Tropical Fish: Guppy
Guppies: livebearer with striking colors
Poecilia reticulata
A minimum aquarium of 20 gallons with lots of plants such as Java Fern and Java Moss is recommended, these hardy plants can handle hard water conditions, which are ideal for guppies. Guppies are relatives of mollies, platys and swordtails they belong to the same family: Poeciliidae. All of them are livebearers meaning that they give birth to live young. All of these fish species are compatible between them, so you can keep them together safely.
They prefer a pH of around neutral (7.0), but can adapt down to 6.0 and all the way up to the high 7s (approaching 8.0). Hardness should be moderate, although they can handle hard water fairly well. They do not respond well to very low hardness. Temperature should be in the low 70s (Fahrenheit), but they tolerate down to the low 60s and into the high 80s.
Guppies have been used extensively for mosquito control as livebearers eat the waterborne larvae of disease-carrying mosquitoes that transmit Malaria. In the aquarium home you can feed them with freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp, along with prepared foods that have a high vegetable content, such as Spirulina.
Do not keep guppies with Bettas or other slower moving fish as they will nip their fins, as well as harass them. Although usually peaceful it is best to keep several guppy pairs to reduce quarrels in the aquarium. The male guppy fish has longer fins with striking colors and patterns compared with the female which usually is bigger.
The better the water quality, the healthier your guppies will be, a regimen of frequent water changes - 10 to 15 percent every week or 20 to 25 percent every other week is highly recommended.
Breeding guppies is very easy, in fact the only thing you need is one male and 2 female. You may wonder why not just one female? Well Guppy males will spend much of their day courting the ladies so it is best to keep at least 2 females for each male so that the females will get some occasional rest!
The guppy male will fertilize the female internally using his anal fin or gonopodium. Once the female is gravid a dark area appears around the vent and her body will be increase in size. We advise you to move a gravid female into a separate nursery tank or breeding box for birthing.
Adults will eat the fry (including Mom!) if they are left to fend for themselves without the breeding box. The fry should be fed brine shrimp, micro food, and pulverized flakes.
Compatibility: Similar sized Livebearers, Tetras, Rasboras, Rainbowfish, Dwarf Gouramis, Loaches, Plecos, and Scavenger Catfish.
Livebearer Care:
Most species will adapt to a range of water conditions so long as the water is clean and well aerated.
Never give your guppies more food than they can eat in 1 minute! Leftover food decomposes and pollutes the tank. If food remains uneaten, remove it. Feed your guppy a small amount 2 times during the day.
Plants should be hardy varieties such as Java Fern and Java Moss that can handle the increased hardness in the tank.
It is advisable to move a gravid female into a separate nursery tank for birthing. This should be heavily planted to shield the young from their hungry mother.
Guppies Related Articles:
Breeding Guppies. Guppies are livebearers, which means that every 30 days or so, the female will drop a litter of babies that are fully formed miniatures of their parents. In a community tank with other types of fish or in a tank with many adult guppies, the babies stand an excellent chance of becoming a snack for the adult fish.