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Livebearer Fish
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A
Mature Male Marigold
Swordtail,
shown above, is one
species of Livebearer. |
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Guppies, Mollies, Platies, and Swordtails are all members of a group of fish that are called Livebearers, because the females of these species
release live babies, while the females of most
other species of fish release eggs that are then fertilized by males of that species.
Livebearers live best in a group with at least 3 males and about twice as many females. For example 3 males and 5 or 6 females can often live together, but one
male and one female or a few males will not get along well together in the same aquarium.
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When you look at pages in AquariumFish.net with Livebearers for sale, you will see a symbol like this
to indicate that these fish live best in a group. |
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| There are many other species of livebearers including Gambusia, which is often called the Mosquito Fish, and
Endler's Livebearer, which is
a species that is very closely
related to Guppies. |
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| There are also species of fish, including many Stingrays, that release live babies, but are not usually called Livebearers, though you might hear them
called livebearing fish. |
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Customer Comments |
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Dear Tom &
Nevin,
Thank you so much for your wonderful websites and show, you're an inspiration and your suggestions and advice have helped me create a thriving, splendid tank.
I have two related questions for you:
First, I plan on having a mix of swordtails and platies. I currently have 3 young pineapple 'mickey' swords, and 3 common platies. I'm aware you recommend having at least 8 of
these livebearers in order to promote maximum health. Would a mix of 5 platies and 3 swordtails suffice for this community? They all seem to get along great right now.
Lastly (and most importantly) I plan on adding a school of Cory Catfish. I'm nervous that by doing this I won't be able to add salt to my tank for my Swords and Platies. Would no
salt really hurt the livebearers? Or, if I should add salt, will half the recommended amount hurt the Cories?
Thanks,
Jeff G.
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| Reply.
Hello Jeff. Thank you for your complimentary comments. We're glad you enjoy Pet Fish Talk. Anyone who has not listened to one of the
shows, can click
here to listen to a show now.
Platies and Swordtails usually will not form one group, so it is better to keep a group with at least three males and about twice as many females of each species.
It's interesting that Platies and Swordtails will often interbreed to produce hybrids. In fact most Platies and Swordtails sold as pets have genes from both species. Click
here
for more about Platies, and
here for more about Swordtails.
Cory Catfish do not like aquarium salt and livebearers like Platies and Swordtails do better with about one tablespoon of aquarium salt added to each five gallons of aquarium
water. Click
here for more about Cory Catfish.
But both livebearers and Cory Catfish can live together with about half as much salt. So you'd add one tablespoon of aquarium salt to each ten gallons of aquarium water. Click
here
for more information about aquarium salt.
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