Guppy

Guppy
"Poecilia reticulata"
(syn. "Lebistes reticulatus")

A very suitable tropical fish for a beginner. Actually, guppy is my first love, and the first species that I was able to bred (when I was around 7). A very popular live bearer.

Wild Guppy - original species.


Original Habitat:
Brazil and Barbados.
Sex:
Male Guppies are luxuriously coloured. Their anal fin has been transformed into gonopodium. The males have slimmer and smaller size compare to their female counterpart.
Max Length:
Female Guppy might grow to 6 cm with male is smaller in size.
Temperature:
17 to 27 degrees Celsius.
Water:
This tropical fish are very adaptable and do well in very diverse water condition. But they love a water with pH close to neutral (7.0) and water which is not too hard (25 gH). You can occasionally add a small amount of iodine free cooking salt to ensure their healthiness.

Red Blood Guppy


Accommodation:
This tropical fish are not demanding which can easily kept in smaller aquarium. You could provide them with plenty fine leafed plants. They somehow look pale in bright substrate aquarium therefore a dark-coloured substrate is more desirable.
Characteristics:
Guppy are very lively tropical fish that are extremely tolerant. They can always be in peace term not only with their kind, but other as well, which makes them a very suitable mate in a community aquarium. Male guppy is a very passionate lovers that if you keep him with a single female, he may chase her to death. It is best to keep a male with several female - at least 2 female for each male Guppy. Their friendliness often makes them vulnerable, do not keep them in accompany with fin nipper (Tiger Barb) or other intolerant , aggressive fish. This tropical fish visit all zone in your aquarium but prefer the top zone in which they always searching for live food in the wild. They are also very strong swimmer.



Food:
This tropical fish are omnivores and do well with dry food diet. They are very happy to be fed on live food as well. The favourite is the mosquito larvae which they can consume in a lot.
Breeding:
Guppies are a very fertile tropical fish species. In each batch of mating, a single mum could produce a several cluster of 10-70 fry. The fry itself are very independent and can take care of themselves as soon as they were born. However, they are also seen as additional diet by the other inhabitants (including their parents). Therefore, some measure may be taken into consideration in order to increasee their rate of survival.
Should you want to let them naturally survive, you can just let the mother give birth to her fry in the original tanks. But make sure there are plenty of refuge - plants (Java moss, fine leafed plants, floating plants), rocks whatsoever. The fry will emerge and naturally join the community when they are large enough.
The other choice is to isolate the pregnant mother (which can be identified from her swollen stomach and black pregnancy spot - the gravid spot) into another tank or breeder tank. Remove the mother after she's done with her delivery. The fry can be raise with fine powdered food or recently hatched artemia.

A mum giving birth in a breeder box. She seem very relax.


Variants:
There are a huge number of different type of this tropical fish have been bred. They can be differ not only by their colouration, but their tail shape as well.