TankBud

Variety of Green swordtail

Marigold swordtail

Xiphophorus hellerii

One of 6 varieties of Xiphophorus hellerii · See all varieties →

FreshwaterFish

Marigold swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)

Varieties · Xiphophorus hellerii

See all 6 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–82°F
20–28°C
pH
7.0–8.0
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
76 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Livebearer · Easy
Rarity
Very common
Family
Poeciliidae

Overview

The marigold swordtail carries orange over a yellow ground, deepest along the back and fading toward the belly. It is peaceful and easy enough for a first tank.

Did you know

Much of the marigold swordtail's orange is carotenoid, and fish cannot synthesize carotenoids. They have to take them in from food, which is one reason the same line can look brighter in one shop's tank than another's.

Caring for the marigold swordtail

Marigold swordtails need at least 20 gal (76 L) for a small group, and a longer tank gives these active swimmers room to cruise. They spend most of their time in the middle of the tank. Plant the edges, keep the middle open and run a moderate flow.

The water should be hard and alkaline, at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. Marigold swordtails eat easily, taking a quality flake or pellet with some vegetable matter and the odd frozen treat.

Marigold swordtails are peaceful and get along with other community fish. Keep more females than males, so the males' attention is spread out. When you buy, judge the fish rather than the name, and look for an even gradient with no muddy gray wash over it.

Only the males grow the long sword on the lower tail fin, and the females are larger bodied. Marigold swordtails give birth to live young, and a female can store sperm and produce several broods from one mating. They breed readily, so plant the tank well for the fry to hide in.

Good to know

The marigold swordtail's gradient comes from two pigment cell types layered over one another, xanthophores carrying yellow and erythrophores carrying orange to red. Neither behaves as a clean single gene here, so intensity and the position of the color break vary within one spawn. Breeders hold the look by picking parents each generation rather than by fixing a gene. Mainstream online retailers sell it as marigold and marigold wag. It is close enough to pineapple and sunset that shops sometimes swap the labels, and grading is by eye, with no standard behind it.

In the wild

The marigold swordtail is a farm color from the same yellow and red selection that produced the pineapple and sunset swordtails. No breeder, country or year is documented for it, so it is a hobby line of uncertain origin. As with every non-green swordtail color, the pigment came in through generations of swordtail and platy crossing. Nothing like it exists in the wild population.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The marigold swordtail is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is a marigold swordtail a different species from the green swordtail?

No. A marigold swordtail is a variety of the green swordtail, Xiphophorus hellerii, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does a marigold swordtail need?

A marigold swordtail needs at least 20 gal (76 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does a marigold swordtail eat?

A marigold swordtail eats easily, taking a quality flake or pellet with some vegetable matter and the odd frozen treat.

How big does a marigold swordtail get?

An adult marigold swordtail reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How can you tell a male marigold swordtail from a female?

Males grow the long sword on the lower tail fin, and females are larger bodied without one.

How does a marigold swordtail breed?

Marigold swordtails give birth to live young, and one mating can give a female several broods, since she stores sperm. They breed readily, so the fry need plants to hide in.

Related species