🐟 Black Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)
A Sleek, Solid Black Body From Head to Tail • One of the Boldest, Most High-Contrast Swordtail Colours • A Hardy, Easy Livebearer for Any Community Tank
 
📋 The Black Swordtail has a sleek, solid black body from head to tail, one of the boldest and most striking colour varieties of the classic Swordtail.
Like nearly every colour variety in the hobby, this deep black colouration is the product of generations of selective breeding, rather than something found in the wild olive-green-to-brown original form. It comes from Central America, from Mexico down to Honduras. Every Black Swordtail we ship is feeding well.
This is a true livebearer, giving birth to fully formed, free-swimming fry rather than laying eggs. Males develop the species' signature sword-shaped tail extension as they mature; females do not. It's a hardy, easy community fish, though males can spar with each other, so keeping more females than males in a group helps keep things calm. It's also a known jumper, so a secure lid matters. It reaches up to 14cm including the sword, so a 100L tank suits it well.
 
💡 Highlights
⚫ Solid Black Body: A sleek, high-contrast presence from head to tail
⚔️ Signature Sword Tail: Develops in mature males only
🐣 True Livebearer: Gives birth to free-swimming fry, no eggs involved
💪 Hardy and Easy: A reliable community fish for most tanks
🦘 A Known Jumper: A secure lid is recommended