Swordtail

[Fox46]

I ordered six swordtails from a mail order tropical fish supplier, 1 male to 5 females, a couple of months ago. I've noticed that one of those I thought to be females is probably going to turn out to be a second male, it has a gonopodium and I believe the lower half of the tail is getting longer than the upper half. The obvious male is now getting a bit antsy, and I think there's some bullying going on as the newly developing male seems to be hiding away. If I were to decide to get some more females, how many would it take to restore harmony to the tank, or will it always be an issue? Is 2 males to 4 females always going to be a problem?

 

[GaryE]

Late blooming males are a fact of swordtail keeping. How well the males will get along depends entirely on tank size. The dominant male will be aggressive, but the subordinate one can grow fast, and is often longer lived as a late bloomer.