There are 2 types of fish, those that live in freshwater and those that live in Saltwater. Although there are some freshwater fish that could tolerate some amount of salt or salinity. Swordtail fish are both peaceful and freshwater fish, they are small fish and could only get to 7 inches in size, and they are very useful in aquariums. In this article, you will learn if they could tolerate salt or not.
Can Swordtail fish go in saltwater? Yes, Swordtail fish could tolerate some amount of salt, that is why they could be able to live in brackish water and survive.
There are many importance of salt to freshwater fish and other freshwater aquarium animals, such as to cure some diseases, and toxins, but many freshwater fish would die instantly when exposed to saltwater.
Although Swordtails could tolerate brackish water and even Iive in it, their body can’t be able to take much of it, or they will dehydrate and die.
The amount of salt they could be able to tolerate should not be more than 1 tablespoon per 2-5 gallons of water.
This is because, they are freshwater fish, and no freshwater animal could be able to tolerate much salt more than 1 tablespoon per 2-5 gallons without having issues.
Why Swordtail Fish Can’t Survive In Salt Water
Although they can survive in brackish water, but can they thrive in such water? the answer is no!.
They can survive in brackish water, but they can’t survive in saltwater because, brackish water is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, so they have a chance there than when the water is all salt.
The reason they can’t survive in saltwater is because of Osmosis.
Osmosis is a biological process by which molecules of a solvent move from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, to equalize the concentrations on each side of a membrane.
In this case, the internal fluids of freshwater fish are less concentrated, and that of saltwater is highly concentrated in comparison.
So, when you put freshwater fish in saltwater, your fish will lose the fluid inside their body to the surrounding saltwater due to osmosis.
The loss of water from the body will cause dehydration and the fish might die.
So when I say, freshwater can’t live in saltwater and survive, this is what I mean by that.
Again swordtails are tropical fish. The majority of freshwater fish are tropical, and all saltwater fish are cold-water fish, so apart from salt-killing freshwater fish, there is no way a freshwater-dwelling fish could be kept with brackish water fish because their temperatures are not the same.
So, Swordtails could go in brackish water and survive, but can’t survive in saltwater.
Are Swordtails Brackish Water?
Swordtails are freshwater fish, but they could tolerate some amount of salt, and they could live in brackish water, that is why they are naturally found in brackish water in Mexico and South America.
Conclusion
Swordtails are hardy fish, and they could take some salt, but not much, so they can live in brackish water, but can’t go in saltwater or be kept in such water, or they will dehydrate and die.
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