Took this photo from an online post...........I do not believe that the color has been photo shopped or otherwise enhanced and it is true to life. How would you describe this fish?

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It looks chocolate to me.

That's a Red Albino Lyretail Swordtail (Yes, I still use Red Albino to describe the strain)
Through proper breeding and rearing, there's no need for color enhancment. Every Swordtail or Platy with strong coloration isn't artificially enhanced.
It is a Red, just a very dark Red.

Darrell E. Mefford

It looks like a red lyertail what happened to the tail?

That Red Albino Lyretail has a serious infection on the upper portion of the tail. If you don't treat it soon, it will get to the caudal peduncle, and the fish will die soon after.

I have no idea how to treat it, but someone here should have a suggestion. I think there's a health section on these forums? Post the picture there, it's more likely to get some attention for the disease...

I think it is just an old male that is on its way out.

That looks like a Fungus infection ,I would treat it with Maracyn or tetracycline tablets or Trisulfa.there are a lot of products that you could use to treat this fish.

I think you guys forgot to read the part where he said he got this photo from a post. This is not his fish but atleast we know what to do if our fish starts too look like that.

Thank you for all the posts.....The "white" on its tail holds no interest to me, be it infection or fungus or what have you. It is the unusual color that interests me. In 30+ years of keeping tropical fish I have never seen this color displayed by any swordtail (or Platy) before!......Platymef....If I am to understand you correctly, you consider this swordtail to be a red swordtail? In other words, coming from a "red" strain? The color isn't red by any stretch of the imagination, it appears to be albino(red eyed),and light chocolate brown with some recessive yellow. Very similar to the coloration of the Chocolate molly, almost identical in fact as far as the comparison of coloration. Or, have I mis-understood that the fish is this color due to age or illness, or some other outside environmental factor, and then "turned" this brown color from its original normal red color? IF this "brown" (red) is the natural color of the fish and not due to age,illness,etc., what do you suppose that its lineage might be? I would be very interested in trying to produce some swords identical to this fish! I have never seen any swordtails this color before and think that this red eyed "Chocolate" is exceptional. Thank you in advance for any suggestions and/or information!

Also, you write "Through proper breeding and rearing,"-what exactly is it that could be influential on the coloration of this fish through the "rearing" of the fish? I am most interested in the genetics required to produce this color variation if possible. I'm wondering if it might be from a platy X Helleri? Are there any members who know what parents were used to create the first Chocolate Mollys? Also, I have noticed that there is now a Red Eye Chocolate Balloon Platy on the market, perhaps this is a piece of the puzzle? I dont particularly care for the Balloon forms, and wondering if these breed true or perhaps there is a % born with "normal" shaped body?