# Shenzhen stream keeps surprising me



## Martin in Holland (27 Sep 2014)

Went to Wutong mountain just outside Shenzhen and I always see these fish but were never able to see what kind they are, I even tried to catch some, without success, when I realized I had a watertight cover on my phone.
Now look at this. .......Aren't those (Xiphophorus helleri) home in central american waters? I guess they got released or escaped years ago, cause you can find them in the whole stream.
I have to say, they look beautiful and I will probably go back to get me some for my tank.
It's not the best video, I was kinda exited to be able to do this. The water was also a bit blurred after I tried to catch them, usually it is a lot clearer. 
Maybe also nice to know that the water temp. was 30 degrees Celsius and I measured TDS which was 30.2...but in winter it's a different story the temperature can drop here to 5 degrees, the water temp. could stay higher though.


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## Antoni (27 Sep 2014)

Wow, that is unexpected.....I know Gambusia has been used for malaria prevention and is now wide spread across the globe, but swordtail....might be just a negligence from a fish farm...


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## mr. luke (27 Sep 2014)

Off topic but can i come and live with you? You are spoilt with all that lovely free hardscape, native plants and tropical fish from your local river


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## Martin in Holland (28 Sep 2014)

Swordtails are being used for research, so it's most likely that they escaped from their torture rooms.


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## Martin in Holland (28 Sep 2014)

Same stream, different fish.


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## Edvet (28 Sep 2014)

Nice finds, now go make a local biotope tank


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## Martin in Holland (28 Sep 2014)

Edvet said:


> now go make a local biotope tank



Actually, I did think of that, but.....I just need to go to the stream to see that....I mean, do you have a tank which looks like the Rijn, Maas, Geul or Lek?


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## Tim Harrison (28 Sep 2014)

Martin in China said:


> Went to Wutong mountain just outside Shenzhen and I always see these fish but were never able to see what kind they are, I even tried to catch some, without success, when I realized I had a watertight cover on my phone.
> Now look at this. .......Aren't those (Xiphophorus helleri) home in central american waters? I guess they got released or escaped years ago, cause you can find them in the whole stream.
> I have to say, they look beautiful and I will probably go back to get me some for my tank.
> It's not the best video, I was kinda exited to be able to do this. The water was also a bit blurred after I tried to catch them, usually it is a lot clearer.
> Maybe also nice to know that the water temp. was 30 degrees Celsius and I measured TDS which was 30.2...but in winter it's a different story the temperature can drop here to 5 degrees, the water temp. could stay higher though.



That's pretty awesome...I cut my aquatic teeth on members of that genus...so to speak...and they always remain a firm favorite of mine. It's a shame we don't see them gracing more planted tanks. Fantastic to see them in the wild like that, even tho' they're obviously aliens there in Wutong.


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## Edvet (28 Sep 2014)

Nah but you live in an exotic place, the waterways here are always muddy. I've once seen a beautifull creek on a private piece of land in oosterbeek, i woiud copy that if i could.


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## Martin in Holland (28 Sep 2014)

Edvet....Maybe I copy it on a small scale, atleast I don't have to care about getting to much algae, cause they are part of the eco system for sure.


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## sciencefiction (28 Sep 2014)

Amazing. Swordtails in a TDS of 30? lol  So much about fish not being adaptable.


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## Tim Harrison (28 Sep 2014)

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the genus, and aside from their use in genetic studies (as Martin mentions), it explains they are supremely adaptable that's why they can perhaps overwinter at 5 degrees.

'...several species are commonly kept by aquarium hobbyists, especially _X. helleri_, _X. maculatus_ and _X. variatus._ In fact, these are a key category in fishkeeping, a group of extremely hardy livebearing fish, along with the molly and guppy, that adapt to almost any water conditions, from cold to tropical, freshwater to fully marine.'


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## sciencefiction (28 Sep 2014)

Seriously Fish about Xiphophorus helleri:

*Temperature*: 68-82°F (20-28°C)
*pH*: 7.0-8.0
*Hardness*: 10-30 dH

*Reproduction*
Very easy if soft, acidic water conditions are avoided.

Mollies and guppies are notorious for being hard water lovers. I was reading once about guppies that the reason for them preferring hard water is because somewhere in Asia, where they were bred on a mass scale, the ponds that they kept them in were aligned with some sort of rock/stuff that brought the GH very high and after generations being bred like that they started being quite the hard water fish. But maybe wild ones are different and more adaptable.


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## Tim Harrison (28 Sep 2014)

Maybe Seriously Fish would be interested in your observations and video Martin?


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## Martin in Holland (29 Sep 2014)

Troi said:


> Maybe Seriously Fish would be interested in your observations and video Martin?


You are free to show them (I'm not yet on that forum)...give them the link would work I guess.


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## Martin in Holland (20 Oct 2014)

Couldn't resist catching a few of those  swordtails.




They are in quarantine now for a while and after some medication against parasites, mold and so on, they are probably going into my 300 liter tank.
http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a540/MartinWelters/20141019_173338_zps64e602d9.jpg


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## Martin in Holland (21 Oct 2014)

Actually I wonder if the smaller fish are juvenile swordtails or a different species.......
If you look closely to the dorsal fin, the smaller fish's one is placed farther back....(Anyone an idea?)


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## Martin in Holland (12 Nov 2014)

Went back and got a few more Swordtails, now there are 7 in a tank that's to small for them....I'm not sure if I would transfer them into my 300 liter tank, I'm a bit scared that it will be to busy, not the fish load but the overall look. In the 300 liter tank are some 40 Cardinals, 7 Columbian red fins, 9 Otos, 3 Sae. Would you put the Swordtails in with that bunch?


 

 This female looks nice though....


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## Martin in Holland (12 Nov 2014)

Found this too....(loaches)




And a nice Salamander (to bad not in a picture) of about 20cm long (incl. his short tail)


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## Edvet (12 Nov 2014)

Martin in China said:


> tank that's to small for them


If you improve the filtration they will be perfectly happy and you wont need to rehouse them, you can do large waterchanges too if you don't have/want extra filters.


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