Red Twinbar Swordtail - Xiphophorus hellerii

Red Twinbar Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)

The Red Twinbar Swordtail is a colourful captive-bred livebearer admired for its bright red body colour, active swimming behaviour and distinctive twinbar tail pattern. This ornamental form of Xiphophorus hellerii is a hardy and lively community fish, best suited to mature aquariums with open swimming space, plant cover and stable, mineral-rich water. Males develop the classic sword-like extension on the lower tail, making them especially eye-catching in a mixed livebearer display.

Common Name:
Red Twinbar Swordtail, Twinbar Swordtail, Red Swordtail, Red Twinbar Livebearer

Scientific Name (Latin):
Xiphophorus hellerii

Strain / Form:
Red Twinbar captive-bred colour form

Maximum Size:
Approximately 10–12 cm, with males appearing longer due to the tail sword

Water Type:
Freshwater

Origin / Natural Habitat:
Wild Xiphophorus hellerii are native to Central America, where they occur in freshwater streams, rivers, ditches, springs and vegetated margins.

The Red Twinbar Swordtail is a captive-bred aquarium strain rather than a wild colour form.

In the aquarium, it does best in a mature setup with open swimming room, plant cover, gentle to moderate flow and stable water quality.

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 22–26°C
pH Range: 7.0–8.2
Hardness: Moderately hard to hard preferred
Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: Kept low and stable
Flow: Gentle to moderate preferred

Temperament:
Peaceful to active

Red Twinbar Swordtails are generally peaceful community fish, but they are active swimmers and males can chase females or rival males.

They are best kept in groups with more females than males to reduce pressure on individual females.

Avoid keeping them with very shy, slow-moving or delicate species that may be stressed by their activity.

Diet:
Omnivore / Livebearer Community Diet

Red Twinbar Swordtails are easy to feed and accept a wide range of foods.

Offer high-quality tropical flakes, small pellets, livebearer foods, spirulina flakes and vegetable-based foods as the staple diet.

Supplement with frozen or live foods such as daphnia, brineshrimp, bloodworm and mosquito larvae.

A varied diet helps support colour, condition and breeding health.

Minimum Tank Size:
Approximately 100 litres for a small group

A longer aquarium is preferred, as swordtails are active swimmers.

Larger aquariums are recommended for bigger groups, multiple males or mixed livebearer communities.

Behaviour & Activity:
The Red Twinbar Swordtail is an active mid-to-upper level swimmer that spends much of the day exploring open water and planted areas.

Males may display to females and rival males by spreading fins, showing the swordtail and chasing briefly.

This species is a livebearer, meaning females give birth to free-swimming fry rather than laying eggs.

Community Suitability:
Active Community Fish

The Red Twinbar Swordtail is suitable for peaceful to moderately active community aquariums.

Suitable tankmates include platies, mollies, peaceful barbs, rainbowfish, larger rasboras, danios, bristlenose plecos, corydoras and other robust community fish that enjoy similar water conditions.

Avoid aggressive fish, fin-nippers, very soft-water specialists, tiny nano fish, very timid species and any tankmate likely to harass the males’ tail swords.

Special Requirements or Care Notes:
Keep in a mature aquarium with stable water quality and good filtration.

A ratio of one male to two or more females is recommended where possible.

Provide plants, floating cover and visual breaks so females and weaker males can rest away from attention.

This species prefers harder, more alkaline water and is not ideal for very soft acidic aquariums.

Swordtails are strong jumpers, so a secure lid is recommended.

Females may produce fry regularly, and adults or tankmates may eat some young in a community aquarium.

If fry are to be raised, provide dense plants, breeding mops or a separate rearing setup.

Regular water changes and a varied diet will help maintain strong colour and overall health.

Suitable for:
Beginner to intermediate

Availability:
Common to occasional, depending on supplier and colour strain.

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Please note that Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, and variation in patterns and colours will occur — that is part of the unique beauty of these animals.