scorpio

how can you tell the difference between a female platy and female swordtail? thanks the reason im wondering is i bought two female swordtails, one looks a lot like my male minus the sword but the other not so much . is there a way to tell the difference or does anyone have pics or a link to pics?

Butters

swordtails are bigger, thats all I really know. And they look kind of different, like swords are more streamline looking. But I'm not really that sure.

Zoreta

I'm not entirely sure- platy and swordtail can intermix, so it could very well be you got a mutt.

My guess would be that the one resembling a male is a pure sword, but the other is kind of up in the air.

Manthalynn

Don't be surprised if the one that "sort of looks like a male without the sword" turns out to sprout a sword in a couple months. I had this happen to me a few months ago. I purchased two females and one male. When I got them home, one of the females just didn't look like I thought female livebearers are supposed to look like but I was sure it wasn't a male because it didn't have the sword. A month later it sprouted a sword. It's a very beautiful male now.

This happens quite often, I've since learned.

dakotajim

Also, to devalope the swords and platies we have today, both species have been crossed in the wild and lab. So most of the fish we get from breeders and the stores have both genetics in them anyways. Platies can at times sprout a bit of a sword, but it could be a very recent cross of the two species.

hozzie

this is a female sword, she is longer and slimmer with a more pointy nose.



the female platy is chunkier and often shorter tailed.


wish i took better pics.

Attached Images

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