# Bergama Swordtail



## Faruk Gençöz (Nov 4, 2005)

Bergama swordtail is albino and red form of Xiphophorus helleri. It is bred under captivity in Bergama, Turkey.

I bought three couples of them 4 years ago. Their skin and the eyes were pure red. As they breed naturally in my tanks albino offsprings were eaten selectively. Since their color were highly distinctive they couldn't escape from adults. After the second year there were no albino left in my aquariums.

While albinos disappeared in the progressive generations, black spots appeared on the red skin. That means they were turning to their original colors, I guess.

Nowadays I have been looking for pure Bergama swordtail. As soon as I put them in my tanks I'll post the images.

Below is the picture of two adults (the third generation) and their offsprings (will be the fourth generation).


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Very stunning fish, and interesting observations.  

I've encounterd the same with my Albino Bristlenose fry being the first to disappear from the tank, even though most of the others thrive.


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## Faruk Gençöz (Nov 4, 2005)

Female and male offsprings of Bergama double sword. Ladies first...


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Very nice looking fish!


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## Faruk Gençöz (Nov 4, 2005)

I guess there are at least two reasons for why these fishes are not common in planted tanks although they look good.

First of all common live-bearing fish are one of the oldies. They were probably one of the first fish or the first ones that gave a birth in our first tanks. Somehow more experienced people leave them in the past. They are perceived as "easy fish" and this does not fit in to our "experienced aquarist" schema. 

The second reason is that there seems to be strong schemas about the type of fish that is kept in planted aquariums. A school of Tetra like fish and discuss are the most common elements of planted aquariums. Forming and holding a schema about which fish to keep has many advanteges, in fact. Swordtails are not little, have long extremities that look not natural, may kill the depth perception etc.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

fgencoz said:


> First of all common live-bearing fish are one of the oldies. They were probably one of the first fish or the first ones that gave a birth in our first tanks. Somehow more experienced people leave them in the past. They are perceived as "easy fish" and this does not fit in to our "experienced aquarist" schema.


That's very true, and it's too bad. They are breeding so many of the unnatural strains into some of these fish that they make them very weak specimens.


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