🐟 Marble Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)
A Mottled Black-and-White Pattern Across the Body • A Classic Livebearer Colouring Shared With Platies and Mollies • A Hardy, Easy Livebearer for Any Community Tank
 
📋 The Marble Swordtail has a mottled black-and-white pattern across its body, no two fish marked exactly alike, a classic colouring also seen in Platies and Mollies.
Like nearly every colour variety in the hobby, this mottled pattern 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 Marble 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
⚫⚪ Mottled Black-and-White Pattern: No two fish marked exactly alike
⚔️ 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