# So I noticed something strange about my Swordtails tonight...



## justin68106

I came home from work tonight and looked in on my 3 new Red Wag Swordtails I got this afternoon. After a few minutes I noticed something hanging off the two females, but not the male. I'm not sure what it is though. Hopefully someone here can help!



Sorry the picture isn't the greatest. But it seems to fall off and then grow back. I'm a lil new to this, so hopefully I'm just overreacting.

Thanks for any and all help!


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## danilykins

That would be fish poop


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## justin68106

I was hoping that's all it was.

I had fish in the tank before, 5 Jumbo Neon Tetras, 4 Black Skirt Tetras and 4 Red Skirt Tetras, but after adding the red and black skirts my tank came down with a case of ich (not going back to Petsmart anymore, for fish at least) and I lost them all  . I took out 95% of the water, changed the filter media (it was about time for it to be changed anyhow) and dipped my net and decorations in boiling water to make sure no parasites would be left on them. I also waited a few days just to be sure before getting these 3. 

I just never noticed anything like this with the other fish, granted there were a bit smaller than these so I may have missed it. I just didn't wanna go through losing my fish again.


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## danilykins

those other fish are smaller so you probably just never noticed before. Has the tank cycled yet? keep an eye on them and test the water daily if you haven't cycled yet. Good luck with the swords  maybe you will get lucky and get some babies


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## justin68106

Yes, the tank is cycled, I was worried it wouldn't be after I changed so much water and all that, so I added some ammonia to test it, that was another reason I waited to get new fish.

That's why I got the male and females, was hoping I might get a few extra out of them  maybe even a reason to get another tank. *#3


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## jrman83

Swordtails poop a lot. They can get pretty large. I never knew how much waste they created until I put a female in a breeding tank about 12hrs before she gave birth. Just in that 12hrs I think she pooped enough weight to make a Guppy or two.


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## justin68106

I've noticed, more with the females than the male, too. And apparently they even got my ammonia levels to spike up to .25ppm today... 

I am worried though that I checked the levels this morning, pH was at 7.6, checked just a few minutes ago and it was at least 8.8... our tap water is relatively hard and has a higher pH of 8-ish (forget what atm) and getting it lower is kind of a pain (got a piece of driftwood soaking in a bucket until it won't turn my tank water gross). 

What would cause the pH to increase so drastically over only a few hours (7-8ish) like that?

Edit, put pH decrease in and it went back to the 7.8 it was at this morning, and I realized my pump wasn't working, so I went to go exchange that and came back and the male was dead  But at least PetCo has a new fish guarantee, just have to take the fish, a water sample and my receipt tomorrow. The 2 females look just fine and are swimming around.


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## jrman83

Don't use ph up/down. The buffers in your water will just drive the value right back where it was. That swing will kill your fish and you just make your tank a toxic mess. If you've added to your tank, I'd fo a 50% water change to try and get most out. Fish prefer more a stable value over a specific value. Most fish will do very well outside their normal ph range.


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## ironbone

i agree find your water paremeters and keep them there with the less addable things,live bearers pretty durable just need to keep your levels consistant.kinda look into gh -kh-ph what are they about tap water not the same around the world.i believe there is no stupid question,i would trust online fish keepers more than petco walmart.i think it is imperative that u know your fish--what they can handle low and high limits and make your tank from that


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## justin68106

Well it's been steady since and the two females have been just fine. I think something else must have been wrong with the male. I took my water sample and the dead fish to PetCo and replaced him with a male marigold swordtail (they didn't have any male red wag swordtails left) and he seems to be doing just fine!


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## jrman83

justin68106 said:


> Well it's been steady since and the two females have been just fine. I think something else must have been wrong with the male. I took my water sample and the dead fish to PetCo and replaced him with a male marigold swordtail (they didn't have any male red wag swordtails left) and he seems to be doing just fine!


I think the marigold swordtails are pretty cool. I have 1 male and 2 females myself.

I would invest in my own testing equipment and would recommend the API master test kit. Petco usually uses strips and they are just too inaccurate for anything precise.


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## justin68106

jrman83 said:


> I think the marigold swordtails are pretty cool. I have 1 male and 2 females myself.
> 
> I would invest in my own testing equipment and would recommend the API master test kit. Petco usually uses strips and they are just too inaccurate for anything precise.


That's what I've been using, the master test kit, definitely better than the strips.

Edit: I've noticed a few bubbles that are under the male's mouth, what causes that? is it just stress?


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## eaglesfan3711

I noticed you are form Nebraska. If you are anywhere in the Omaha area, stop by the PetSmart in Papillion. I work there and would be more than happy to help you out.


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## jrman83

Can you post a pic?


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## justin68106

I'm in Omaha, I just hate driving to Papillion/La Vista/Ralston/Bellevue... but I may have to stop out there sometime now, since I can probably trust you more than the guy at the 72nd ST store who thought I was crazy when I mentioned fishless cycling...

Edit: the bubbles seem to be gone now, but if they come back I'll have a pic asap.


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## eaglesfan3711

Was his name Steve?


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## justin68106

Honestly, I don't remember, I never talked to him really after I got the tank stuff.


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## eaglesfan3711

If he was short and stocky, had grey hair, and pushed for you to put live plants in your tank, that was Steve. I work out at that store every once in a while.


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