Mayan swordtail

Xiphophorus mayae

Deep teal flanks, orange lines and a dark-edged sword.

This normal-finned male has teal sheen, orange lines and a yellow-green sword. Its body is deeper than alvarezi.

Natural habitat: Recorded from grey water over large boulders, gravel and mud, with reeds and Vallisneria.

Males reach 6–7 in including the sword; females 4.5 in. Keep at 70–77°F, approximately 21.1–25°C.

Appearance and identification

Males have a sword and gonopodium; females are robust and lack the sword. The roseni instead shows an orange dorsal, netted scales and ordinary tail.

Allow a tank at least 36 in (91.44 cm) long.

Accepts varied flakes, pellets and supplementary live food. Algae alone are insufficient.

Fry may be lost to larger tankmates such as cichlids despite cover.

Provide shelter and swimming space. Use a separate covered, filtered, planted brood tank for fry.

Sources