Scientifically named Poecilia reticulata the Guppy fish is part of the Poeciliidae family.
- Region of origin:
The South American rivers are the origin point of the Guppy fish. They grow in the wild to sizes of 3 to 5 cm, and they thrive in waters with temperatures of 23 – 24 degrees C and they prefer slightly warmer waters of 24 – 25 degrees C for reproduction purposes. The water hardness that the Guppy fish tolerate is between 9 and 19 with a pH of 7 – 8.
Being the most popular aquarium fish, the Guppy fish is also one of the most beautiful fish that you can have in your aquarium. They are the recommended option for any beginner aquarist. Guppy fish are live bearers, meaning that they don’t lay eggs but instead they give birth to live fish, thus they are extremely prolific and in some countries like in their region of origin of their excessive breeding endangered entire ecosystem’s tippling natural balance. In the aquarium, Guppy fish can be raised together with related species such as Molly, Xifo and generally small sized fish of any species like Neon, zebras, etc… Larger fish can eat the guppy’s babies and even Guppy fish adults will hurt them so you should not introduce the babies in the guppy tank. Males are colorful, there are many varieties obtained by selection. Females are larger than males and are not usually colored but sometimes their caudal fin is.
Since them like eating, Guppy fish will delight viewers in that process. They prefer abundant light, well-planted aquariums which provide shelter and refuge for the female and her offspring’s. There must be a free zone where fish can swim freely. Avoid decorative objects with deep and narrow openings such as marine snail shells as guppy can get stuck in them.
As for most of the aquarium fish, Guppy fish love tubifex as food but you should be extremely careful to the quantity that they eat. They love live food so much that they will never stop eating it not even when they start dyeing. They accept a wide range of food, which can range from flakes to concentrated pellets or live food. The best diet consists of guppy flakes purchased from the pet shop, filled with live food from time to time. Offspring can be given special flakes or minced or larvae of Artemia Salina .
Guppy fish Pictures Gallery