Wessel's fish house (you can see it on YouTube) and in his giant koi pond there were mollies that looked like sausages, they were so long and also very stout in their bodies. I was shocked to think that sunshine and thousands and thousands of gallons of water make so much of a difference. 

[HelplessNewbie]

Thank you all for your responses. I am aware of and okay with the high likelihood of fry in my guppies, endlers and swordtails; I should rephrase to mean I don't mind if some of the fry get eaten.

I acknowledge my inexperience, and want to do right by all the animals and plants that will be together in the tank, so our best option at this time is to donate or rehome them.

[anewbie]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:46 PM, Scapexghost said:

The colorful swordtails youll find at a fish store do not get nearly as big as their wild counterparts. Im not sure this is bc of interbreeding with platies, poor breeding practices, or a consequence of domestication but either way, odds are a 20 is fine. Im not sure if the 5.5 inch measurement includes thr sword, bc if not a 5.5 inch sword would be very impressive even for a wild type.

I believe it is the inter-breeding with platies to get desired colours. 

[HelplessNewbie]

Okay, my kid's class will take the swordtails. Should I keep 1 male to improve the male to female ratio of 3 males:2 females?