Swordsmen

Swordfish belong to the genus Xiphophorus sp., belong to the Poeciliidae family. The name is derived from two ancient Greek words xipho – “sword” and phorein – “carry”, alluding to the structural features of the caudal fin. The lower rays of the tail are noticeably elongated and pointed at the end, which resembles a sword blade. This decoration is typical only for males.

The homeland of these fish is Central America, where they inhabit numerous river systems that carry their waters to the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea. In nature, they are found not only in freshwater reservoirs, but also in brackish estuaries of rivers.

First brought to Europe in 1909. In those years, only the Green Swordtail managed to successfully take root in aquariums. Later, it was he who became the progenitor of a huge number of decorative varieties. Almost all the currently existing forms of the Swordsmen are its distant descendants, who acquired new morphological features in the course of artificial selection and hybridization: a variety of color and body pattern, other sizes and shapes of fins.

Only a few independent species can be found in aquariums, for example, the Pygmy Swordsman and the Montezuma Swordsman.

Along with Guppies, they are among the most popular aquarium fish. They owe their wide distribution not only to their bright color, but also to their amazing endurance and unpretentiousness.

Pick up fish with a filter