Red Red-eye Lyretail Swordtail

The red red-eye lyre swordtail is a product of an intense breeding program in Asia, and these are the brightest, largest swordtails available. Red-eye lyre swordtails are show quality and require a little salt in the aquarium (one tablespoon to 20 gallons) and can even be kept in brackish conditions. Unlike other swordtails, these fish are difficult to breed, as the females and males both have long veil fins that get in the way of the process. In fact, if not for the gonopodium, it would be difficult to distinguish males from females.

Quick Facts

Care Guide

Tank setup: Swordtails are active swimmers, so give them plants, open swimming space and a tight-fitting lid, since they are good jumpers. They prefer hard, alkaline water.

Feeding: Feed a quality flake or small pellet with some vegetable content once or twice a day. They also enjoy frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Tankmates: Swordtails get along with most peaceful community fish of similar size, such as platies, mollies, larger tetras, danios, rainbowfish, gouramis and corydoras. Keep more females than males, since males chase females and may spar with each other. Avoid fin-nippers and large cichlids.

Good to know: Lyretail and hi-fin swordtails have extra-long fins, so keep them away from fin-nippers like tiger barbs. Many lyretail males have an elongated gonopodium and can't breed, so lyretail fry usually come from lyretail females mated with standard-finned males.