Lyretail sword

Newman · 10-02-2009, 12:06 PM

I have seen some blue platy at my Petco but i have no idea how to tell which is a male and a female ( i need a male for the blue swordtail)

The Blue wagtail platy will make more impressive swords that have more blue to them. I have never seen a bluewagtail platy in real life. so i guess thats our of the question (plus the blue male platy is WAAAY smaller than a female sword so...how do they...i cant imagine how it might workout)

I dont really know about the lyretail question, but i imagine that you could tell in about a month of their birthdate.

Thanks for the info becky. That Jeff guy has some crazy guppy strains, especially the ones he developed (the full black is amaizing)
Im guessing youre gonna get some koi swordtails because your swords are form that guy, and he breeds koi ones. (a fish line cant go pure red lyretail :P )

beckyd · 10-02-2009, 05:35 PM

LOL!!! You're killing me. You don't think a little blue platy can...ahem...get the job done with a big ole female sword? So...size DOES matter. Hahaha! I crack myself up

OK, OK, I'll get serious. I think a little male platy would do fine. I have a male guppy that is always mating with my big fat balloon belly molly. She's like 3x his size.

So, after my earlier post about never having seen a blue platy, I stop at the LFS for some airstones and what do I see? Yep, two cute little blue platys in a tank full of reds. And someone is on the AB forum right now asking about blue platys. I swear more people are being inspired by our thread than we know

Maybe someone will pipe in about the age at which a lyre or hifin can be identified. I think a month is too soon, but that's comparing them to mollies. Anyone???

Newman · 10-02-2009, 05:47 PM

Yea, about the lyretail, that was just a guess.
I see you bought three black moscow guppies, i assume from jeff? those are wicked.

LOL, so youre saying that if i get a male blue platy (which is about 1 1/2") and put it in a tank with a virgin blood red female sword (which is literally almost 3"), They will mate and produce offspring?

cuz i have a few blood reds at a LFS in a female-only tank. they do not look pregnant at all and have been there for a month now, so ill assume theyre virgins.

On the male blue platy, is the only way to tell the diff between male and female, to look at the gonopodium? platys do have those right? and the female should have a regular fan-shaped fin back there?

I might be just curious enough to try this...

Newman · 10-02-2009, 06:21 PM

Also, does anyone know if a platy and swordtail hybrid in the form of a swordtail would be fertile?

beckyd · 10-05-2009, 12:40 PM

Platy/sword hybrids are fertile as I understand it. That is how they got the blood red into the sword line in the first place, I think. I don't think swords naturally have that deep red coloration, so our blood red swords are hybrids by definition. I think you should do it. I was at the LFS today. The blue platies were gone, but I was looking at them just out of curiosity to sex them. I was kind of tempted to get one whether I could sex it or not, as I have both sexes of swords. I have no platies, so the only option in my tank is to mate with a sword. Heck if I could tell the males from the females, but they were all kind of crowded and keeping their fins in. I'm sure they must have a gonopodium because they can mate with swords. Seems like a requirement for that. I'd have paid more attention if I had read this before I went.

Yes, I got my Black Moscows from Jeff. The male is as black as my black molly. Gorgeous. The females are his 'extended fin'. Their dorsal trails almost as long as their caudal fin. I'll get a picture of them soon. One female is young, but the other had her first brood last night. I didn't think she was that close. I was excited. She was too, because now she's in the 75g instead of a cramped 5g, but I wanted those babies! Gonna brag about them in their own thread

Newman · 10-05-2009, 06:59 PM

Good to know they're fertile.

Yea, they got the blood red line from breeding a green sword and a red wagtail platy.

Platy, as ive found to have something that looks like a gonopodium. if you cant see it just look for a pointy anal fin. thats a male. well youre right it would be harder to tell if they kept their fins in...

The guppies sound wicked, how much did you pay for the trio again, with shipping?

kenny1tothe6 · 10-06-2009, 12:55 PM

OMG...this is off topic but beckyd...You live in Jacksonville, FL?

I'm moving to St. Augustine in maybe a year or 2!!

And oh do I LOVE swordtails. LOL

The pair of swords in my avatar are actually from Walmart and they have lived so far and have been doing great!

They are....Pineapple Swordtails...Sadly, I'm leaving them with my mom when I go cuz I don't think I'm taking the 55gal tank....it's just TOOO big....lol.

Newman · 10-06-2009, 01:57 PM

Dude, those swords look epic. nice shot too.
Maybe you and becky can exchange fry if you settle close enough lol. Personally i would do that if i was in your position.

kenny1tothe6 · 10-07-2009, 09:48 PM

Newman, Yeah...those swords are awesome!! Sadly, my betta hated them:

Haha, he looks soooo pissed!!

I would LOVE to trade fry with her...but her fish are kinda expensive...so, I'd rather just buy them...If my fish spawn, no matter how rare, I'd LOVE to give them away to hobbyists who would love them and take good care of them....

Newman · 10-07-2009, 10:09 PM

Something along those lines, if i ever get a hold of a Super sailfin blood red sword pair, and manage to breed them, i could theoretically give some of the fry to a LFS so people could buy them for less than $70 online haha. I bet the LFS would love me too for supplying them with such beautiful and rare fish.

10-02-2009, 12:06 PM	#31
Newman Super Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,828	I have seen some blue platy at my Petco but i have no idea how to tell which is a male and a female ( i need a male for the blue swordtail) The Blue wagtail platy will make more impressive swords that have more blue to them. I have never seen a bluewagtail platy in real life. so i guess thats our of the question (plus the blue male platy is WAAAY smaller than a female sword so...how do they...i cant imagine how it might workout) I dont really know about the lyretail question, but i imagine that you could tell in about a month of their birthdate. Thanks for the info becky. That Jeff guy has some crazy guppy strains, especially the ones he developed (the full black is amaizing) Im guessing youre gonna get some koi swordtails because your swords are form that guy, and he breeds koi ones. (a fish line cant go pure red lyretail :P ) __________________ Credit goes to Lludu Last edited by Newman; 10-02-2009 at 12:21 PM..

10-02-2009, 05:35 PM	#32
beckyd Medium Fish Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 357	LOL!!! You're killing me. You don't think a little blue platy can...ahem...get the job done with a big ole female sword? So...size DOES matter. Hahaha! I crack myself up OK, OK, I'll get serious. I think a little male platy would do fine. I have a male guppy that is always mating with my big fat balloon belly molly. She's like 3x his size. So, after my earlier post about never having seen a blue platy, I stop at the LFS for some airstones and what do I see? Yep, two cute little blue platys in a tank full of reds. And someone is on the AB forum right now asking about blue platys. I swear more people are being inspired by our thread than we know Maybe someone will pipe in about the age at which a lyre or hifin can be identified. I think a month is too soon, but that's comparing them to mollies. Anyone??? __________________ Save money. Earn money. Buy more fish! www.365days-in-the-black.com 75g Community tank: lyretail balloon belly mollies, black moscow guppies, red hifin lyretail swords, 10 cardinal tetras, cory cats 29g :2 fantail goldfish 55g :angels, 55g :turtle tank,ghost shrimp, 1 pleco, 2 tadpoles (until they grow legs)10g :female bettas, 1 ADF 5g: king betta, 2g: VT betta

10-02-2009, 05:47 PM	#33
Newman Super Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,828	Yea, about the lyretail, that was just a guess. I see you bought three black moscow guppies, i assume from jeff? those are wicked. LOL, so youre saying that if i get a male blue platy (which is about 1 1/2") and put it in a tank with a virgin blood red female sword (which is literally almost 3"), They will mate and produce offspring? cuz i have a few blood reds at a LFS in a female-only tank. they do not look pregnant at all and have been there for a month now, so ill assume theyre virgins. On the male blue platy, is the only way to tell the diff between male and female, to look at the gonopodium? platys do have those right? and the female should have a regular fan-shaped fin back there? I might be just curious enough to try this... __________________ Credit goes to Lludu Last edited by Newman; 10-02-2009 at 06:13 PM..

10-02-2009, 06:21 PM	#34
Newman Super Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,828	Also, does anyone know if a platy and swordtail hybrid in the form of a swordtail would be fertile? __________________ Credit goes to Lludu

10-05-2009, 12:40 PM	#35
beckyd Medium Fish Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 357	Platy/sword hybrids are fertile as I understand it. That is how they got the blood red into the sword line in the first place, I think. I don't think swords naturally have that deep red coloration, so our blood red swords are hybrids by definition. I think you should do it. I was at the LFS today. The blue platies were gone, but I was looking at them just out of curiosity to sex them. I was kind of tempted to get one whether I could sex it or not, as I have both sexes of swords. I have no platies, so the only option in my tank is to mate with a sword. Heck if I could tell the males from the females, but they were all kind of crowded and keeping their fins in. I'm sure they must have a gonopodium because they can mate with swords. Seems like a requirement for that. I'd have paid more attention if I had read this before I went. Yes, I got my Black Moscows from Jeff. The male is as black as my black molly. Gorgeous. The females are his 'extended fin'. Their dorsal trails almost as long as their caudal fin. I'll get a picture of them soon. One female is young, but the other had her first brood last night. I didn't think she was that close. I was excited. She was too, because now she's in the 75g instead of a cramped 5g, but I wanted those babies! Gonna brag about them in their own thread __________________ Save money. Earn money. Buy more fish! www.365days-in-the-black.com 75g Community tank: lyretail balloon belly mollies, black moscow guppies, red hifin lyretail swords, 10 cardinal tetras, cory cats 29g :2 fantail goldfish 55g :angels, 55g :turtle tank,ghost shrimp, 1 pleco, 2 tadpoles (until they grow legs)10g :female bettas, 1 ADF 5g: king betta, 2g: VT betta

10-05-2009, 06:59 PM	#36
Newman Super Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,828	Good to know they're fertile. Yea, they got the blood red line from breeding a green sword and a red wagtail platy. Platy, as ive found to have something that looks like a gonopodium. if you cant see it just look for a pointy anal fin. thats a male. well youre right it would be harder to tell if they kept their fins in... The guppies sound wicked, how much did you pay for the trio again, with shipping? __________________ Credit goes to Lludu

10-06-2009, 12:55 PM	#37
kenny1tothe6 Medium Fish Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 413	OMG...this is off topic but beckyd...You live in Jacksonville, FL? I'm moving to St. Augustine in maybe a year or 2!! And oh do I LOVE swordtails. LOL The pair of swords in my avatar are actually from Walmart and they have lived so far and have been doing great! They are....Pineapple Swordtails...Sadly, I'm leaving them with my mom when I go cuz I don't think I'm taking the 55gal tank....it's just TOOO big....lol. __________________ 10gal, 24gal Nano-Cube [Nano-Reef], 29gal Riparium, 35galHEX, 55gal, 125gal, & 5,000gal Pond Last edited by kenny1tothe6; 10-06-2009 at 12:58 PM..

10-06-2009, 01:57 PM	#38
Newman Super Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,828	Dude, those swords look epic. nice shot too. Maybe you and becky can exchange fry if you settle close enough lol. Personally i would do that if i was in your position. __________________ Credit goes to Lludu

10-07-2009, 09:48 PM	#39
kenny1tothe6 Medium Fish Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 413	Newman, Yeah...those swords are awesome!! Sadly, my betta hated them: Haha, he looks soooo pissed!! I would LOVE to trade fry with her...but her fish are kinda expensive...so, I'd rather just buy them...If my fish spawn, no matter how rare, I'd LOVE to give them away to hobbyists who would love them and take good care of them.... __________________ 10gal, 24gal Nano-Cube [Nano-Reef], 29gal Riparium, 35galHEX, 55gal, 125gal, & 5,000gal Pond

10-07-2009, 10:09 PM	#40
Newman Super Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 2,828	Something along those lines, if i ever get a hold of a Super sailfin blood red sword pair, and manage to breed them, i could theoretically give some of the fry to a LFS so people could buy them for less than $70 online haha. I bet the LFS would love me too for supplying them with such beautiful and rare fish. __________________ Credit goes to Lludu