Xiphophorus mayae High Fin - Back to Care Guide Page
 

    Water Conditions- Temp. 70-80, plants, Tank of at least 20 gallons. Some water movement, aeration, water changes
    Behavior- Peaceful but shy community fish. Males will display to one another
    Breeding- 10-50 Young approx. monthly
    Size- 4-5 inches

    It would make sense that this fish’s care needs would be the same as for the X. mayae. They are the same species-
    even the same line, with the high fin having been developed from a sport born around 2006. But their behavior and
    care are not the same. In the X. mayae care recommendations, a tank of at least 20 gallons is suggested. With this
    fish there is an ongoing effort to increase their size to equal the large X. mayae, as the mutation was at first
    undersized. So they are kept in as large a tank as they can for each stage of growth. 2-3 pair can do well in a 20
    gallon tank, but since these males spend much of their time showing off and spreading out their tall dorsals at one
    another, providing them with a 30 gallon tank isn't necessary, but suggested to get the most enjoyment from them.

    The high fin has not seemed to be as shy a fish- often the males will be out in front displaying to one another.
    The line is being carefully watched, and only similarly sized fish are being kept with one another, which may
    contribute to their more gregarious and less shy community behavior.

    The young must still be raised up separately, as the line is still breeding inconsistently. There are continued
    normal finned fish being dropped, and there are still appearances of occasional early maturing males that must be
    culled. These are males that reach the ability to breed at a very small size as an evolutionary advantage to
    maximize their own reproduction. (See “The Developing the High Fin mayae”) They can be raised separately as a
    curiosity, but you do not want them to fertilize a full sized female. Over the course of continued breeding those
    issues can be addressed by breeding the fish to one another that carry the greatest number of traits you are
    looking for. With this line the trait with priority to breed for is overall size, as the high fin line is not
    yet as large as the mayae they came from.

    At 6 weeks they can be sorted by finnage, and then should be sorted by sex as soon as gonopodium development
    can be identified. Any observed exaggerated finnage, however minor, should be raised with high finned fish as
    fin proportions seem to change as they age.
  
 

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