Swordtail Fry!

[Dannii]

My Swordtail gave birth last night and I just wanted to share how cute the fry are!

[nick1982]

Amazing news! They look cool.

Have you separated them or kept them with adults?

[Dannii]

They're separate, in a large breeding box I have an air stone in there, moss balls and an Indian Almond leaf for coverage

[nick1982]

Excellent! Fingers crossed they do well. Moss Balls and Almond leaf should provide some food source too.

[Dannii]

Thanks so much

[Gingerlove05]

I forgot how much they’re just eyes and a see through body
Give it a month/5 weeks and you might end up with some more

[black ghost]

I hope it’s an old almond leaf. You don’t really want them releasing tannins in a confined space with livebearers.

All livebearer fry are exciting to see. Even after 50 years, not much beats the sight of new fry.

[Dannii]

I hope it’s an old almond leaf. You don’t really want them releasing tannins in a confined space with livebearers.

All livebearer fry are exciting to see. Even after 50 years, not much beats the sight of new fry.

No I wasn't an old one, I feel really silly D: removed it straightaway and added extra moss balls for coverage.

[RichB]

Sorry to ask an obviously dumb question, but why don't you want tannins with live bearers?

I've done a Google search and all I can find are positive reasons for having tannins present. I use such leaves in my 350L, with scissortails. (Alas, no breeding! They are amazing!)

Or is it the small space and potential for unstable water conditions?

[black ghost]

They’re not recommended for livebearers.
Livebearers need hard water, tannins (tannic acid) are acidic and tend to soften it. They react with KH, so a tiny breeding box could contain soft water, even in a hard water tank.